The Vampire Council Attorney, Elena Keller, was tall, lean and extremely blonde. Elena was as fastidious as George was slovenly. Tonight, she discounted her opposition as a nebbish. She had no idea George lived for war and she could be courtroom cannon fodder.
“The charges against you are extreme, Ms. Moreau,” Elena threw down her opening gambit. “Your cooperation could affect your sentence.”
“What are you offering?” George asked, as he gestured for Veronique’s silence.
“It could be the difference between life and termination.”
“You’d never make the case for termination; no judge would go that far.”
Elena shuffled out pages of Veronique’s record. “Your client has a jacket going back to 1699 for a string of rape turns.”
George lowered his voice to control the room. “My client has paid her debt on any charges for which she was not acquitted.”
“What a proud day,” Elena sniped, distributing copies of victim statements from the twenty-seven rape turns while Veronique and George remained aloof.
Elena fumed over their dismissive postures. “Only five of those twenty-seven victims survived. Twenty-two fledglings went feral and had to be put down. The five survivors were rescued by Richard Hiatt.” Adam’s ears perked up at his employer’s name.
“Of those five,” Elena continued, “only one made it past five decades. This, Mr. Bellamy, is an atrocious rate of carnage. If I had my way, we’d terminate her right now.”
Bellamy clenched his jaw in mock affront, “I’d like a few moments to confer with my client, alone.”
Elena stood and strode from the room. While client/attorney conferences were held, the mirrored viewing window and sound were suspended, giving Adam a chance to digest what he’d heard. He knew from scuttlebutt around the club that Matt Brenner’s turning had been against his will. He never knew Matt’s sire, which would never be discussed. Now he understood. Rick had step-sired his best friend and business partner. No wonder they were so close. Without Rick’s fostering, Matt would have ended up torched. It explained why Matt tread carefully around mortals. Catherine Temple, his new bride, had inspired Matt to break all his own rules.
Adam watched Bellamy signal the guard for the negotiation to continue. Elena approached the table cautiously.
“Although Ms. Moreau feels remorse for the events at Lust for Life, many other factors came into play. As a gesture of healing, she would like to offer compensation to the donor’s families.”
“Well, isn’t that generous?” Elena sniped. “How does she expect to compensate for endangering the concealment of our vampire Family or consorting with known criminals?”
Bellamy answered with silence.
“Mr. Bellamy, what monetary payment erases crossing international borders to perpetrate heinous crimes?”
Again, Bellamy and his client sat in stony silence.
“How do you go back in time to compensate those twenty-seven rape turns?” Veronique pouted. “Matt Brenner has had a bad attitude since the night he was turned.”
* * * *
Vampires do not sleep. How, then, did Rick explain the warm rapture of the sex-scented sheets twisted around them? Rick could only explain it as their love’s spell. He floated between light and dark, recalling each of the sensations he provoked in Anna. His grin was dashed by the discordant jangling of the room phone. His euphoria evaporated at the sound of the voice on the line.
“Anna? Anna Curley?”
“Who’s calling?” Rick clipped his response. He knew damn well it was Sterling.
“A friend. I heard she was in town.”
Rick sat up abruptly.
Anna shook herself from sleep and saw Rick holding the phone. “Who is it?” she lip-spoke.
He covered the receiver and whispered, “Sterling.”
Anna winced. “Should I talk to him?”
“See what he wants.” Rick held out the receiver, but Anna crawled over his lap to sit on the side of the bed. Rick lip-spoke, “No fair,” as he slid to the warm side of the bed that radiated Anna and sex. Anna’s husky voice is wasted on that bastard.
“Who’s this?” Anna challenged.
The slimy cur who got us out of bed!
“The owner of the dog and the dagger you stole,” Sterling growled.
Rick and Anna exchanged curious looks, suddenly on alert. “You got me, and obviously you have the dagger. Did you pick Slayer up from doggie day care, too?”
“What do I want with a dog? What’s your game, Anna?”
“I needed money. He offered me so much money,” she said dramatically.
