Katherine was all kinds of angry, she didn’t know where to start. He had tried to take out money against her name? Thank god the bank had turned him down. It would explain why they wouldn’t extend her credit limit though. She probably had a black mark against her name.
“He’s not a freak,” she snapped.
Of all the things that were running through her head, that was not what she expected to come out of her mouth, but sure enough, her protective hackles had come up and it looked like she considered Lucian in her exclusive bubble of things that she would protect.
“So you like him. Even better, my plan will come off easier if you’ve already got an in with him,” Kyle mused, “so you figure out what that guy is yet?”
A cold dread filled her and everything, even the blood in her veins, seemed to slow.
“Other than a gentleman?” Katherine said carefully.
“Yeah, a gentleman of the blood-sucking variety,” Kyle snorted, “he’s a vampire, Kitty. A bonafide, real-life vampire. I didn’t want to believe it at first but there was just too much going on with the guy for me to not see it.”
“Are you crazy? You have been drinking, haven’t you?” Katherine scoffed, trying hard to hide her internal panic.
“I ain’t crazy- tell me, why are the curtains always pulled during the day? Why don’t he ever walk about in the day? How come all his business deals are done at night?”
“What? Are you serious, Dad?” Katherine continued with the charade, “he might be a bit of a night owl and he might like his privacy but I don’t see how that makes him a vampire.”
“There’s more to it than that, he can do things. Mind things. I felt him do stuff in my head, it was like I was doing things and saying things that I had no control over. And he would just suddenly appear in places, like in a blink of an eye kinda fast,” her father persisted.
“I really don’t think Lucian is responsible for your irrational and impulsive behaviour,” she snorted.
“Lucian?” Kyle asked quickly, “Baby doll, you have gotten to know him, haven’t you?”
“There are only two of us here, of course I’ve gotten to know him,” she snapped back, her palms beginning to sweat.
“I was there for three long months and we were never on first name terms,” he argued back. “Kitty Kat, you’ve made your old man proud, finally putting what you’ve been blessed with to good use.”
“What the Hell!”
“This is perfect! You’ve already seduced the unnatural fucker, now all you need to do is seal the deal and get him to bite you while you’re at it.”
“No.”
“What do you mean ‘no’? Kitty, I know you have your morals and all, but for once I need you to do the smart thing and do as I tell you. You do this and you and me will be free and I swear you won’t ever hear from him or me again. I know you wish you could have nothing to do with me, well this is your chance.”
“How exactly would me sleeping with him, and getting bitten by him, help get us out of this situation?” Katherine hissed.
“I see that you’re not arguing over what he is anymore. You know what he is too. You’re perceptive just like your old man,” Kyle said eagerly, “you get those bite marks on your neck and we got ourselves evidence. Evidence that I’m gonna share with the press. I got a journalist lined up who is coming up there with me tomorrow. We’re going to expose him for what he is. If he doesn’t want it to get out: then he’s gotta payout.”
Katherine was speechless.
“No way,” s finally stammered.
“Yes, Kitty, you’re doing this. You’re gonna do this or I’m gonna disappear and he’s going to keep you there forever, cos he ain’t ever going to catch me where I’m going to hole up.”
“You’re blackmailing me into helping you blackmail him. Not only are you happy to pimp your daughter out but you’d also have her offer herself up as a meal on a plate to him, all so you can avoid having to pay off the debt that you worked up in the first place?”
“You are so fucking dramatic,” Kyle bit back, “you get that from your mother too. This is business, Katherine. I would’ve thought you had grown up enough to realise that sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to survive in this world, otherwise you get fucked over.”
“You’re a piece of shit, you know that?”
“And you’re my daughter; lucky you,” he sneered back, “look at it like this: you’re fucked one way or another. You act like a little bitch and don’t do as I say and you’re stuck there with that monster for the rest of your life. You open your legs for him and let him chow down on your neck a bit and you get to walk away a rich girl.”
“I cannot believe you.”
“It’s a short-term loss for long-term gain. You flex your morals and endure a little pain for a bit and you’ll be rewarded with a lifetime of freedom.”
Freedom. The temptation to be able to do as she pleased without any of the hardships and without the millstone of her father hanging around her neck was sorely tempting. And she’d be away from Lucian. He would want nothing to do with her and she would never see him again. There would be no more hurt, no more longing for something more with him that wasn’t possible. He would hate her but maybe that was what was needed.
“You promise to never contact me again, and I mean never?” She husked out quietly, the betrayal on her tongue tore at her.
“Never again. I won’t even send a Christmas card,” her father replied.
“When do you need this done by?” Her voice was emotionless, even to her own ears it was cold.
“I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. This journalist and me are going to turn up during the day, get him when he’s vulnerable. All you need to do is get the bite marks and be prepared to go on record with it all.”
Katherine’s heart was breaking.
“It’s done.”
She hung up the phone and tossed it angrily at the bed. Tears flowed easily down her face as she sucked in desperate lungfuls of air between sobs that threatened to overtake her. She hated her father. She hated being trapped in his stupid gambit. She hated being held against her will by Lucian and she hated that she had fallen for him in the process. Most of all she hated herself.
