by H. D. March
“Mind if I take a seat?”
She eyed the stranger with suspicion, checked his green eyes and shivered. There was something about him, he was good looking, not in the same rugged way as Rune, yet something familiar tugged at her.
Her brow raised in a quizzical arch.
“I’m Kobe Sinclair, the owner of this place.”
“Really? Then, please sit.” God, she sounded like an extra in some seedy, low-budget film; she couldn’t believe how she spoke. Then thought of Rune, and the sarcastic comment he’d return with.
“I haven’t seen you here before, er—” His gaze pinned her.
“Jessalyn, it’s my first time, my father is a member here.”
“Really? And who would that be?”
“George Chambers, it’s only recently he’s joined.” She hugged her cup and continued to take slow sips.
“Can’t recall him, but we do have a large membership.” He slid his eyes over her from top to bottom. His interest was clear. “And you, not into keeping fit?”
“I’m pregnant.” The words fell out of her mouth and she wished she could gag and kick herself. Apart from her parents, no fucker knew, least of all the father, and here she was telling a stranger that in a few more months she’d be giving birth?
Quickly, she followed on, yet noticed the shock registering on his face, and dismissed it. “But please, keep it secret. I haven’t told Dad yet.” She didn’t need to wonder which one, it could be either of the three. Rune that suspected, George that didn’t have a clue, or Frazer that had already worked out the sex name and probably what school he’d be going to. She had a strong feeling he was going to be very much a hands-on grandfather; heck, he’d admitted as much. Jess didn’t even bother trying to analyse why he’d ignored her for thirty years; she’d never discover his reason.
“Trust me, my lips are sealed.”
Yeah, much like my fanny’s when Rune leaves me. And halted her sexual thoughts.
He glanced down at her finger. “Are you married?”
“No, I’m single, there is no other half.” Saying the words out loud hurt, but she had to face the truth.
He gave a glimmer of a smile. “Are you free for dinner tonight?”
“No, she’s not.” LeBron hovered over her, Kitty standing alongside him resembling a doll, dwarfed by his size.
Jess gave a shriek of delight and rose, hugging her.
“In case you’re wondering,” she whispered in her ear. “Your guard dog sent us.”
Kobe flashed her a wink. “Another time then.”
“I doubt that,” growled LeBron.
Kobe paused. “What the lady wants is up to her. Now, back off.”
LeBron’s eyes darkened, his chest blew out, and his muscles flexed. “Make me.”
Jess looked to Kit. “Stop it.”
“LeBron,” she snapped, “leave it be, for me, please?”
He gave a grimace. “For you.” And backed off.
Kobe gave a semblance of a smile; a smirk sneered over his features. “I’ll see you soon, Jessalyn Chambers.” With a rock, swinging-assed stride, he left the room.
“He’s a twat!” cursed LeBron.
“Yep,” agreed Kitty and linked her arm through Jess’s. “You okay?”
“Fine, I’ll fill you in on the details on a bonding night.” She squeezed her hand.
“Well, hello, Kitty, what are you doing here?” George staggered into the room, his legs visibly shivered with the effort to remain upright.
“Just paying a passing visit.” Kitty turned away, trying to keep her laughter in check, and stepped towards LeBron.
“In that case, you and your, er, man can call in for tea.” He glanced up to the towering LeBron, who laced his arm around Kitty. A glitter shuddered over his eyes. “Come along.” He swept past him.
LeBron jumped at the hand caressing his ass.
Jess smothered a laugh and followed. What the hell was up with her dad? Yet LeBron’s shocked face had tickled her. Jesus, George had a wicked sense of humor.
§§§
Rune’s attention remained fused on the map; it was there, it had to be, the answer teased at him. So Godamn close and yet so far. He’d never understood those words until now.
