Vampires’ Consort: Magical Ménages, Book 2

by Bonnie Dee

  “I didn’t expect, but hoped you’d consider it,” he said. “This plan has not been undertaken lightly and there are important reasons behind it you couldn’t imagine.”

  “Try me.”

  He sighed. “You’re going to make me tell you everything all at once. I’d hoped to show you around first, offer you a meal and some small talk and work our way up to this.” He gazed at her with dark, luminous eyes that sent a shiver of mingled fear and lust through her. Her attraction to the man was disconcerting to say the least, but it was as if there was a magnetic field around him and she was a piece of metal drawn inexorably to him.

  “Very well. It is extremely important that a child be born from my bloodline. A prophecy has indicated that such a child will have an important role to play in the course of the world.”

  Her already-racing heart thumped even harder. Prophecies, now. This was getting even weirder. “How would your, uh, friend having a child fulfill such a prediction?”

  “Jacob is more than my friend. He carries my blood in him.”

  “Your brother? Cousin? Nephew?” Akila raised an eyebrow and stared back, refusing to let his powerful gaze quell her. “You two don’t appear to be related.”

  “Not by birth, only by blood. Here’s the last part, and you’re really not going to like it.”

  “Oh, I don’t like much of anything I’ve heard so far. I doubt it could get any worse.” But she braced herself, literally, planting her feet on the floor and gripping the bottle so hard, water sloshed from the top.

  “Jacob carries my blood because he is my thrall.” Valarian continued to stare into her eyes and Akila wondered if he was able to hypnotize by the strength of his gaze alone. She shifted in her chair, fighting the desire to bolt from the room, or cross the floor to kneel at his feet. What kind of mojo was he working?

  “I am a vampire.” The way he pronounced the words made them not sound ridiculous at all.

  Akila waited for a punch line that didn’t come. Instead, his stare challenged her to dare disbelieve him.

  “Vampirism is not as it’s depicted in folklore,” he continued. “We are not the dead brought back to life. The disease, for lack of a better word, is a contagion of the blood cells spread by an exchange of blood. There are levels of infection. Jacob, for example, is not a full-blooded vampire, but he is bonded to me.”

  “Oh.” It was all she could come up with when he paused, waiting for her response.

  He leaned forward, and Akila automatically shrank back into the chair.

  “You won’t believe unless you see, so if you will permit me, I will demonstrate.” Kaspan opened his mouth wide, a creepy display of all his teeth, which appeared perfectly normal to Akila. And then, right before her eyes, a pair of fangs descended from his gums right above the incisors—long, curved, pointed fangs that looked sharp enough to tear through metal, let alone vulnerable human flesh.

  Akila jumped up from the chair, dropping the bottle and backpedaling until she ran into Jacob’s solid body behind her.

  He grasped her arms lightly. “It’s all right. He won’t harm you. His thirst for blood is well under control.”

  “G-good to know,” she stammered, somehow comforted by the hands holding her rather than feeling imprisoned by them.

  “Everything he says is true, including the prophecy. This is not a trick or illusion. Vampires are real.”

  Kaspan retracted his fearsome fangs and closed his mouth, as casually as a man putting away his wallet. “Again, I’m sorry to assault you with all this information at once, but I didn’t want to keep you here under false pretences or use my powers to get you to accede to my will. I’m a businessman and I’d hoped we could conduct this as a transaction. But I see now Jacob was right. The subject is too delicate to approach that way.”

  Oh right, the baby-making scheme. Seeing a man turn into a vampire in front of her very eyes had kind of knocked that part right out of her head.

  She dragged her gaze from him to look up at Jacob standing behind her as she stepped away from him. “What does it mean exactly to be a thrall? Do you drink blood too? Are you his slave?”

  “He’d like to think so.” Jacob cast a look at the man he called master and Akila felt the cord pulled taut between them as if it was a physical thing. “I have longevity, although nothing like a vampire’s. I haven’t preternatural strength, but I’m healthier and stronger than the average man. I can go out into the world during the daylight hours and accomplish the tasks my master cannot.”