She stared at the roses in the vase. Most had begun to wilt, the stunning fiery orange and red-tipped bloom shone out amongst the rest. He never had told her what it meant. Part of her didn’t want to know. No doubt it harboured some sweet sentiment intended to make her lower her defences.
That was what she had to remind herself. Lucian had played a game. He knew what he wanted and how to get it. He had wanted sex and a free meal and he had played the gentleman to get her to give it to him.
Well, that was all going to change, she was about to make all the tables turn. She sniffed back her tears, angrily wiping them from her face.
It was time to get her shit together, and put on her game face. Her foolish heart protested but she ignored it. She wanted her freedom and independence back and she knew how to get it. Katherine strode into her shower room, she had to make herself irresistible to a certain Lord Lucian Nightingale.
Chapter Twenty
Lucian
Lucian’s phone buzzed impatiently from the other side of the room. Since returning home he had spent his time pacing his room and finally taking a scalding hot shower to help distract him from the fact that Katherine was not happy. Not just that, she had retreated from him. Perhaps she was just picking up on his unease after discovering her rare blood type, although he couldn’t shift the feeling that there was something going on between them that he hadn’t been able to decipher.
He could find out, he mused as he padded barefoot across the room, a towel wrapped around his waist. However, he didn’t want to use his powers of mental manipulation to force the truth from her lips. He wanted her trust and so he needed to give her the time and space to express herself freely with him.
“Lucian,” he answered the demanding phone with a clipped t
one.
“Lord Nightingale, I have an update for you,” the deep gravel of Mr. Benson Pines answered from down the line.
“Go on,” Lucian’s mind snapped to attention, keen for more information about the intentions of Kyle Daxton and the supposed journalist he had been meeting with.
“The journalist checks out. A Miss. Brianna St Clare; she’s got a contract for the Herald and also writes freelance for other outlets, including some tabloids.”
Lucian released a sigh of relief. While a nosy journalist wasn’t ideal, it at least meant that Katherine’s rare and forbidden blood type wasn’t about to be discovered by the vampire authorities. She wouldn’t be taken from him, he still had time to ensure her safety on his terms.
“Go on, for what reason was Mr. Daxton meeting with her?” Lucian asked although he could already guess.
“I wasn’t able to get that much from my source, they apparently kept their voices quiet during their meeting,” Benson replied.
“Perhaps you might like to question your source further?” Lucian couldn’t believe that nothing had been overheard.
“I can assure you I was thorough in my interrogation,” his voice became firm.
The bear shifter didn’t like being questioned over his methods. Lucian mentally shrugged, it was no matter. If his assumption over the purpose of Daxton’s meeting with the journalist was correct, he would find out soon enough.
“Very well, I trust your judgment, Mr. Pines. Do you have anything else?”
“He’s called her.”
“Who?”
“Miss. Daxton. This evening, he called her. The bug placed in his phone didn’t record the conversation but we know that he spoke with her for approximately fifteen minutes tonight,” Benson explained.
“I see,” it was all he could say, his throat suddenly dry, “anything else?”
“That’s all. I will keep you posted. I’m watching his motel.”
“Very good. Keep me posted Mr. Benson. Your thoroughness is appreciated.”
Lucian ended the call and ran his hand through his still-damp hair.
Katherine knew something. She and her father were not close. He used her for his own gains and she hated him: they would not partake in just a friendly, father-daughter tete a tete. The desire to delve into her mind and take the answers he sought was all too tempting. It would be all too easy, she would most likely not even know he had gone poking around in her head. Yet he had made a promise. He swore to be honest with her and he was a man who was true to his word. But more than that, the thought of lying to her, of betraying her trust caused his heart to hurt for her.
He paced to his walk-in closet and tugged on a fresh pair of lounge pants. He would let her come to him. If she knew something and wanted to share it with him, then it was up to her to share it with him or not. The thought of her being in cahoots with her father made bile rise in his throat. His beautiful darling was so much more than that. He prayed that he hadn’t been fooled by her charm and intelligence and he hadn’t been mistaken in his judgment of her character.
As he had thought while speaking with Mr. Pines; he would find out soon enough.
Was he worried about a potential exposé? Of course not.
It wasn’t the first time someone had tried to expose a vampire for what they were. There were countless wild and outlandish reports over the years of paranormal creatures living among humankind. Most were written off as fabrications and the workings of writers with unstable minds. A few great literary fictions were in existence but the result was the same regardless: no one believed it. If any hard evidence were ever gathered it always, mysteriously disappeared, along with those who had sought to bring it to the attention of the world.
If Kyle Daxton and this, Brianna St. Clare, tried to run an expose on him, he would simply enthral them and ensure that their plans never came to fruition.
A soft knock on the door to his quarters drew his attention. The door opened soundlessly and he heard the quiet footfalls as they made their way across his room. Lucian watched from the shadows as Katherine stepped up to the balcony doors to gaze out into the dark gardens below.