Methodically, he went through the records, the dates, the names of towns, and suddenly, he perked up. His attention fixated, carefully, he picked out each one, the first initial. And it spelt out TARINA, the name of Kobe’s dead wife. And the next place of slaughter if he was right would begin with an A, the final initial. But that could be anywhere, there were dozens of towns and villages beginning with the same letter in the area. But it was a connection, it had to be Kobe.
He was relieved he’d sent LeBron to watch over Jess tonight, to give a presence. When LeBron had rang to tell him that Kobe had been coming onto her, he had experienced a driving rage to go down there and tear him limb from limb. It was only LeBron’s reasoning that had calmed him down. And he knew that first thing in the morning he’d be paying her a visit.
§§§
Rune arrived mid-morning and was pissed off because there was no sign of life at the house. LeBron and Kitty had rang and left an hour ago. Rune ran with his instincts and took off to Catayo, the gym that Kobe owned. And the first thing he saw was Jess cozied up to the man. Both enjoying a morning coffee together. He spied George leaving them in a cerise suit of some kind. His anger flew out of control and he barged in.
“Enjoying yourself?” he asked, his golden eyes shards of splintering glass.
Jess glanced up, the apprehension clear in her eyes. “I was simply having a coffee, Rune.”
“Then you won’t mind me joining you.” He slumped down in the chair, and a red hot glower fumed over his face.
The conversion froze, the words hung in the chilled air. And she wasn’t surprised when Kobe rose and made his excuses. And when he did, she rounded on Rune.
“Just what is it with you?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Your attitude, you storm in here, and you’re rude to my new friend and—” Her words stuttered to a halt at the venom that sprang from him.
“Don’t you ever let me hear you calling him your friend, Jess, I fucking mean it!” His face hard, the planes stung sharp lancing over his features, Rune rose in one powerful surge, and he towered over her.
“What is wrong with you? He’s the owner of the gym for Pete’s sake, not a frigging serial rapist.” She swiped a hand across her forehead and her temper blew. “You can stop telling me who I can speak to and stay out of my life! You hear that, Rune?”
“I hear it,” he growled and, spinning round, stormed off. Then stopped and returned; he slammed his hands down on the table. “And don’t go near him, you got it?”
“I’ll do what I want!” She had no intention of getting close to Kobe, he did nothing for her. But she wasn’t telling Rune that.
“You. Will. Do. What. I. Say.” He hissed the words out on a slow wave of anger. His fury blistered over her. “Don’t push me, Jess, I’m warning you.”
She debated telling him to fuck the hell off. Yet one look at his enraged face warned her against it. Instead, she gave a sharp nod; her vocal cords strained they refused to work.
“Now, I’ll take you home, and you’ll wait there for your father, you got that?”
“Yes,” she bit out, and stumbled alongside him. Until his arm linked around her waist. She noticed her dad bobbing in the nearby hall, resembling a bouncing ball, and closed her eyes.
Once at the house, Rune made her promise to stay inside. “Don’t leave here, and don’t go near that bastard.”
“Why, what do you know about him?”
“I can’t tell you, but he’s dangerous. And, Jess, I mean it stay away, and remain indoors.”
She nodded at last, recognizing the concern on his face. “I’ll wait here for George.”
“Good, and, Jess, know that I—”
“Jess, where
the heck did you get to?” asked George; stumbling in breathless, he clutched his chest, taking deep gasps. His beady eyes latched onto Rune, they razed over him in one slow sweep.
Rune cursed, fucking hell, how hard was it to tell his woman he loved her?
He gave a huff and pulled Jess close, sealing a kiss across her lips. “I’ll be back later, and in the meantime—”
“Yes, I know stay in and keep safe.”
He gave a lopsided grin. “Yep. I have to go, but, Jess, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
She gave a squiggle of a hesitant smile, her rash temper already evaporated. “Okay, Rune.”
“And, Jess, no more hanging up on me. When I phone or text, you answer me.”