  That last bit had a ring of smugness to it, revealing again Jacob’s conflicted feelings about his role. A vampire’s servant and stud; what an unusual occupation. It was on the tip of her tongue to say so, but for once she held back the snark.

  “This thing about my bloodline… If it’s even true, how did you learn about it? How did you find me?” His claim she was a descendent of Ra seemed almost more unbelievable than the fact he was a vampire, or that vampires existed. “Did you do a locator spell or something?”

  Kaspan’s full-throated chuckle rumbled through the room. “No. You’d be surprised at the information you can track down with unlimited resources and a few trips to Egypt. I have no magical powers. I can’t fly or take the shape of a bat.”

  “Good. I’m not fond of bats.” She was suddenly breathless, her head spinning as if she might faint. The spacious room closed in on her. She was on information overload and wanted to run away. “I—I can’t deal with this right now.”

  Kaspan rose fluidly from his seat. Suddenly he was right in front of her and she hadn’t even seen him move. He took her hand and looked into her eyes, pulling her strings with his mesmerizing gaze.

  “It’s only natural you need some time to think about everything. But don’t be afraid.” The last was a command she couldn’t refuse. He smiled, and Akila felt her reservations melting away like the last bit of snow from a spring-warmed rooftop. With his fangs retracted he was really very charming.

  A deliciously warm, soothing feeling suffused her, softening her stiffened muscles, calming her racing heart. Anxiety still galloped around the edge of her consciousness, but it couldn’t enter this corral of peacefulness. It was all right. Everything was good. Valarian meant her no harm. She had a compulsion to lean into him, let his arms wrap around her and hold her, let his mouth cover hers, searching and demanding before drifting to her neck and…

  Akila blinked, breaking the insidious spell. Jesus! He was dangerous. “I’ve got to go outside and get some fresh air.”

  “I’ll talk with you again over dinner,” the vampire said. “I’m afraid you must at least spend the night. If by morning you wish to cut your visit short, you’ll be flown back home. I don’t want you to feel like a prisoner, Ms. Massri.”

  “I think we’re past formalities now. Call me Akila.”

  “And you must call me Valarian.” He clasped her hand and squeezed lightly. An electric charge shot up her arm. “Please consider my request, but in the meantime try to relax and enjoy your stay here.”

  Oh yeah, like that would be easy to do after the bomb he’d dropped. The world contained vampires and one of them wanted her to be his baby-mama. What could be more conducive to a relaxing weekend getaway?

  “That went well,” Jacob said dryly after Akila had fled from the room.

  “As well as could be expected under the circumstances.” Valarian’s tone was abrupt. “Go after her. Show her around the island and get to know her a little.”

  “She wants to be left alone.”

  “Being alone will make her think of more questions. She needs someone to give her answers, and this will be a good opportunity for you to get closer to her.”

  Jacob bit back his immediate negative response. It wasn’t that he disagreed with his master. He understood the need to fulfill the prophecy and was aware of his critical part in it. But recently, he chafed under the yoke of serfdom. After decades of showing his appreciation for what Valarian had done for him, he was s
craping the bottom of the bowl of gratitude.

  “Yes, sir.” He turned on his heel without waiting for more instruction and hurried after Akila.

  He caught up with her at the bottom of the stairs. “I’ll show you around, if that’s all right.”

  The look she cast him made him feel more like a jailer than a host.

  “The best path down to the beach is this way.” He touched her arm lightly to lead her and his fingers buzzed from the warmth of her skin. His cock began to harden and he realized he wanted her quite badly. Although he barely knew this woman, her forceful personality and outspoken manner attracted him. Stud service aside, he’d be happy to have sex with her. It had been far too long since he’d been with a woman.