“Who offered you? For what?”
Anna winked at Rick. “You know, that dagger turned out to be kinda valuable.”
“You took my dagger!” he accused.
“Well, I had to get it down here because that’s where the money is for stuff like that.”
“How much money are you talking about?”
“It was a lot.” She answered breathlessly. “I don’t know how high he’ll go.”
“You’ve got diddly without the dagger.”
Rick scribbled a number on the notepad and handed it to her. One hundred thousand dollars.
“You don’t have the contact; I don’t have the dagger. Can’t we meet in the middle and split the hundred-K?”
There was a moment of silence, and Rick could almost hear Sterling calculating in his head. “I’ll tell you what; I always liked you, Anna. That’s why I asked you to watch my dog.” Rick rolled his eyes. “You’re staying in a nice hotel. Why don’t you order us up some dinner, I’ll come to your room, and we can talk about it?” Anna clapped a palm over the receiver and silently gagged.
“Will you bring it? Will I be able to see it again?”
“No, it’s in a safe place. You can’t let that dagger hang out of a backpack. Somebody might grab it from you.”
Anna gritted her teeth. “I’m meeting with the buyer tomorrow night, so I’d need to see it no later than noon. Why don’t you come up for lunch? I’d love to catch up.”
“Lunch is good!”
Rick nodded approval.
“Anna, don’t fuck me over,” Sterling threatened. “See you then…”
Anna re-cradled the receiver with a defiant thump.
Rick lay back in a nest of pillows, the comforter pulled up to his hips. One leg was out of the covers, knee bent, his wrist resting casually on top. His adoring gaze followed Anna’s heart-shaped backside around the bedroom. He ran his hand over his stubbly jaw and finger-combed his bed-head. “That slime-ball did have one solid idea.” Rick ran his hand back and forth across his six-pack and Anna arched a questioning brow. “You could order some dinner…”
Anna cocked her head quizzically. “But you don’t eat…”
“Well, if you dine on liver and spinach, I could snack on you.”
“Ewww. No liver.”
“Fielder’s choice. May I still snack on you?”
Anna launched herself at the bed, landing beside him and delivering a sound smooch. “I thought you’d never ask. Am I your one-course meal or are you calling for takeout?”
Rick grimaced. “No. I packed my lunch.”
* * * *
Anna wheeled the room service cart to the table by the window. Rick exited the master, fresh from a shower, a towel slung low around his hips and another at his neck.
He transferred the covered dishes to Anna’s side of the table. After a trip to the suite’s kitchen, Anna returned with a crystal tumbler. Rick pulled out her chair and bid her, “bon appetite.”
“Well, where’s yours?” Anna asked in surprise. “I brought you a glass. You can have some of my lemon for a garnish.”
Rick raised a brow. “Oh, yeah? What are you eating?”
“More than a lemon. I have a spinach salad, and a filet, and…” Anna lowered her head. “And another whole flan.”
Rick suppressed his discomfiture over feeding in front of her, and el
ected to use his travel mug. “Anna, the tumbler idea is sweet, but I’d feel more comfortable using a mug.”
“Here’s a straw. It’s blue. I can’t see through it.” Anna held out a wrapped straw.
Rick could feel her sincerity. She obviously wanted to include him in her dining. He supposed that’s what normal couples did. Didn’t they share an evening meal and discuss their day? I’m an asshole. Here she is, trying to engineer a romantic evening for us, and I’m tossing up roadblocks. If I throw out enough hurdles, I can be alone for the next millennium, too.
“Thank you, but the travel mug will keep it cold.” He disappeared into the kitchen and came back with the mug. “I know you want that wonderful steak warm, but my meal is better served chilled.”
Anna nodded acceptance as she attacked her steak with relish. “You made me hungry!”
Rick smiled at her with a little fang showing. “Eat up, you’re gonna need it.” He took a sip from the cup and lamented the taste of bagged blood. He hoped his conversation wasn’t as flat as his dinner’s flavor. This was beginning to feel like the world’s longest blind date.
