He blinked at her.
“Older? Younger?”
Rick gave a short laugh. “A little older. It doesn’t matter. Anyway,” he changed the subject adroitly. “These are remarkable examples.”
Player appeared at the doorway, licking his chops from dinner. He whined and sat, but refused to enter the room. Probably doesn’t like the wallpaper. With all the delicate items in here, it’s just as well.
“Okay, now we’re talkin’!” he enthused as he led Anna to a carved chest. It sat open, faded red velvet padding cradling its contents.
“What is it?”
“What do you see?”
“Um…well…is that a wooden stake?” She touched it tentatively.
“Yeah, there are a couple of different kinds of stakes here. So it’s a…” No response. “What else do you see?”
“A small gun with curlicues carved in the metal…”
“That’s probably a one-shot silver Derringer, ivory handle, I’m guessing with a silver bullet. I’m not gonna touch it to find out, though.”
Anna nodded comprehension. “A Crucifix, and is that a vial of Holy water?”
“Yep.”
“And those look like vials of herbs and spices. I don’t get those.”
“Yeah,” Rick picked one up carefully and examined it. “Folks thought spices deterred the undead.”
“But that’s not true?”
Rick opened a vial and sniffed. “Guess not.” He shrugged and replaced it, then turned to Anna with a big grin. “So then, that makes this box a…”
She looked at him vacuously.
Rick took a step back from her, tucked his chin and hid his face in his hand as if in contemplation. “It’s a vampire hunter’s kit!”
“Oh!” She shuddered. “Oh.”
He gave her a teasing glance. “What do you know about vampires?”
“Um…not much? I thought I did.” She sagged. “I’m not thinking as clearly as I should. I need to eat.”
“You need tutoring, Cupcake!” I’m just the vampire to do it! “Now I feel guilty for not feeding you. Let’s finish up here and I’ll take you and Player to my place.”
“Your place?” she began uncertainly.
Rick was already on to his next concern. “I don’t see any dagger here. Do you know where it is?”
Anna nodded. She walked to the mantle of the faux fireplace and lifted the shelf. From a hollow section, she raised an object wrapped in lambskin and carried it to a table, carefully laying back the wrapping.
Rick had to grab a high-backed chair to keep his knees from buckling. There, among all the cheesy imitations and bogus antiques, lay his family dirk. Rick stared at the nine-inch double-sided blade plated in silver and gold. It had a three-inch grip elaborately encrusted with jewels, most notably the seventy-seven-carat emerald, carved with the Fitzjarrald family crest. Rick regained his composure and stepped forward to peer at it.
“I can’t touch this. It’s silver. Will you please hold it up so I can see the emerald?”
“Emerald?” Anna snorted. “That can’t be right. My God, it would be worth a fortune.”
“Please, just hold it up.” When she did, Rick got weak-kneed all over again. Yes, this was definitely his blade. There was the Fitzjarrald night bird, quite clearly carved above the jousting helmet. There was no question, it was his dirk, and the only weapon, it was said, that could prevail against him. “Anna,” he said in a restrained and solemn tone, as if she was holding a bomb, “will you please wrap that back up in the lambskin and put it in a bag of some kind? I need to take this with me.”
“Oh, but Rick,” she shook her head in protest. “The dog and the dagger? I mean, he’ll think…”
“He’ll think he was robbed,” Rick agreed implacably. “That’s exactly what I want him to think. In fact, I’m coming back here with a team to comb over this place. We’ll take a variety of things; he’ll think it was a simple robbery. But Anna…” He drew in a deep gasp, almost as if he couldn’t catch his breath. “This was pre-eminent.”
“Pre-eminent?” she wondered, her eyes wide with bewilderment.
“Important, Cupcake.” He sighed heavily. “You may have saved my life.”