  He pushed open one of the french doors that led onto the veranda. Moist air enveloped them as they stepped into the sunshine. He glanced at Akila. Her yellow tank top molded her breasts and revealed long, slender arms. Her cropped pants were stark white against smooth, tan calves. A pair of sandals with decorative straps bound her feet. Tightly curled black hair hugged her skull and he had an impulse to stroke his hand over her head and feel the texture of her hair.

  “What?” she demanded, making him realize he’d been staring for too long.

  “Nothing. I only wondered what you think of everything Kaspan told you.”

  “I think I’d like to wake up and find it’s all a dream, but since that’s not going to happen, I think I want to catch the next plane out of here.”

  Jacob nodded. He couldn’t expect a different answer, but disappointment pierced him. He led the way to the stairs that descended the low bluff to the beach.

  Her sandals slapped each stair as she walked behind him. “Tell me more about you. How did you hook up with this guy?”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “Yeah, I figured that. I want details. How long ago? How did it happen?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” Why should he tell her anything? She was leaving anyway. Besides, he’d never shared the story with another living person. It was something private between him and Valarian.

  “That’s his bite mark on your neck, isn’t it?”

  He wanted to pull his shirt collar up to hide it, but kept his hands by his sides.

  “Do you hate him for doing that to you? How long do you have to serve him?”

  I love him and hate him and will serve him to the end of my days. Jacob didn’t answer her question.

  “Why did you come here?” he countered.

  “Curiosity, I suppose. My mother used to say it would be the death of me. She said that about a lot of my bad habits. But when something grabs my attention, I have to know all about it, what it is, how it works, or, in this case, what does a rich eccentric guy want with me?”

  “Well, now you know.” His shoes crunched across sand toward the water’s edge.

  “Questions lead to more questions.” She caught up with him and walked beside him. “What’s this bloodline stuff all about, and what does this prophecy actually say?”

  “If you ask, I’m sure Mr. Kaspan will share the words of the prophecy with you.”

  “What do you think? Do you believe in all this? Would you really go through with being his surrogate just because he told you to?”

  Yes, but also because I want to. I want to fuck you whether I get you pregnant or not. “It’s not my place to question the master.”

  “That’s how dictators get so much power. No one ever questions them. Sounds like Mr. Kaspan’s a little Hitler.”

  Rage flared through him. He spun toward her, lifting a hand to strike her, then dropped it back to his side. “Never compare Valarian to that man.”

  Her eyes opened wide and he saw fear in them. Nearly as much as when she’d beheld Valarian’s fangs. “Damn, I’m sorry. I was just joking.”

  “You’re a young, stupid girl.” He stalked away down the beach, desperate to put some space between them while he calmed his pounding heart.

  Chapter Four

  Clearly she’d hit a sore spot, either by her slur of Kaspan or by awakening some aspect of Jacob’s past—maybe both. The rigid line of his back and the breadth of his shoulders held her at bay like a cross did a vampire—or was that another myth busted?

  Akila decided to let Jacob walk off whatever demons raged in him. She kicked off her sandals and went to the edge of the water. She could smell the brine in the astonishing blue-green water as it lapped warmly around her toes. The Atlantic down here was an entirely different ocean from the gray water of Long Island Sound near her parents’ home. It would be great to strip bare and simply float in it for a while. This place was too gorgeous not to take advantage of it for the brief time she was here.

  Why not stay through the weekend? She could learn more about Kaspan and when she returned home, write an exposé about him as she’d planned. Of course, she’d have to edit out the vampire stuff…and the bloodline stuff…and the crazy baby-making plan. That didn’t leave much juicy gossip to spill. Without those elements, there was only a wealthy businessman hanging out at his tropical retreat.

  She squatted in the sand and dug with half of a clamshell, watching the water fill the pit she made. Her mind careened all over the place, trying to fix on one aspect of his crazy tale and have it make sense. As shocked as she was about vampires existing, what really got her was the idea of Ra, a god, for God’s sake, as her ancestor. It was preposterous but utterly fascinating. Maybe she needed to learn more about this prophecy thing.

  “I’m sorry.”

