Blood Emerald

by Amber Anthony

  Then, Rick bit. It was a perfect bite. His fangs rebooted the magnificent sensations his hands and cock instigated. She came again with him. Did his bite last a little longer? Is he taking a little more of my blood? They shuddered with consummation.

  They fell together, replete in their afterglow. His arms caught and held her as he nestled in the corner of the back seat. She felt him still within her as she dropped her head back onto his shoulder and surrendered to sleep.

  * * * *

  Rick smiled with thorough satisfaction before he allowed himself a few moments of rest. Anna didn’t stir when he lifted and carried her into his cliffside home. He laughed to himself—it had turned out to be very convenient. The front door opened at his voice command. There was no need for lights, the glass and concrete house echoed the light from the city below. He stepped around the leather chaise and laid her down gently, slipping the unzipped dress from her sleeping form. He fell out of his clothing and brought the cashmere throw with him. For a moment, his mind took a picture of her breathy beauty and he savored tonight. Rick crawled onto the chaise and spooned her, wrapped in cashmere heaven. He wanted her waking sight to be the moon over the dragonfly lights of the city. This is peace.

  * * * *

  Anna stirred to wakefulness slowly, cuddling into him. He was gratified to hold her close and kiss the top of her head. He rained slow, gentle kisses down the side of her face to her lips and there he settled one, warm, long, seductive kiss that brought her fully awake. She moaned against his lips. His laugh was deep and resonating, the vibration shared between them. “Merry Christmas, Cupcake.”

  “Is it still Christmas?” She was buried under the cover in his embrace.

  “It’s Christmas for as long as we want to make it.”

  “You haven’t opened your Christmas gift yet.”

  “Haven’t I?” He kissed her nose. “You haven’t given it to me.”

  “Well, let me get it…” Anna wiped the sleepy dust from her eyes and blinked at her surroundings. “Where am I?” She bolted up, standing and clutching the throw to her breasts. “Where is my dress?” Rick lazily put his arm behind his head ready for The Cupcake Show. Anna spun on her heel, providing an excellent view of her fine ass in line with his view of the moon. She moved toward the expansive glass walls and saw no flat space beneath them. “Where’s my car?”

  “You’re so full of questions,” he grumbled good-naturedly. “In order: You’re at my house. I think I dropped it over there somewhere.” He gestured vaguely. “And the car is in the carport.”

  Anna looked at him blankly as she tried to absorb his answers. “This is your house? How many houses to you have?”

  “In Los Angeles?”

  “Go wild, total?”

  Rick flared his nostrils as he considered. “I just closed on my twenty-fourth home last month. They’re mostly investment properties, you know, like the beach house.”

  Anna stooped to pick up the dress, and returned to the bed. She looked further for one last piece. “Where’s my purse?”

  “Small, red leather?” His gaze darted to a long low sofa.

  “How many purses to you keep here?” She raised her hand. “Don’t answer that.”

  “Is this a formal gift or may I stay here?”

  Anna smiled impishly. “You stay there. I’m headed back to bed.” She climbed in beside him and shared the throw, presenting a gaily-wrapped box.

  “This is a treat, I don’t usually get presents.”

  “Why not?”

  Rick shrugged. “Matt and I usually celebrate New Year’s in Vegas and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Christmas isn’t special without someone like you.”

  “Go ahead, open it!” She nudged him with her shoulder. He pulled the end of the fluffy bow and lifted the gold foil lid. Inside sat a jeweler’s box.” He sought her gaze. “What did you do?”

  “You give me gifts, I get to give you gifts too. Open it.”

  Rick dropped the brocade box into his palm and flipped it open. Gold cuff links held rough-cut emerald nuggets. He held one up, then the other, comparing their shape and admiring the blue-green fire. “I’m blown away, these are… breathtaking. Thank you, Cupcake. I love them.” He pulled her into a firm embrace, sealing another moment into his heart. They fell into silence studying the twinkling nightline. Reluctantly, Anna stirred.

