Absolution: A Dominion Novel

by Lissa Kasey

  Meanwhile Gabe was drinking it like water.

  “Luca tell you that?”

  “Heard it from some of his people I’m sure. Could have been him. He’s in the bar enough. Hot for a blood whore. I’d do him, couldn’t afford him, but I’d do him. That boy looks like he comes from expensive tastes.”

  “He’s Max Hart’s son and my blood whore, though Gabe is paying him.” I was a little possessive and hadn’t known Mike was into men. But again, maybe he was just into whatever was attractive food, like a good-looking burger might lure people in. “Thanks, Mike.” I told him as Luca stepped out of the elevator, and hung up the phone.

  “Bed is off limits,” I told Luca. “There are babies in my room.”

  Luca nodded and joined me in the kitchen as I put away the groceries. Hopefully Sei hadn’t moved anything around since the last time I’d been here so I wouldn’t freak him out if I put something away wrong.

  “Heard about the babies. It was huge news on TV. Even with all the vampire crap going on. They are like baby celebrities or something. Only Sei pretty much went into hiding the second they came home,” Luca said. “No one has seen even a glimpse of them. That’s why security is so heavy outside of the building. Lots of paparazzi hanging around. If this is how bad it is for his kids, I can only imagine what your friend Seiran grew up with.”

  Prince of the Dominion, I had once teased Seiran. And while the witch hated it, it was more than a little true. Tanaka Rou had created an empire of power despite her parents cutting her off for bearing a male child. She had made it clear several times that her power would go to Seiran. I wasn’t sure if she meant the inheritance ceremony or just her wealth and title. Seiran did not need any more power. I wasn’t sure he was in control of what he currently had.

  “Gabe left. Sei needed him and he just left. Like he couldn’t handle the babies crying,” I told Luca.

  “Some people can’t. That’s why they don’t have kids. Gabe’s pretty old. I’d be surprised if he never had any, but not wanting them now makes sense. He’s sort of set in his ways. My dad is the same. I was raised mostly by nannies. The Hallmark shit with dads reading to you and kissing you good night, that’s not my life.”

  “Mine either and my dad wasn’t a vampire.”

  “So am I forgiven?” Luca asked suddenly.

  “Not completely. And I don’t want to talk about Galloway or whatever you do for him.” I paused and looked at the hot guy who said he wanted to be mine. “Are you fucking him?”

  “Pretty sure Galloway’s asexual. He has groupies galore throwing themselves at him and he’s not interested in any of them. Uses them as blood whores, that’s all, but he has a menagerie of them.”

  “So he’s not drinking from you either?”

  “Nope. I’m your blood whore.”

  I felt my face heat. “Heard that part?”

  Luca shrugged. “It’s pretty close to the truth. Most cibos are blood whores. They don’t have regular jobs. They use the excuse of recovering from the blood loss not to work all day. For humans, that’s pretty much spot on, they don’t regenerate blood cells as fast. A vampire would need a dozen human cibos to survive. I’m not human, and I have a job.”

  “You work for your dad,” I said.

  “Yep. Mostly just as a liaison. I schedule meetings, gather research, work up documents and get them approved by lawyers or finance people or whatever. It’s a boring job I could do in my sleep, but I make good money. Max says it teaches me leadership skills. Mostly I think it just keeps me out of his way.”

  I opened the fridge to put stuff away and just stared at the QuickLife. What if it was like booze? Could it addict you and then make you nuts? Maybe that was why Gabe had come unglued. I began pulling bottles out, opening them and dumping them down the sink.

  “Do you know what’s in it?” I asked Luca after he joined me at the sink to run the water and empty the bottles. I’d smelled it and tasted it before, but couldn’t say there was anything that made me think it was addictive. The stuff was awful. Like watered down Gatorade, the sugar-free kind that tried really hard to be real despite the fluorescent-colored additives.

  “I’m not a scientist and Galloway doesn’t believe in them, so I have no idea. Did someone alter the formula or has it always been funny? Maybe the real issue is that it’s not like blood at all. So vampires drink it, thinking it helps with the thirst, but only makes it worse? How would we tell?”

  “Have you talked to Max?”