“Yes, master”
Her reply floored him. How could she turn the tables as easy as she did? Fuck, she flipped his emotions. “Sweet bitch, I’m going to make long, lazy loving to you.” Rune snatched her body close, his mouth plundered hers, his tongue tasted and took every part of her. And just as suddenly, he released her.
His hand quivering, he stroked her cheek. “Till later.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jess lay back in the chair as George fussed and played with his wig. She hadn’t realized a dead squirrel could elicit so much attention.
She watched in silence; the words bounced loud in her head. Until they snuck out. “Dad, can I ask you a question?”
He paused from scrunching the life out of his piece of hair. “Anything you want, baby.”
“Did you ever love Doreen?”
He stopped his fussing. Then slowly shook his head. “No, not ever.”
“So, why marry her?” His reply seriously confused her.
He dropped down into the chair, his plump body rippling over the edges. “I didn’t. George did.”
Oh fuck, here we go again. “What are you talking about, you are George.”
“No, what I am is a succubus stuck in a male body, one that I entered to take his sperm, the birth seed.” He scrubbed a hand over his chin. “It’s something I’d done hundreds of time. Hell, didn’t I have a shock when I found him impotent; unfortunately, so did George, and he had a heart attack. That was years ago, and since then, I’ve been a female trapped in a miserable male body.”
Jess closed her eyes. “I don’t frigging believe I’m hearing this, please God, I’m going to wake up and this is all a dream.”
He snorted. “Yeah, you wish. Can you imagine what it’s like to be sexually tortured all your life? Because a succubus lives for sex, much like your father Frazer.”
At the mention of her dad, she perked up. “You know about my, er, other father?”
“Of course, he was my lover as well. Obviously before this happened.”
Frigging hell! She crossed a hand across her face; this so wasn’t real, please say that George wasn’t a fucked up female-come-male? That the man she’d known as her father all her life had been her biological father’s lover? “Run that by me again?”
“Why do you think I argued with your mother so much? Shit, she had the man I wanted, whilst I was stuck in this body.” He scratched a hand over his head; the squirrel went South. It flew off his head. “What you see is not what lives in here.” He thumped a hand to his chest. “Can you ever imagine being locked up in a body you detested? An alien body, one that wasn’t even the same gender as you?”
“Er, no.” Christ this was a bizarre conversion. It was also the most she’d ever heard soft natured George talk. He had appeared the epitome of sweetness, and she had blamed her mother for all the rows. Yet now?
“You see, Jess, you’ve been reared by a fucked-up succubus and a bitch that’s been having an affair with a rather sexy male demon.”
Jess attempted to digest that piece of information. “So, why didn’t you ever tell me?”
George shrugged. “You didn’t ask.”
“Well, excuse me, that’s not exactly the question to arise, is it? I mean, how many people have a demon as a father, a selfish cow of a mother, and you, well, Jesus I don’t know where to start.”
George picked his squirrel up and settled it back on his head. “Suppose it is a bit of a shock, so you can imagine how I felt when I discovered I was trapped in this body.”
She swallowed and suddenly realized that her view of relationships had been based on these twisted bastards. Liars to the end. They’d given her a warped edition, and she was both glad and annoyed. Relieved that she’d only ever had sex with Rune and pissed off they’d screwed up any chance of a relationship with him she’d ever have.
Then stopped, she’d managed that herself. Anyway, it was a one sided love, she adored him, he liked to fuck, end of.
George rose and headed to the door. “And now you know what I am, sort of, I’m going back down to the gym to work off my frustration.”
Jess thought of his crush. “The instructor, it’s not a woman, is it?”
“Are you real? What do you think I am?” He winked, or attempted to; it came out as a nervous tick. “It’s that rather lush piece of ass, Antonio.”
Jess shut her eyes briefly and didn’t respond to the bang of the door; she pondered the news. Why couldn’t she live a normal life with normal people? Instead, everyone she knew was a devil, demon, or some type of creature.
