Lothar hadn’t suddenly turned pro-vampire, but he had to respect Alessandro. Few had the mental discipline required to go against their base nature. Lothar had personal experience with that. His instinct was to kill Nick for being compatible with Darling, but that would mean him losing his seat on the Council, as well as his life when they convicted him for the murder of a fertile male. He’d come close once to ruining both of their lives over the alpha of one of his hunting packs, and hoped never to allow that to happen again.
Shapeshifting males were not supposed to get attached after all. Carriers like Nick could be as territorial as they wanted. A Carrier couldn’t morph into a giant wolf and kill everyone in the room before they’d realized what they’d done.
Lothar looked into Alessandro’s accounts. He found the credit card they were using, followed the expenses. Food, gas, hotel, clothing. A fat payment to an independent jeweler in Switzerland. He traced the jeweler to his supplier then brought up a list of mines belonging to Alessandro Basra.
He glanced at Darling. She made a face as she extracted her ring finger from her riot of brown hair. The diamond had gotten stuck.
If Lothar was correct in his assumptions then how would this play out for Kendra? He knew vampires well enough; it was the blood that bonded them. It was unlikely they shared any romantic attachments unless he was feeding off of her too. Was she acting under his persuasion, or of her own free will? Her effort to ensure Alessandro was safe from werewolves was not the act of a brainless Slave.
Blood alone couldn’t make a mortal immortal. If he wanted to keep her, eventually he would have to turn her. Mates tended to resemble each other in character. With his self-control, she might not be a killer, but if she was, Lothar would have no choice but to have her destroyed. There was little chance of her mate not going down with her. It would mean an end of them both.
Good thing Darling couldn’t shapeshift at the moment, or she’d take a chunk out of him for all of this.
He texted Kendra. Are you okay?
As much as I can be.
He deliberated, then typed, You are part of my pack. Are you okay?
There was a delay. Don’t tell Danielle.
I will not tell her anything you are not ready to tell her yourself.
We’re going to see Father Davide, she texted. Alessandro wants to go out in the daylight so we won’t bring unwanted guests. And he wants to stop for the night so I can sleep. I’m scared.
He frowned, typing, Of what?
That he’ll be hurt by the sun. That we’ll be attacked in the night.
Nick and Vesper have offered to guard you.
Can Vesper control herself around Alessandro?
She’s my sister, of course she can.
A pause. Alessandro says, have them meet us at the inn tomorrow after sundown.
He brought up Father Davide, a shapeshifting werewolf who had joined the monastery forty years ago, glad that despite his hermitage, the monk had seen the advantages of owning a cellphone. You are expecting visitors, Lothar texted.
Yes, I know.
Do me a favor and question woman alone. If she is acting on own will, let her be. If not, let me know.
I had planned on it anyway.
Thank you.
He notified Nick that they would have to drive to Switzerland. Lothar was out of planes at the moment.
That’s fine. I need to make a stop for ammo anyway. Nick wasn’t in the US anymore, but Lothar doubted that would stop him from getting what he needed, especially with Vesper’s money to back him up.
Nick would love this mission. Until he discovered he was guarding newlyweds.
Lothar scrolled up Vesper. Behave yourself, sister. Ask me before you leap.
I will not kill vampire. At least not THAT vampire.
Keep me informed anyway.
Will do. Love you.
I love you too.
He set aside his phone, looking out the window at the setting sun. He hadn’t hunted in days. It wasn’t the same without Darling. They’d hunted together for so long that he felt half blind and deaf without her. He went to the couch, sitting next to her.
“Going out to hunt?” she asked as if reading his mind.
“No.”
“Is Vesper leaving?”
“Tomorrow.”
She stared at him hard, brown eyes narrowing.
“I know.”
“Go hunt with your sister. You need to.” She leaned in and gave him a dismissal kiss, then settled back with her book.
He tipped it up so he could read the title. “Midnight Blood?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “About this guy who hunts vampires. Interesting. Completely wrong, but interesting.”
“Do not give self nightmares,” he said with a completely straight face.
“Oh, now that was a new low, even for your sense of humor. Go. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in a couple hours.”
“Careful, I will think you only want me for cooking skills,” he said.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I keep you for the sex. I could always live on peanut butter and chocolate.”
He appreciated her humor but there were many things he would never have her live without. Like a good life, money, love.
That was why he couldn’t let her get involved in Kendra and Alessandro’s decisions. Vampire or not, if Alessandro loved Kendra, then he had the right to offer her all the same things.
Chapter Thirteen
Kendra went around the cabin on the private jet, closing all the blinds. It was still dark out, but she assumed that sometime between Seattle and Zürich the sun would rise, and there was no point in harming her vampire.
“I knew Lothar was loaded, but I’d no idea how rich he really was,” Kendra said, closing a shade as Alessandro put away their bag.
“You’re just as rich as they are.”