  “Max has always thought the synthetic blood was a sham. And he’s wrapped in a big sports sale thing, so I’ve barely heard from him. Max always puts Max first. Power and money are his focus. I think that’s why he’s never had a real Focus.”

  “It’s weird that you call your dad Max.”

  “He’s never really been dad. Haven’t seen him in a while anyway. He was more interested in seeing you when he got here than me.” His words weren’t bitter, just matter of fact.

  I looked Luca over for the first time since I’d woken up. Really looked him over. He looked tired, and a little thinner. He also said he’d recently lost when before he’d made it sound like he always won. “When was the last time you ate?” I asked.

  “I had pasta at Bucca’s. Surprised you can’t still smell the garlic on me.” He patted his stomach.

  “I mean blood.”

  His face shut down and he turned away to grab another stack of bottles.

  “So your dad’s been absent, Galloway is a bastard, and I’ve been mostly dead for a few months. Am I the last one you got to snack on? You have to feed on a vampire, right?” I took the bottle he was holding and stared at him until he looked at me.

  He nodded. “That went sort of bad. So maybe we shouldn’t repeat it.”

  “Because you went nuts.”

  He sighed and leaned against the counter. “I was totally stupid. Kenrick always gets in my shit. I dunno why I let him. But it was so good and then it was like he was suddenly stepping all over what was mine. I can’t recall a time when I’ve been that possessive. Not since I was a kid at least.”

  I stepped in close and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him. “I’m broken, Luca. I don’t know if I should trust you, but damn I like you anyway. How fucked up is that? Drink from me you hot bastard so we can finish being domestic and putting stuff away before the babies wake up with another dirty diaper.”

  Luca chuckled. “You’re just the little daddy’s helper, aren’t you?”

  “Play nice, or no bite,” I told him as he nuzzled my neck. It was only fair. I’d taken a truck load from him earlier. His bite was mild and sweet. Mouth sucking away at me and I just leaned into him. It wasn’t as erotic as last time, likely because it was more necessary. He drank deeper only to finally come up gasping, and staggering.

  “Wow. You weren’t that potent before,” he grumbled and licked my wound to heal it. I helped him to the couch. “Oh shiny,” Luca stared at me his eyes dilated like he was high. Had my blood changed somehow?

  “Eat something solid, maybe that will help.” That’s what they told drunk people to do to absorb and dilute some of the alcohol right? I pulled out a banana and handed it to him. Even had to unpeel the end for him.

  “I’d rather eat your banana,” he said, but took it anyway.

  “Oh my God, you’re one of those drunks, eh?”

  “Did you just say eh? What’s next? Ya-sure-you-betcha?” Luca laughed at his own joke. “Minnesota humor.”

  And the man was a total loon. “I’m not sure you should be drinking from me regularly if it makes you this loopy.”

  “Oh, I’m sure,” Luca said waving his hand. “This is fantastic. Never knew what it felt like to be drunk before. This is great!”

  “Yeah? Maybe you’re a chatty drunk?” I asked him. “Finally loosen those tight lips of yours and answer some questions?”

  “You can loosen all my tight places if you want,” Luca said.

  I groaned. “Bad pickup lines,
great.”

  “They work fine on Con,” Luca grumbled.

  I frowned at him. “What?” Had he and Con…?

  Luca shrugged. “He’s hot, what can I say? The tattoos and the brooding. Pretends to be a bad boy, but so isn’t. Meanwhile you’re all clean-cut and adorable and a total bad boy in disguise.”

  “I’m not adorable.”

  “Yeah, you are. Even all glammed up like you were on our date. Then you get all red-eyed and brooding, which makes me hard enough to spill in my jeans.”

  “But you and Con?” That confused me. “He’s terrified of vampires.”

  “I’m not a vampire yet.”

  That was splitting hairs pretty finely. “You and Con have been having sex?” The idea should have pissed me off, but instead it filled my head with images of the two of them together. Fuck that was hot. Con’s tattoo covered body with Luca’s Abercrombie physique? Wow, who knew that was a kink I had?

  “Sure.”

  “But you can’t bite him.”