She sat staring into her coffee until the heat abated and it chilled. Her thoughts wrapped up, they were totally confused. Now the relationship issue had been swept out from beneath her, all her thoughts raced to Rune. God, but she loved that man. If only he felt the same way. Then she pondered on her pregnancy and young Gabriel, her father’s name for him, he’d since informed her it was a dig at the arch angel.
Great, talk about politics of the ethereal kind.
Jess debated on how she would cope as a single parent; a surge of guilt hit her that Rune wouldn’t see his son. Along with the knowledge that Doreen didn’t give a toss, and unfortunately, the only one that appeared keen happened to be demon dad.
She’d have to think seriously about allowing that, and then wondered if she’d have a choice, yet knew, if Rune was involved, she would. That he would stand up against her father.
The phone rang and, absently, she picked it up. “Yes.” Her thoughts still on Rune and her baby. “What? Oh my God, I’m on my way now.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jess flew into the gym; her legs trembled with fear, and she skidded to a halt at the reception desk. “My father, George, where is he?” she gasped, taking great big shaky gulps of air. Christ, she was unfit.
“George Chambers?”
She nodded, Jess couldn’t speak.
The receptionist pointed. And Jess raced through the doors.
Straight into Kobe’s waiting arms.
She frowned up at him. “What the hell?” Then happened to glance through the window overlooking the gym to see George happily bouncing like a rubber ball in the room, unable to miss him in his lycra outfit.
“You, Jessalyn Chambers, will come with me.” He wrapped an arm up around her and steered her towards a side door that led to the car park.
She balked and attempted to wriggle away. “Like hell I will; what do you think you’re doing?” Rune’s warning about Kobe being dangerous rang through her, along with a shiver of fear.
“We’re taking a little ride. And if you don’t come quietly, your father will meet with a fatal accident.” He waited, a hint of impatience covered his face. “Make your decision.”
Brave she wasn’t; although poor George had a pretty shitty life, she didn’t want to be responsible for causing his death. And besides, she’d never seen him, or her, whichever sex he was, so happy. Daddy demon, I hope to fuck you’re watching over me. And walked with Kobe to the car.
Jess sat erect in the seat; her stomach rolled with a coil of apprehension; what the hell was up with him? The car burnt through the lanes that twirled up into the mountains. The black writing on the discoloured sign named the village they neared, Arunda, and s
he peered up into his face. It held a tortured look.
“Why are you doing this?”
“I’m taking you to your death, so shut the hell up.”
So not the words she wanted to hear. Okay, she needed to do something, and self-preservation kicked in. She threw herself forward and clawed at his face, then screamed at the back hander that slapped across her face.
“Do that again, bitch, and, trust me, I’ll kill you now.”
Okay, reality check. Whatever he wanted, she’d go along with. Jess sniffed at the blood trickling down her nose; the taste of rustiness fused into her mouth. “What are you talking about? I don’t understand?” She struggled not to hyperventilate. She couldn’t think straight with the fear that fed her panic. “I haven’t done anything to you.”
He steered the car into a secluded area, pulling it to a halt, and turned to her. Taking his time, he removed his contacts, the green replaced by a deep grey, the same eyes she’d seen at the drive through.
Jess gripped her throat and swallowed the bile that rose. “You’re that vampire?” she whispered.
“Yes, and now, it’s fitting that you will fill the last letter in her name. The very place she died.” He tilted her head so she was forced to look up at him. “I’m rather relieved that knife missed you. I think this is so much more fitting.”
Jess couldn’t work out what the heck he was talking about at first. Then, a sudden dawning rose over her face in understanding. “It was you? You were at Caprice?”
He nodded. “Yes, I saw Rune pull you from the car and knew he’d take you there. I merely followed to discover if you remained alive.”
“But how did you—”
“Get into the club?” he supplied. “I’m a member; it was so easy, except I didn’t bank on Rune becoming your guard dog. He really is possessive with you, isn’t he?”
Jess didn’t answer because Rune was a randy git, possessiveness didn’t come into it.