Anna raised a fork full of spinach salad to her lips, only to put it down. “What’s it like to be a vampire?”
“Mostly, it’s great.”
Anna cocked her head.
Rick could see she wasn’t satisfied with his reply. “Have you ever been on vacation away from all your favorite food? It’s like they don’t serve O positive here.” Rick managed to coax a smile from her. This could be the beginning of a discussion he didn’t want to have yet.
“So, other than the food…” Anna prodded.
Rick paused, considering. “Imagine your senses times one thousand. Imagine what we did this afternoon sang in your blood. Imagine you could scent my arousal across the room.”
Anna’s eyes went round as saucers. “The night in the parking garage, I was freaking, thinking you could read my mind!”
“In a way. Every vampire has heightened abilities as part of our survival skills. Each of us are as different as mortals.”
Anna was thoughtful as she chewed a bite of salad.
Rick couldn’t read her mind, but knew she was coming up with a full slate of questions. “So, if you had actually gone to Columbus, where I thought I was sending you, where would we be tonight?” Good diversion, old man!
“We’d be on a hayride. If my parents weren’t around, I’d be drinking hot buttered rum. You’d just be drinking rum…and hopefully me…” She waggled her brows and smiled. “Speaking of which, why haven’t you done that yet?”
Rick shook his head at her, his fangs lengthening even more. “You are a bad girl, Anna Curley. If you don’t stay on topic, how do you expect me to get to know you? You don’t want me to know just the naughty parts, do you?”
“Um…is this a trick question?”
“Bad girl. C’mon, answer my question.”
“All right, we’d be snuggled under blankets, in the hay at the back of the wagon so we could neck.”
“You know, that’s funny, my Family considers necking to be something else.”
Anna looked up at him, chewing, and winked. “You can show me that later.”
Rick shook his head. “What if your parents were there?”
“My little brother would be sitting between us and I’d be drinking spiced cider. At one point in the evening, my father would have you behind the barn with the rest of the men, discussing tractors.”
“Thank God you added the bit about the tractors. I was starting to get worried.”
“My mother would be pressing me about your education, and your job, and your family, and—”
“Oh. Is your mother a Knights Templar?”
“No, she’s a member of the Inquisition. Oh, the tortures I’ve endured!”
“I see where you get it!” He nodded wisely. “The female is the deadliest of the species. I’ll have to look out for Mama.”
Anna stopped chewing, set her fork down, and stared at him.
“What is it, Cupcake, did I misspeak?”
She smiled with tears in her eyes. “You’re talking about meeting my parents. You realize that, right? Do you understand what that means in today’s society?”
Rick stretched his hand across the table to capture her fingertips. “How can I know the woman I love if I don’t know her family?” He drew her fingertips to his lips and nibbled gently. Anna giggled. “You know, Cupcake, I run a multimillion dollar conglomerate, and the majority of my consumers are mortals, but you’re the mortal I’ve spent the most time with.”
Anna smiled slyly. “So, Fitz, how long do we have to wait before this dinner gets in my blood stream?”
And…we’re back to that subject! I’m beginning to worry vamps are only appreciated for our bite. Rick answered her question with a question and a sly smile of his own. “Is this the science portion of tonight’s quiz?”
Anna laid her napkin aside with great deliberation, strolled to him, and melted into his lap. She gently tongued the shell of his ear and dawdled a kiss over his lips. He let her explore his mouth with her tongue and prayed she’d linger there a moment longer. Something she probably would have done, had there not been a knock on the door.
Anna pulled back and they looked at each other in alarm. “Could that be Sterling?”
Rick narrowed his eyes and sniffed. “Nope. Not Sterling. Player.”
Anna’s eyes went round in horror. “Oh my God! I forgot him!”
Rick shook his head in mock disappointment. “Bad doggie mama!” He headed for the door with Anna following close behind. He opened it to a uniformed attendant who handed off Player’s leash. Rick dropped it to look at the card he was handed. “Is this the bill?”