She was a sight to behold. The outline of her body tantalizingly visible beneath the glossy sheen of the satin robe that was tied loosely around her. Her hair fell over her shoulders in loose curls that shone like spun gold in the moonlight that came in through the windows. He could scent her perfume, warm and spicy just like her fiery temperament, but it did nothing to disguise the trepidation that rolled off of her like a thin veil of smoke. She was anxious about something, fearful even. The thought of her fear made Lucian’s blood heat. If her father had threatened Katherine in any way, he would seek to defend her, no matter the cost.
He moved fast and stood silently behind her, the warm brush of his breath against her exposed neck causing her to utter a quiet gasp of surprise. He watched in the reflection of the window as her eyes closed in response to his presence, her shoulders relaxing.
“Lucian.”
“I had thought you were unwell my darling, I never expected to be honoured with a delight such as the one before me,” he whispered close against her ear.
“I missed you,” she replied quietly, after a moment's hesitation.
“And I you,” the words came easily, he supposed because they were true. Despite the palpable distance that he could feel between them, his home felt warmer and as though the dawn was teasing the horizon when she was with him.
“Is that the only reason you’re here? Because you missed me?” Lucian asked, hating himself for challenging her. He could sense her unease, his instinct was to bring her peace, no matter the cost.
The silence stretched between them. Every second felt like a stitch pulling away from the seams that held his heart together. Her eyes opened but remained low, fixed on the garden below them.
“The rose you gave me yesterday, the orange and red one. What does it mean?” She asked suddenly.
“That meaning belongs to the past. I haven’t yet had a chance to select one for tomorrow.”
“Please, tell me,” she asked, her eyes shut again, a small frown creasing her forehead.
“It is said to symbolise falling in love,” Lucian said quietly, “I was planning on gifting a different one in the morning.”
Katherine nodded her head slightly, her fingers flexing against the glass, while her body stiffened.
“What will tomorrow’s be?” She asked, clearing her throat. Lucian could tell she was putting as much strength into her words as she could. His heart cried out for her and despite his fears, he replied with the honesty with which he had promised her.
“Red. For love.”
A whimper escaped her before she turned to face him, her light brown eyes appeared glassy with unshed tears.
His hands came up and cradled her face, the pain of seeing the tears that threatened made him unable to stand idly by.
“Why?” Her voice was barely above a whisper, so uncertain and broken.
“Because that is how I feel, darling,” Lucian replied before taking her lips in a soul-destroying kiss.
He couldn’t bear to not hear her return his affection in that moment, so he stole her words from her and carried her to his bed, determined to win her heart by giving her his.
Chapter Twenty-One
Katherine
His lips burned against hers. Katherine felt her tears fall over her cheeks and tasted them on their kiss. He loved her and if she was truthful with herself she felt the same way about him. But she couldn’t keep that love. It would shatter and dissolve into a deep and painful memory, leaving a permanent scar on her heart. Lucian didn’t say a word about her tears, he just continued to press his lips to hers, coaxing them open so that he could taste her mouth.
She knew he would want to know why she was crying, the fact that he hadn’t said anything made her believe he already knew that their love was doomed and he was choosing to ignore the truth. She felt the pull of denial too
. She wanted to fall into a moment of divine bliss with him and simply allow herself to enjoy being with him and being loved by him.
She had a job to do, however. If she wanted her freedom, if she wanted to pursue her dreams, she needed to get the evidence that her father demanded. She needed to be bitten. Rather than feeling the thrill of excitement at the unique pleasure that Lucian’s bite would bring, she felt cold inside. She would hate herself for what she was about to do for the rest of her days. But she had no choice.
She kissed him back, stroking her tongue against his, encouraging his passion. His hands traced down her body, slipping beneath the satin robe and finding her breasts bare to his touch. He lifted his head and looked at her with reverence as he began to work the soft fullness. Kneeling over her on the bed, Lucian released the tie of her robe and bared her to his hungry eyes.
She had prepared for this, told herself that it would be easier and quicker to seduce him if she made her body as open and accessible to him. Her body flushed with desire under his intense scrutiny and gathering her courage, Katherine ran her fingers between her breasts, along her stomach, and down over her core, opening her legs to him. Lucian sucked in a breath at the sight and she saw his eyes darken further to pure black.
“I’m yours, Lucian. Take what it is you want,” she husked low, her body trembling as she began stroking herself for his voyeuristic pleasure. Lucian’s eyes zeroed in on where her fingers worked, he hissed out a curse between his teeth when she dipped lower between her lips and drew her slick fingers back up to tease her sensitive nub.
Her plan was to seduce him, not to become just as lost to the passion that flared between them. A moan took her by surprise as she continued to play with herself while he watched. The sound broke the spell between them and slowly Lucian lowered himself down on the bed and spread her thighs wide enough so he could settle between them. His tongue licked along her fingers where they still danced over her clit and his hum of appreciation seemed to vibrate along her body, her orgasm already building.
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