  “Are we going to stay here until this evening? Player is alone.”

  Rick frowned. “Yeah, we better dress and head back to the beach.” They dressed and gathered their energy for the drive home. “But we’re coming back here. I want to take you on every flat surface of this house.”

  Anna’s head turned as they headed out. “There are a lot of flat surfaces in this house.”

  Rick winked as he pulled the door closed behind them. “Sure are.”

  * * * *

  Anna stood in the bathroom doorway and watched Rick shower. She couldn’t bear to wash away her mountaintop experience. Rick turned off the water and shook his head, the water flew and his copper-brown hair stood spiked. He’s just adorable. Anna popped open the door and handed him a fluffy bath sheet. “Did Player teach you that?”

  “Sure, for my next trick I’ll roll over and beg.” Rick waggled his brows as he vigorously toweled the water off his handsome chest.

  “I’m going to walk Player before I turn in, okay?”

  “Player has a good Mommy because I was about to offer a little turn-in nookie.” He looked at his reflection in the steamy mirror and smirked.

  Anna smacked him on his damp ass. “I can barely walk from our backseat antics. How about tonight, it’s date, right?”

  She turned to leave when Rick caught her. “I forgot to show you something.”

  Anna made a screwball face. “I think I’m looking at the complete package here.”

  Rick tossed the towel in the hamper. “You’re looking at my dick. I want to show you my dirk.”

  Anna’s hands flew up, as if balancing a scale. “Dick, dirk they’re both lethal with your guidance.”

  He bowed. “Thank you for noticing. Follow me.” He led her to the bed and produced a polished wood presentation case. He opened the lid and the jewels shimmered with fire under the L.E.D lights. “What do you think of this?”

  “Did you have it cleaned?”

  Rick shook his head and picked up the dagger. He hefted the weapon, testing its balance and held it out to her by the blade.

  “I thought you couldn’t handle it…”

  “I had it recast.”

  “The stones have come alive. It’s gorgeous.”

  He nodded and held it out further, “Take it. Hold it, feel the weight. They did an excellent job. I’m truly pleased with the craftsmanship.”

  Anna stared at the handle and then the engraving on the blade. She grasped the jeweled hilt and slid it from his hand. Squinting at the engraved quote on the bright blade, she asked, “What does it say?”

  He raised his eyes upward and repeated it from memory. “Lord, clothe me with the robes of innocence. It’s an old Irish prayer.”

  Anna gasped in understanding. “A prayer to erase a curse, right?”

  Rick gave a relaxed smile. “That’s right.”

  Anna gave him an impish glance. “I guess this is a little fancy for personal defense.”

  “It’s a close-quarters weapon, perfect for boarding pirate ships.”

  “The only pirate around here guards rum at the pier bar.”

  Rick shook his head. “Sad it’s come to that.” He accepted it from her and wiped it with the chamois and then reverently closed the box. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned. “Good thing you’ll be protected while I’m away with the dog. I love you, rest well.”

  “I love you, too.”

  * * * *

  Veronique sat at her usual table, an assassination bug waiting for her little redheaded spider to take the bait. She let Ricci run. She didn’t care if the dog ran afoul of a car, another dog or
a human, she wanted Player’s attention on Ricci, and Anna’s attention on her.

  “Hi,” she greeted innocently when Anna approached. “Did you have a nice Christmas?”

  “Oh, yes, we had a wonderful Christmas! How about you? Did you get to your meeting on time? Did you have a happy holiday?”

  Veronique feigned relief. “I wish I could say yes. The truth is, I was so upset when you told me your boyfriend was Rick Hiatt. I fretted about you all day yesterday, afraid of what danger you might be in.”

  “Thank you, Bobbi.” Anna completed her coffee purchase. She turned and nearly spilled her cup when Veronique suggested she might be in danger. “What in the world are you talking about, Vivi? Rick would never hurt me. He’d never hurt anyone for that matter. He’s not that kind of man.”