“No, Señor. It is Player’s report card.”
“I… see…” Rick frowned in confusion. “Was he a good boy? He didn’t flunk, or something, did he?”
“Oh, no, Señor. He was an exceptionally good boy. He is very social.”
“Well, that’s a miracle.” Rick slapped at the towel as if it had pockets. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any cash on me. Could you add a tip to the room charge?”
“Si, Señor, if you wish.”
“Great. Give yourself twenty American.”
“Thank you so much, Señor Hiatt. We will be happy to have Player back with us at any time.”
Rick and Anna waved the attendant out and turned to find Player swallowing the filet and starting on the breadbasket. Rick looked at him sorrowfully. “Look at you, you’re such a little carnivore. Taking all the food from your poor mama…” he threw Anna a grin “…who forgot you.”
Anna swatted his shoulder. “I was distracted!” She glanced around the room. “You think if I make him a bed with a blanket, he’ll sleep in here okay?”
Rick slanted her a chiding look. “He’ll be fine. Turn on the TV and toss him a shoe.”
“Not on your life.” She slanted a look back, “And you don’t know how true that is.” She frowned. “Seriously, though, if we leave him here alone, do you think he’ll cry?”
Rick growled low in his chest and Player raised his head in alarm. Rick smiled with satisfaction. “He wouldn’t dare.”
He laughed at her disapproving look and caught her up in a fierce embrace. Raising her to his lips, he rumbled low, “Why don’t you relax on your balcony, I’ll be right there.”
Anna sucked in a deep breath. “’Kay…” She sank back on her feet and shook off his spell. “He’s more potent than he thinks!” she whispered to Player.
Rick stopped, turned, and gave her a grin. “For your sake, I hope so!”
Anna grimaced. “He could hear a fly fart!”
“The worst part is the smell.”
Anna laughed all the way to the balcony. The night was fragrant and black when she stepped barefoot across the terracotta floor. The silence was perplexing. “Where has last night’s music gone?”
Rick slid behind her, his arm wrapped around h
er waist. He nuzzled under the curtain of her hair. Feeling thwarted, he slowly drew the thick, red mass aside, letting it tumble in a fan across her breast. “There’s music all around us,” he whispered huskily. “Listen to the ships calling to each other as they move on the river.” He slid his tongue along the tender flesh behind her ear. Anna squirmed against him. “There’s the rhythm of the traffic below us, notice it’s slower at night?” He nipped at her ear lobe with his lips. “Close your eyes, can you hear my heart beating?”
“Would you hate me if I said I couldn’t?” Anna tucked her head. Rick felt her frustration. “I can feel you pressed against me. I can feel a slow thump…”
“Oh, Cupcake, this isn’t a test, it’s just an example of our differences. I can hear your heartbeat.” Rick slid his hand around to rest over her heart. “I can feel your pulse.” Rick trailed a string of wet kisses down her neck to her shoulder. “And I can feel it race faster as I kiss you.” Rick turned her smoothly to face him.
She leaned into his embrace, his thick length resting against her belly. “I can feel your pulse now…” she said impishly.
“I’ll bet you can.” Rick’s fingers wove into her hair, capturing her. The truth of their love sparked between them. His lips descended on hers, and within seconds he was love-drunk, dizzy with passion.
“I can feel the heat building within you,” Rick murmured huskily. “When you’re turned on, your blood is like a beacon to me. It rushes here.” Rick slid his hand into her robe to caress her clit. “And when your body is ready for me,” Rick’s finger descended further between her legs, inside her. When he withdrew, she cried out at the loss. His tongue lapped his finger and Anna watched, mesmerized. “I taste your arousal like honey.”
“Ahh.” She sighed. “I wish I could do that.” Longing rang in her voice.
Rick paused. Should he mention this? “As a matter of fact…” He paused again.
“What?” She waited. He stayed silent, considering. “Don’t do this to me, what?”
“There is a way for you to feel some of what I feel, short term…” He bit his lip in indecision.
“There is? How?”
Blood Emerald Page 13