“I’m not rich. Just check my bank statements.”
“You will be after tomorrow night.” He put her food in the mini fridge behind the bar. Straightening, he smiled at her.
She tried to think of a comeback for that but there wasn’t one. Kendra stood there staring at him as he crossed over to her, all six foot something, in a nondescript black sweater and jeans, hair tied back at the nape of his neck, and the jewel in his crucifix blinking in the recessed lighting. Did people even get as big as he was three thousand years ago? Maybe it was the vampire in him that made him so tall.
His smile widened. “I’ve shocked her,” he said, his accent suddenly thicker than usual.
She shrugged it off. “So, how rich are you?”
The engines were whining. Alessandro sat on one of the stuffed leather chairs. “I think you’re supposed to sit down and buckle up now.”
“And you?”
“Yes, and me, but only because if I get thrown I’ll go through the plane and then we’ll crash.”
“Um... Right.” She sat across from him, clicking closed the belt.
“I can save you, of course, but perhaps not you and the pilot both.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said, trying to wipe away the lovely picture of death and possible dismemberment now in her head.
“I’m rich enough for you,” he said casually.
“Are you going to tell me how much we’re spending on rings?”
“No.” He said it with an annoying little smile of concealment.
“You told the jeweler not to tell me what any of his pieces cost.”
“And I didn’t even have to use mind control.”
She eyed him.
“I didn’t want you to worry about it, habibti.”
“It’s not my money anyway.”
His brows lifted. “Why not?”
They were rolling now. She hated this part. “Well, it’s not like this is really legal or anything.” She stopped, hoping she wasn’t hurting his feelings. “I don’t care, really.” His eyes showed amusement only, as if he found her existential dilemma entertaining. “T
he vows are enough for me,” she said.
“Just because I don’t technically exist?”
“Well, yes, there’s that. We aren’t going through legal channels either.”
“We can arrange to have the proper documentation forged and then add your name to my accounts.”
“Kendra Basra, huh?” she asked, her voice faltering. She’d been Kendra Shepard for the last ten years. Was she ready for a new identity? She and Alessandro had been running since they’d met. She could have been taken by vampires twice now, could have been killed, or even turned by Alessandro himself. How could she have any idea what she was doing at this point?
“If you like, yes,” he said. “It’s an alias anyway.”
He kept on with the conversation, although she knew by the way his scent had changed that he could feel her indecision. His pheromones were calling her to him, attempting to reestablish the link between them.
She took a cue from him and just kept talking mundanely through it all. “What do you do when you’re supposed to be older than you look?”
“Change my name, kill myself off, and leave everything to my new self. Then I hide until it all blows over.”
Kendra’s ears popped as they gained altitude. At least the whole getting up in the air business would be over soon. “How did you do your business while you were at the monastery?”
“We do have internet connection there, habibti,” he said, with a charming smile that belied the sarcasm in his voice. “I never had to leave. Before computers, I did everything by post.”
“The church didn’t have you give them all your worldly possessions?”
“I never officially existed. Besides, I contributed plenty. If they had been fully aware of my worldly value at the time it would have overwhelmed them anyway.”
He wasn’t bragging, but stating a fact. He really was that rich.
The little light went out. It was okay to walk around. She unbuckled her seatbelt gratefully and stood, glad to have that particular discomfort out of the way.
A second later he was standing in front of her.
She jumped in surprise. “Careful. I’d rather not get another bloody nose.”
He cupped her chin, moving so quickly he seemed to be touching her out of nowhere. He lifted her face. “You ran into me, remember?”
“And then there’s this.” She pressed her palm over her ribs where he’d bruised them, although the bruises were already fading.
He winced. “Yes, but it is better than the alternative.”
“I didn’t mean to put you through that,” she said. “I don’t know what happened. I was...” She wasn’t sure what to say. He’d wanted no barriers between them but was that even possible? “I was scared,” she said. “Of you being hurt, of my being killed because I know that would hurt you. And I was scared of you.”
His chin jerked as if she’d slapped him.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “Just forget I said anything.”
He ducked his head, looking into her face. “I really wish it didn’t have to be like this.”
“Yeah, all this run, sleep, steal blood, gets old fast, right?”
“I mean all of it. I wish I could be mortal for you.”
“And then you’d be in a sarcophagus in a museum or something,” she babbled, feeling saddened by the very idea. “I’d come visit you and wonder who you were and why I wished I knew the answer.”
He smiled, looking a little perplexed by her behavior.
“Am I being stupid again?”
“Never. But I was a peasant. No one would have put me into a sarcophagus. I would be dust by now.”
“Oh.”
He touched her neck, Kendra leaning into his hand. His fingers smoothed over her throat.
“What are we going to do?” she breathed. “You know, about us going crazy every forty-eight hours.”
“I have a few ideas. We’ll work it out.”
“Three thousand years and no straight answer for me?”