Chapter 5
Anna didn’t know what she expected when they stepped off the penthouse elevator into Rick’s home. Maybe his ‘dungeon’ should have given her a clue. She always thought of him as ultramodern/ultra-hip, but his home was…for want of a better description…modern-medieval. If Sterling lived in cheap imitation Goth, Rick had real, obviously priceless antiques. Any reproductions were painstakingly crafted. The place was breath taking, with stone walls, dark heavy woods polished to a lustrous sheen, and fine-textured, time-muted fabrics. Any prince of the realm would feel perfectly at home. She turned a circle, noting the balustrade that ran along the high ceiling of one wall, and led, she assumed, to bedrooms. The opposite wall was floor to ceiling windows, allowing a spectacular view of downtown L.A. but flanked by heavy curtains, undoubtedly to exclude sunlight.
“Wow!” Anna breathed. “I can’t wait to see the bathroom!”
“Down the hall to the left,” Rick called over his shoulder as he led the dog into another room.
Anna followed shyly. “No, I don’t mean I have to use it. I just want to see it.”
“Ah.” Rick laughed and rocked on his heels, looking awkward. “I forget people find this,” he gestured around the kitchen area, “unusual.”
Anna took in the stone and plaster walls, heavy wooden beams on the ceiling, thick marble counter tops, and appliances secreted behind gleaming carved wood.
“Well, the dog fits, anyway. You know, guarding the manor house.”
Rick laughed again and fidgeted. “You said you were hungry. Let me call down to the grille and get you something to eat. Steak okay?” He punched a code into what looked like an elaborate intercom system.
“Sure, but if it’s a bother I could slap together a sandwich here.” She gestured to what she assumed was a well-hidden fridge.
“Uh…” Rick rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “I’m afraid you won’t find anything in there. Vampire,” Rick grinned wide and clicked his teeth. “Remember?”
Anna slapped a hand over her mouth, and closed her eyes in embarrassment. “You know, I actually forgot.”
“Yes, Mr. Hiatt?” A voice crackled to life on the intercom.
“Bobby, send up our best steak, medium, with all the trimmings…I have a guest. A bottle of fresh AB negative and some Everclear for me, please.”
“Yes, Sir. On a cart?”
“No, use the dumb-waiter. As quickly as you can, please, the lady is hungry. Oh, and,” he looked down at Player who sat at his side. “Send us a big bowl of chopped sirloin, rare.”
“Yes, Sir…” Bobby’s disembodied voice sounded dubious. “Right away.”
“That’s convenient.” Anna teased.
“Yeah. So, I need to put that,” he pointed at the bag containing the dirk, “in the safe.” He picked the item up almost reverently. “When I get back, you want a tour?”
* * * *
After a dinner of what must have been some kind of rare premium beef, the likes of which Anna had never tasted in her life, Rick led her onto the balcony to finish her wine. She gaped. Rough travertine led to an exotically curved edgeless lap pool with transparent walls. A heavy faux bamboo couch in a semicircle overlooked the pool and the whole of the city. Rick handed her onto the couch and sat beside her.
Anna was starting to feel intimidated by the sheer scope and drama of everything she saw in Rick’s life. She could feel herself withdrawing into that shy remoteness she so often employed to stay emotionally secure. Thankfully, her retreat was broken by Player, who ignored all the ostentation and splashed down the stairs of the pool to slurp up some water.
Rick chuckled. “Okay, you need a water dish. Point taken.” He turned to Anna with an amiable smile. “More wine?”
She guarded her goblet
with her hand. “No thanks, it’s outstanding wine, but if I have more than one glass I’ll never be able to drive home.”
“You’re a cheap date.” He deftly removed the empty glass, sitting it on a nearby table. “So, a few nights ago, I asked why you wanted to come back to the Gaoler. Do you think you can tell me now?”
“Oh…” now she wished she hadn’t turned down that wine. “It’s…” she fretted. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Give it a try. I’m a pretty good listener.”
Anna snorted, which was totally unlike her, and blurted out a reply. “Yeah, right! A Dom who likes to listen!” Okay, maybe just that one glass was the better idea. “Oh!” She covered her mouth with her hand. “That didn’t come out right…”
Rick gave her a searching look. “I think you said exactly what you meant. You think Doms are only interested in themselves.”