  “I’m sure that’s what he’d like you to think, it didn’t work out quite that way for my roommate.”

  Anna stared. “What?”

  “Oh yes, my roommate, Raquel, thought he was a wonderful guy. She was into that whole Dom/sub thing – you know DRWM or something? Anyway, Hiatt was her ‘Dom,’ and poor Raquel, he took her traveling just like you…”

  “You mean, BDSM? And yes, I know Rick has been a Dom…”

  “Whatever it’s called. I don’t know all the particulars. I was in Botswana at the time. All I know is, they came home from somewhere in Colombia, and I guess he was done with her. They went to a house on the beach, and she disappeared. Never seen again.”

  “Oh, that can’t be. There would have been a huge police investigation.”

  “I heard, with his money, he can buy off anybody. He simply turned the police in another direction. He’s dangerous, Anna.”

  Anna shook her head and took several sips of coffee while watching the dogs romp.

  Let it sink in…Think about it…

  “You don’t really believe that? C’mon Vivi. Nobody in Los Angeles can buy off the police. And even if they could, Rick would never do such a thing.

  “Really? Then why was that beach house raised to the ground and ‘remodeled’ within a week of Raquel’s disappearance?”

  “I have no idea, and I’m sorry about your friend, but I know Rick.”

  But I knew him first…

  “He’d never do something to harm a woman. He’d be much more likely to hand her a pile of money and tell her to have a nice life.”

  “How do you explain the remodeling?” Veronique swung an inpatient leg under the table.

  “Well, Rick has properties all over the world. It may have been scheduled for an upgrade long before…”

  I have plucked the web and the spider is emerging. She doth protest too much.

  “Look Anna, people, especially people with a lot of money, buy their innocence. They hide all sorts of terrible habits. I’m telling you, he’s not a man, he’s a psychological vampire living off the pain of others.”

  Anna stared at her appraisingly.

  That got your attention.

  “You look up Colombia, and you’ll see – there were too many unexplained deaths while he was there—and one missing American named Serling or Sterling, something like that.”

  “He’s not like that. But, thank you for your concern. Listen…” Anna glanced at her watch. “I have to get going.” Veronique knew an excuse for escape when she heard one. “I have a couple of appointments of my own today, and I just took Player out for a short walk before leaving. I’ll see you later.”

  Got ’cha!

  * * * *

  Anna dragged Player down the beach, furious at the way Vivi maligned Rick. Who the hell does she think she is? How dare she say such things about him? I don’t care how many AIDS babies she’s helped. She has no right…

  Unbidden memories collided. Why would he maintain a bank of surveillance equipment in a hotel room? Well, that was a military exercise requested by a President, she heard about that in the limo. He didn’t attempt to hide it.

  Why was he watching one woman? What could one little woman do to Rick Hiatt? They said she was behind the Barranquilla massacre. Was that true? If he and Adam were there, couldn’t they have been responsible too?

  Why couldn’t she remember her night of passion, with Rick? Five hundred years of vampirism and he pretended not to know she’d forget if he gave her his blood?

  What else didn’t she remember? Pictures coalesced in her mind. She knew Sterling was the thief on the sidewalk. She set a meeting with him and canceled it for a spa day? Suddenly Rick had the dirk, why is that so foggy a memory? Why is she having horrendous nightmares about Sterling? Who is “pretty boy?” Why is that phrase haunting?

  Rick returned from Colombia terribly ill and no one would admit it. What was that about?

  He had the dirk recast, supposedly to erase the curse—what if there was more? Had it contained blood evidence? This is stupid, this is crazy. I watch too much forensic TV.

  He admitted he remodeled the beach house. He couldn’t even find it without me navigating. That’s not just an upgrade. If Vivi is to be believed, that’s masking a brutal crime. Why would Rick do such a thing? It would be far easier to simply pay off a rejected lover. He tried to pay me off.