His brow furrowed in thought. “You are more complex than I’d expected.”
“Now that just figures.”
“Yes, it does seem to fit you.”
“Have you been married before? Or maybe I shouldn’t ask.”
“No. I’ve never been married.”
“Really?” That surprised her more than finding out he’d had thirty wives.
“It’s a very human custom.”
“You’re just going through with this to humor me.”
“I’ll do what you need, yes. Not to humor you but for you.”
He scooped her up suddenly, sitting on a couch with her on his lap. His long fingers stroked her hair.
“I think maybe we have the same problem,” she said.
He didn’t seem to understand, was waiting patiently for her to elaborate.
She wondered for a moment if she understood him more than he did himself. “Well, you were created to be someone’s mate.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“But does the longing ever really go away?”
He didn’t say anything, seemed to be staring straight into his own thoughts. His fingers in her hair were still now.
She looped her arm around his shoulders, grabbed his face with her other hand, and pulled his head to hers. Kendra kissed him.
“You taste pretty good,” she said.
He drew her more closely. “You taste better.”
“How do I taste to you?”
“I haven’t tasted food in so long. I don’t remember what it’s like.”
That was sad. She didn’t want to cause a scene by getting all teary so she forged on. “What do I smell like?”
It took him a moment. “Like the sun on wet grass.”
“You remember that?”
“I have left a window open before.”
“Yes, that makes sense.” She kissed him again, but he pulled back.
“You really shouldn’t wear this in public.” He looked down pointedly.
She followed his line of sight. There wasn’t that much cleavage showing from under her burgundy v-neck. No more than other women.
“What’s wrong with this shirt? I’m sure you’ve lived through worse fashion statements than this.”
“Yes, but you weren’t there.”
“Possessive?”
His look said it all. Vampire. Very old, and obviously of the patriarchy despite how romantic he was.
“Right,” she said. “I’m not surprised.” She finished, lowering her voice, “Medieval bully.”
He grinned, in no way taken back by that. How could he when it was the truth?
Alessandro ran his fingers over her throat, Kendra lifting her chin to him, more turned on when he touched her neck than anywhere else. He kissed the hollow of her throat, the ridge of her sternum. He rested his forehead on her shoulder.
“Really,” he said, his voice sounding rough now. “I’d rather you didn’t wear this.”
She ran her fingers through his hair, smiling, enjoying what was sure to be an ongoing battle between his barbarism and her independence.
He lifted his head. “You said before, that I didn’t have any right because I was only your body guard.”
“I remember.” She studied his face, not understanding why it was so important to him. Marriage didn’t seem to be all that important, but he was going through with it for the first time in three thousand years because she wanted it.
This though? This was so all fire important? People were strange. Vampires even more so. She settled back against him, his fingers in her hair, not conceding to him but not continuing the discussion either.
“They stripped them down,” he said quietly. She felt him now, his emotions.
“What?” she asked, arching back to see his face.
He wasn’t looking at her, was staring off into nothing. “Nudity was not shamed in ancient Egypt, but Amon has certain tastes.”
She practically held her breath as he talked on
about this mystery that was his mortal life, as if saying anything at all might break the spell and awaken him to the present.
“He didn’t want just any beautiful woman. He had his guards strip them down first, to make sure they were acceptable.”
“And they did that to Sha’re?” she dared ask.
“Yes.” His arms slid around her waist, fingers splayed over her stomach. “And to my mother.”
She turned to face him, his arms slipping away.
“She was only fourteen when I was born, and very beautiful.” He looked at her from beneath black lashes.
“I’d believe beautiful just by looking at you. But fourteen?”
He tugged on a lock of her hair. “Don’t worry yourself, habibti. My father adored her, up until his death when I was ten. It was just our way.”
She nodded, vowing to suspend judgment. “I guess as long as he loved her.”
“They didn’t take my mother to Amon but the guards did enjoy her while they had her there.”
Kendra shook her head. “Just how much did they enjoy her?”
“I killed them,” he continued as if he hadn’t heard her. “I drained them dry one by one and made the others watch while I did it. I made sure my mother was very rich too.”
Tears stung her eyes. “She knew what you were?”
“Yes. She didn’t like it, but she knew.”
“How old was Sha’re when Amon...”
“Raped her? She was fifteen.”
He’d been engaged to her, and he had been thirty at the time. From what he’d said earlier, it sounded like he’d already slept with her too. It was a different world, Kendra reminded herself. Sha’re had loved him. He had loved her.
Anything she said now would have sounded lame. “I’ll be more careful about what I wear. It’s not that big of a deal. I love you.”
His eyes refocused, seeing her again. He smiled. “You are my soul.”
She wished she could keep up with him, had the feeling he’d always be one step ahead. “Are all Egyptian men so passionate?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“Really?”
“I’ll forgive you for having European roots.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“We are a passionate people, and we are very serious about those we love.”
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