  “Wouldn’t do me any good to bite him. He’s not a vampire. Until I’m actually a vampire, all other blood just tastes like blood. Which is kind of gross.”

  I thought about that for a minute. Gabe said death was magic just like earth or water, an element of its own. Maybe he was right. If Luca needed the magic of death found only in vampire blood because he wasn’t yet undead, that made sense. “Have you shown Con your teeth?” Luca had fangs too.

  “He knows they’re there. I don’t pretend to bite him. We’re good. I give really good head. He’s got a nice cock. Likes it a little rougher than you’d think for a guy who tries to pretend he’s a badass.”

  I tried to imagine that. Okay, that made me hard. I shoved away the last of the groceries, and stopped in the spare room to check on the babies again. Still asleep. Seiran was also out cold. I could sense the deepness of his sleep like a thrumming lull of the earth’s energy.

  “Are you mad at me?” Luca asked.

  “I’m not sure,” I answered honestly, needing time to think. “Am I just blood to you? Have I been wasting my time thinking we should have more than just a blood whore relationship?”

  “No,” Luca said firmly. “I like you. More than just your blood. I knew that before we even met from all our conversations online.”

  “And Con?”

  “I like him also. I thought you did too?”

  “Are you suggesting…?” Was he? Or was he too drunk to realize what he was saying. “That we all fuck?”

  Luca grinned. “Oh, that would be the bomb. You fuck me while I fuck Con? Wow, your blood makes me super horny too. Or we could both take him. I bet he’d be up for that. It’s been a long time since I double-teamed anyone.”

  Okay, that thought almost had me spurting in my pants. I frowned at Luca, trying to be stern and thoughtful instead of horny. Porn fantasies were rarely reality. “What if he’s not into that?”

  “What, us? I know that’s not right ‘cause he’s already doing me and has wanted you for ages.”

  “Bottoming,” I clarified. Had Luca topped Con?

  “Aw. I think he’s verse. We haven’t gone that far yet, but I don’t think he’s as much of a top as he pretends to be. He likes to be told what to do. Likes when I grip his hair and fuck his mouth. He makes lots of noise when I finger his ass.” Luca’s gaze trailed over me. “You can top me anytime.”

  I sighed. “You’re drunk.”

  “A little, but it’s still true.” He laid back on the couch with a dramatic sigh. “Take me, my sweet prince.”

  I scowled at him. “I’m not a sweet prince.”

  He began to laugh, but slapped his hands over his mouth to stifle the sound. “Forgot…Babies. Okay, how about we make out then, you badass son of a bitch?” He held out his arms.

  “No sex,” I told him. Not with Sei and the babies able to wake up any minute.

  Luca pouted. “You keep saying that to me. Am I not sexy enough for you? Should I cover myself in tattoos like Constantine?”

  Sprawled as he was across the couch, his body relaxed, tight pants tented with an erection I knew to be impressive, he was sex. His whole being screamed sex. And yeah I wanted him. I just didn’t want more nightmares. “You’re hot. Someday I’ll do you. Just not while babies, with more power than either of us can ever imagine, sleep in the next room.”

  He grinned. “That’s awesome. And we can do Con too.”

  “I don’t want to fuck up what Con and I have.”

  “Why would you?”

  “Because sex has a way of messing up everything.”

  “Or being really good,” Luca said.

  I sighed. Nothing was ever that easy anymore. “The world is in chaos. I don’t think sex is on the top ten most important concerns right now.”

  “For vampires, maybe. But you either spend your life worrying or you live it. Your friend Seiran spends his life worrying. What joy does he get out of it? Do you want to be like that?”

  Sei was more than a little neurotic. “He can’t help it.”

  “Maybe. Or maybe it’s just so normal for him that he hasn’t realized he doesn’t have to live that way? You once told me when we were talking online that you spent your mortal life wishing you could die. Now you spend your immortal life afraid to live. Is that what you want?” Luca waved his open arms. “Come here. No sex required. Even badass sons of bitches like to snuggle sometimes.”

  I gave him a skeptical glare, but really he was right. I’d been asleep a long time. Spent months barely existing on the edge of insanity. A lifetime without really being touched by anyone who wasn’t ultimately out to hurt me.