  What if Raquel threatened to expose the Family? Rick would take drastic action to prevent that. Would he kill to prevent it?

  Anna dropped the leash and let Player precede her into the house. She was too unsettled to sleep. She was unraveling. This house was an impediment to her refuting any of Vivi’s claims. She blindly entered the kitchen and prepared a large mug of chamomile tea. If she could only think clearly. She needed to take her mind off this. A trip to the farmer’s market would calm her down.

  A note would be in order, Rick didn’t need to worry where she was. The preternaturally clean kitchen didn’t have a chalkboard. Where did he keep notepaper? His briefcase sat on the bench next to the garage door. Surely there was paper and pen inside? She opened it to find an impossible number of contracts, emails and letters, no notepaper. She searched one of the pockets, and her fingers closed around a small notepad. Pulling it out triumphantly, she found a twice-folded note wedged between its pages. The dog-eared scrap dropped to the counter with a single word visible – Raquel.

  Anna’s hand halted, it was the name Vivi mentioned. Was there bad juju in touching it? Hesitantly, Anna held one corner in place while she used the pen to spread the folds. She dropped the pen when she saw the confident handwriting.

  Mr. Hiatt,

  The machine is in motion. You will be a contributor to either failure or success in this ruse. The effects of my work are in your hands.

  Raquel.

  What did this cryptic message mean, and why would Rick save it in an obscure pocket of his briefcase? Was her intuition correct, was Raquel threatening him?

  Anna cautiously slipped all the contents out of the case and onto the large kitchen island. Carefully, keeping them in order, she skimmed the subject of each folio. The back folio held invoices. Follow the money. There, mixed within customs labels and value-added tax receipts was a half-page, hand-written receipt with Rick’s hasty signature at the bottom. It was dated their last full day in the hotel and it was for ‘extraction and cremation, one white male, mortal.’ Anna’s hand numbed, and the feeling spread toward her heart. Her happiness fell with the invoice. Hastily, she rebuilt the order of his papers and returned the case to its place. The home office was a better source of paper for the note she had to write. Where was the joy in picking up one of his fountain pens and custom legal pads? It was dashed on the rocks of her discoveries.

  * * * *

  Sunset darkened the mausoleum, triggering Rick’s eyes to open. Reflexively, he scented his surroundings, and his awareness spread. The peace was unnatural. Disturbed, he made for the perimeters of the house, the doors, the windows, checking every lock and barrier. He turned in the center of the open floor plan and scented betrayal and despair. The air conditioner compressor kicked on and a top third of a folded piece of paper fluttered.


  One of the cornerstones of Dom/sub relationships is “Pleasure and pain is all the same; only the application of stimulus varies.” I sublimated the extent of your domination.

  I wish I never had met you, any of you. You had my heart, you had my body, my mind, my blood. I can’t believe I wanted to offer you my soul.

  I want a genuine relationship and you still want to play games. I want it all and I want it in daylight where I can see what’s chasing me.

  Go ahead and make your home, strengthen your fortress or whatever you call it and wait for your war of attrition. For me, there are no more tears. I’m done. The scars of our love, if that’s what you call it, remind me to guard my heart.

  The last thing a vampire needs is a dog, I’ve taken Player with me. I’ll drop off the car in the city and leave the keys and your money there.”

  The words assailed him without comprehension. Rick stumbled through the door into the bedchamber they had shared. The undisturbed bed mocked him. The closet was full, save for her boots and jeans. The lingerie chest drawers were open, her panties and bras were gone. The jewel cases and perfume bottles stood as silent witnesses to her hasty packing. With a feeling of deep dread inside his un

  Chapter 19

  Matt rang the bell and knocked without an answer. This was strange. They had a tee time for night golf, they needed to get a move-on. He punched the code into the door and expected the sounds of post-holiday recovery. Instead, he was greeted with mournful silence. With his vamp vision, Matt didn’t need light to know Rick sat on the living room couch, unmoving, naked, a sheet of paper on his lap.