  An unexpected voice beside her made her screech, drop the shell and leap to her feet. She slapped a hand to her chest. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “I apologize.” Jacob’s eyes reflected the sunlight, making them bluer than the ocean. “I lost my temper, something I rarely do.”

  She believed that, having gotten the impression he was usually firmly in control of his emotions. “That’s okay. I press buttons. It’s what I do. I shouldn’t have said that about Hitler. I’m sure Kaspan is a great guy. He supports about half the charities on the planet.”

  Her head was tipped back in order to look up into his face. The angle, coupled with their bodies’ proximity, made it feel like she was waiting for him to lean down and kiss her. Their gazes locked while the surf rhythmically washed the shore and seagulls screeched overhead. There was no denying the attraction between them. She’d felt it that night at the supermarket and again from the moment she saw him at the airport. A subtle thread stitched them together every time they were near each other.

  Akila reached out a tentative hand and rested it against his chest. His heart beat as steadily as the incoming waves. Thud, thud, thud, filling up her senses and drawing her closer still. Her toes dug into the sand as she rose up.

  His eyes widened and he seemed suddenly younger and uncertain, a man who perhaps wasn’t used to women coming on to him—surprising, since he was so attractive. She liked his hesitation. It gave her the courage to slide a hand around the back of his neck and pull his head down to hers. She heard his small gasp before she fastened her lips over his and softly plucked at his mouth.

  Jacob’s hands encircled her waist, holding her steady as she leaned into him. For a moment, he acquiesced to her kiss, then his mouth opened and he kissed her back.

  Their tongues met, slicking around each other, and electricity shot through Akila. The taste of him left her hungry for more. Her body thrummed with the low voltage that passed between his body and hers. She’d never experienced anything quite like the rising need inside her, a sudden flare like a spike in a heart monitor.

  Jacob’s hands moved below her waist, cupping her ass and pulling her tighter against him. She felt his hardness nudging her crotch, escalating the heat there. He groaned quietly into her mouth and their kiss deepened from sensual exploration to passionate hunger.

  She gripped his shoulder with one hand and drove the other through his hair to cup the back of his head. Her tender
breasts smashed flat against his solid chest and her entire body throbbed. It was too intense, too soon, too crazy.

  Akila broke it off, pushing her hand against his chest to propel herself back from him. She stood in the moist, cool sand, panting. His lust-glazed eyes seemed as shocked as she felt. He wiped a hand over his lips, as though wiping away—or capturing—her kiss.

  “I’m sorry,” Akila said. “I don’t know why I did that.”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s…”

  God, she was humiliated. She could sink into the sand right now and let the tide wash her away. But even in the midst of embarrassment, her body still clamored for more. More of those kisses, more of the way he’d held her, the solidity of his body in her arms, more of his scent, his taste. His cock. She wanted to see his erection, not just feel it pressed against her. Another shudder of lust passed through her.

  Akila crossed her arms over her chest and began to walk down the beach. “Maybe you should show me the rest of the property. Or the house.” Or maybe she should go to her room and hide, get entirely away from this man to whom she seemed to have an uncontrollable attraction.

  “Yes.” He strode alongside her, but several yards away, and blurted random facts about the island as they walked from the beach to the interior. The vegetation grew thick around the narrow path through the trees.

  “Before Mr. Kaspan purchased the island, it was uninhabited except by wildlife. He’s kept as much untouched as possible, a preserve for local species of reptiles and birds.”

  “Reptiles?” Akila scanned for alligators that might pop out of the underbrush.

  “Various kinds of lizards and frogs, except frogs are amphibians.” Jacob was suddenly babbling, and she realized he was covering his own embarrassment at what had happened between them, trying to pretend his cock hadn’t been pushing insistently into her crotch.

  Clearly having sex with Jacob wouldn’t be a burden for either of them if she were really to follow through on Kaspan’s plan. As if she would. To be impregnated with a child? Crazy! And how in the world would it be Valarian’s anyway?