  Fuck. I was just like Seiran. Afraid to really live. I was a fucking vampire. Almost unbreakable. Alive, or not really? Did that even matter?

  And there was Luca, offering nothing more than physical contact. Would I be just like Seiran and push everyone away? Or embrace something that could either be heaven or hell? What the hell, it’s not like I wasn’t used to a little pain.

  I crawled onto the couch with him. Letting him wrap his arms around me, and rested my head on the decorative pillow beside his. It didn’t matter in that moment that we were both hard, or that the world was caving down around us. For the first time in what felt like my entire life, I just let go of the worry, the expectations, and the instinct to run, and settled into his embrace. I closed my eyes and breathed in his delicious scent, promising myself a little bit of rest, even if it was only for today.

  Chapter 14

  The babies woke around four for a diaper change. I got to them before they even began to cry. Luca was surprisingly efficient with baby clean up. And I was thrilled that we got them fed and back to sleep without waking Seiran, the man probably hadn’t slept well in a while, and there was no sign of Gabe.

  I texted Jamie, wondering just what was going on there. His phone buzzed back some auto text about him working a shift at the hospital and would be available when the shift was over. I was a little surprised when he showed up just after five a.m. looking tired but a lot relieved.

  “You’re awake,” he said as he stepped off the elevator.

  “Yep. What was your first clue?” I groused at him.

  “Forever a smart ass.” He fought a smile and shook his head, then frowned at Luca.

  Luca sighed. “Yeah, yeah. Persona non grata. I get it. I’ll go upstairs and crawl into bed with Con. He won’t mind the company.” Luca pulled me into a hug and kissed me lightly on the lips before letting go to smack my ass and head to the elevator. “Text me when you’re up later.”

  I nodded. The sun would be up in a little more than an hour. There would have to be a changing of the guards. Luca left and I stared at Jamie wondering if he’d answer questions, and where to start.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I began because bullshit wasn’t something I liked to wade through.

  “You didn’t look at the news?”

  “Not that.” I waved my hand dismissing the whole v
ampire chaos. That was more my problem than his. “With you, Seiran, Kelly, and Gabe?”

  Jamie sighed and seemed to deflate. He sat down on one of the barstools at the kitchen counter. “It’s complicated.”

  “Right, ‘cause that’s new? I’m pretty sure you all have complicated for middle names. What the hell, Jamie? I thought you’d be here to help Seiran with the babies?”

  His face flushed pink. “I want to. Gabe and I have had some screaming matches about that. He doesn’t want me to interfere. Kelly wants me to take Seiran away from him. But…”

  “But what? Gabe is unstable. I watched him walk out as Seiran and the twins were crying. That’s not him. I barely know the man and know that’s not him. He’s lost weight and was dressed like he was headed to a kegger. What the flying fuck?”

  Jamie flinched. “I thought they were perfect for each other. Gabe took such good care of Seiran. Now he’s just—cold.”

  “I don’t think Gabe is really Gabe anymore,” I offered.

  “That’s what your friend Luca says.”

  “I don’t think Luca is as young as he looks. His dad also happens to be one of the most powerful vampires in the world, so maybe he knows what he’s talking about?”

  Jamie scoffed. “Yeah, I looked him up. He’s seventy-five. And his dad…Maxwell Hart, how do we know he didn’t do something to Gabe? Start all this mess?”

  Luca was seventy-five? Holy shit. Talk about good genes. “Now you sound like Seiran, paranoid and afraid of everything.”

  “Isn’t that how we should be? Aren’t you the king of that yourself?” Jamie threw back.

  Well yeah, experience was a bitch. “I have seen nothing so far that leads me to believe that Max is fucking with Gabe. Seiran said Max refuses to talk to him, even on the phone. Max has kept out of Gabe’s side of the city and seems more focused on business than vampire bullshit.”

  “Which is weird.”

  I shrugged. Who was I to tell old vampires how to socialize? “What about you and Kelly? Seiran said you’ve been fighting.”

  “About all of this.” He let out a long deep breath like he was trying to keep calm. “And he has another training offer from the former water Pillar. She wants to help him dive. The Dominion thinks spending time in his element will increase his control of his power.”