“I—”
“But the truth is, a good Dom is always listening to his sub, he’s always reading her and trying to anticipate her needs.”
Anna’s skepticism showed on her face.
“You don’t believe me?”
Reluctantly, she shook her head.
“That tells me either you’ve never had a proper Dom, or you never understood the Dom/sub dynamic in the first place. If you think all a Dom does is bark orders and mete out punishment, you’re wrong. But it makes me all the more curious to know, if you find that idea objectionable why do you want to come back?”
“I…um…” She couldn’t get the words out.
“Do you have friends at the club? Is that it? Girlfriends you miss?”
“No!” She startled both of them with her vehement reply. “I don’t miss any of the women there. They were horrible to me! They made me feel like I couldn’t do anything right.”
“Cupcake!” Rick murmured sympathetically. “Don’t you understand they were jealous of you?” He smoothed a stray lock of hair behind her ear with a gentle touch.
“Jealous?” She scoffed. “Why?”
“You had Matt and they didn’t. They had no idea what he did with you. And…” he sighed, “I’m sure they had great imaginations. Matt would never say anything about you to anyone. They probably thought you were having wild kinky sex with him every night.”
Anna blushed from the roots of her hair to her toes.
What would I have to do to get her to blush like that over me?
“Now, I happen to know Matt wouldn’t—and didn’t—do that. Matt never had sex with a donor. But, from their perspectives, the most eligible guy at the club had chosen you over them.”
“I thought you were the most eligible guy at the club.”
Rick waited, not saying a word until she finally raised her gaze to his. “Right?” Her word floated like a feather.
His eyes twinkled as he smiled, moved in, and took her lips with a soft kiss. “You are an innocent.” He scrutinized her with those warm whiskey eyes. “Tell me.”
“I…I like the bite.”
“You like the…” He paused. “You mean, you like the sensation?”
“Nothing else feels like that.”
“You like the orgasm.”
“What?”
Rick paused and considered, “Cupcake, haven’t you ever had that feeling before?” He waited. “Never had that feeling with a guy?”
“No.” Her reply was hushed, and Anna had the dawning notion she was completely out of the loop.
“Okay.” Rick nodded decisively. “I get it.” To her surprise, he leaned in again.
His lips started out cool, the expected chill of the undead, but as he worked her lips with his they began to soften and warm. One arm circled around her waist, drawing her close to his side, while the other reached in to caress her neck and angle her where he wanted. Anna felt her will bend to his. A slow burn kindled within her. He licked gently along the seam of her lips, coaxing her to open, and when she did, he surged within, driving the kiss deeper to possess her. Anna trembled, her heart pounded wildly, and that feeling she always got from Matt seemed twice as intense with Rick. He drew back, a look of delight suffusing his handsome face, and bent forward to kiss her again.
The phone rang. Damn! Not now!
He retrieved the cell from his breast pocket and snarled into it. “This better be good.” He listened for a moment and surged to his feet. “Excuse me,” he apologized curtly. “I have to take this.”
Anna bounded up from her seat, teeth gritted, hands clenching to straighten her clothing. She paced and fidgeted with her hair, peering in to the great room to read Rick’s body language. He hunched over the cell phone, a mass of tension, exchanging short bursts of conversation. Whoever is on the other end of that phone needs to die! she thought peevishly. She was exasperated, stunned by her own need. It felt as if she were riding a euphoric rocket that fizzled and was now plummeting back to earth. Rick Hiatt kissed her, and his kiss was damn near as good as Matt’s bite. Wow! Oh, I’m in serious trouble now.
* * * *
“Cupcake, I need to take you home.” Rick watched the color drain out of her young face.
“Home?” He scented sexual arousal draining as her disappointment filled the room.
Rick bent his head in thought. There was so much going back and forth between them now, maybe a cool-down was a good thing. Maybe they both needed a little distance? Nah! The devil on one shoulder told him to drop trou right here and take her. The mature vampire on the other shoulder argued the long game. Make her safe, take care of the distractions, and then make it a monumental communion.
Rick sensed her dejection and held out his reassuring arms. Anna flew into them. He welcomed her warmth, trailing kisses from the top of her head to her ear, to her cheek and finally her waiting lips. His restraint was sorely tested by her ardent response. He felt every curve of her sweet body pressed against him. But no, if he took her now, how could he leave her? Restraint, man, have some restraint. Where’s that Dom discipline when I need it?
They rode the elevator in tense silence broken only by Player’s pacing and whining. Rick smirked. He knew the dog was picking up on the sexual tension. The doors opened to reveal a sleek, black limo. Anna cast an inquiring gaze his way.
“I’m sorry, Cupcake, this won’t be a romantic ride, I need to make some calls. I promise to make it up to you.”
Before Rick could make the first call, Player snuggled up to Anna on the back seat, apparently sensing her need of comfort. Rick watched fondly from the jump seat as he dialed.
“Get me the President, please.” He put the phone on speaker. He smirked at Anna’s astonishment. With a hand over the phone he explained, “It’s not who you think.”
“What can I do for you, Sir Richard?” came a lilting European voice.
“Mr. President, we have a situation.”
“Is this related to Barranquilla?”
“Yes, Sir, I’ve received confirmation the Barranquilla massacre is directly related to Veronique Moreau.”
“We were curious as to why this banquet took such a bloody turn. We’ve got to put these addicted vamps down before the news agencies start reporting.”
“Well, we also have something in Los Angeles we need to quell.”
“Humanité related?”
“No, Sir. Possibly a vampire hunter. The violence in Colombia could raise our profile.”
“I agree, Sir Richard. Since you’re well acquainted with the parties involved, may I assume you’re calling to take the reins on this?”
“I’m ready, Mr. President, with your support. I’ll need the usual equipment, troops and resources.”
“Your troops can be in Colombia, ready for an assault, by 1800 hours tomorrow.”
“Adam Lachlan is already in country. He’ll act as my Second. Assuming we can capture Veronique, he’ll escort her to Court.”
“What about your local vampire hunter?”
“The responders are doing a walk through on the suspect’s home.”
“
God’s speed, Sir Richard.”
“And to you too, Mr. President,” and the call closed.
Anna watched in awe.
“You’re Sir Richard? From which country? What President was that? This sounds really serious. What’s going on?”
“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” Rick quoted with a grin.
“You’re Shakespeare now?”
“No, he was a few years behind me in school.”
Anna stared at him in a daze, and Rick suddenly considered, is she ready for all this?
“You know, Cupcake, I am very old, and with age comes certain responsibilities.”
“How old, exactly?”
“Matt never covered the basics with you, did he?” She doesn’t know what she doesn’t know, Rick realized. If she were to be part of his world, it would be up to him to educate her about the undead, starting with himself. “I was born in 1513.”
“Oh, stop it! That’s impossible.”
“Anna, you know what Matt and I are.” His voice was low and serious.
“You drink blood,” she agreed with a nod.
“Drinking blood is more than a sexual thrill. For us, the club is a trade-off we make to stay alive. Blood is our food. Mortals get a rush, and the undead keep existing.”
“Undead?” Anna shrank back behind Player, her eyes wide.
How is she not familiar with all this? This is Vampire 101. “I’m not trying to frighten you,” he continued gently. “Nothing has changed. Nothing is any different between us than it was in my apartment.”
Anna moved hesitantly out from behind Player’s huge presence.
“I need to be sure you understand exactly what we are and how all this works. I’m seriously concerned that your vamp education lacks depth.”
“You bite us, we get off, and we go home.” She frowned and added glumly, “with any luck, we don’t fall in love. I wasn’t that lucky.”
“You fell in love with the sensation. You don’t know the whole story. After you know the depth and breadth of it, if you want nothing more to do with me, I’ll understand.”
Blood Emerald Page 6
