As if reading his mind, Abby and Kat came strolling through the door of his study, their heads together, whispering softly.
Abby glanced at Desmond and the smile faded from her lips. She took a breath and walked over to him, settling herself on his ever willing lap.
Desmond felt that familiar warmth when he looked upon the love of his life. Yes, this was what he wished for his brother. His arms slipped around her and felt the calm that she always brought immediately wash over him. “What’s happened now?” she asked softly. She could feel the emotions rolling off him like the tides of the ocean. She glanced over at Kat, who had moved to sit on the arm of the chair beside Luke.
Desmond was silent, his brow furrowing slightly with worry, and it was Luke who spoke up, explaining to them what had happened.
“But, we don’t know for sure that this was the same vampire,” Kat spit out, her voice razor sharp, and Luke knew that she wanted this vampire dead almost as much as he did. He slid his hand around her waist and gave her a gentle squeeze, his fingers drawing gentle circles on her burgeoning belly. “What do we need to do?”
“Not much at the moment. Let’s just let Marcus keep digging and see what he can find. I will stay in close contact,” Desmond answered, and Kat let out a frustrated grunt.
“We can only hope that he doesn’t get too distracted with his mortal,” she grumbled, and for the first time since Desmond had pulled him into his office, Luke laughed. Kat glared at her mate a moment before huffing. “If Harper is right, and he does have the hots for this woman, his head is probably so far up his ass that he’d miss the Hindenburg blowing up!”
With that, Luke and Desmond both burst out laughing, which only caused Kats frown to deepen. Abby sat there silently, trying hard not to join them. She knew that Kat wanted this vampire dead more than anything, possibly even more than Luke did. She felt guilty that she had not stopped him from torturing Luke, and almost killing him.
It was Desmond who finally spoke, his smile kind and reassuring. “My brother may be a lot of things, but reckless is not one of them. For whatever reason, he seems to be taken with this mortal.” He kissed Abby quickly, his eyes studying her perfect features a moment before he looked back to Kat and Luke. “But, he is loyal to a fault, and will do everything within his power to ensure the safety of those he loves.”
Kat rested her head on Luke’s shoulder and let out a sigh, suddenly feeling very weary. She knew that Marcus would do everything within his power to find this rogue and stop him, but she had been having dreams of Marcus that scared her senseless. She couldn’t remember what they were exactly, only that she woke up with the overwhelming sense of danger and pain. She bit back the fear creeping along her spine and forced a smile. She didn’t want to worry the others until she knew exactly what was going on, and by God, she swore that she would!
“Well, let’s just hope that he gets laid, and keeps his head in the game,” she said quietly, and heard Luke chuckle.
“Let’s hope that that is all it takes,” Desmond said with a slight grin. “But, I have the feeling that he is more than just curious about the mortal. I have not heard my brother sound this way in…well in centuries.” Desmond looked back at Abby, who was sitting there silently worrying at her lip. “What is bothering you, my love?” he asked softly, his brows furrowing slightly.
Abby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I think we should go to New Orleans,” she finally stated quietly. “Marcus is our family, and it isn’t fair that he is doing this on his own.”
“I agree,” Kat piped in.
Desmond and Luke looked at each other, their expressions grim. Finally, Desmond gave Abby a tight squeeze. “I must admit that there is a part of me that wishes to be there. I don’t like not being in the thick of things,” he shrugged slightly. “But, my first priority is keeping you and our child safe.” He looked over to their friends. “Keeping you all safe.”
Luke grunted, a grin spreading across his face. “Des, I think if we just stick together as a family, we are unstoppable.” Kat nodded her agreement, smiling at her mate.
“Let’s give it a few days,” he replied. “I will speak to Marcus and see how tightly his head is screwed on.” He chuckled low in his chest. “If his head is, as Kat so eloquently put it, up his ass, well, then we will talk about going there. I will make some calls and have the house there prepared, just in case.”
Both Abby and Kat smiled, nodding emphatically.
Sleep once again eluded Liz as she tossed and turned on the bed. She knew that she had drunk way too much coffee. She glanced at the clock and groaned when she saw that is was well after two. Ugh!
She kicked off the covers and walked over to the French doors, looking out over the garden as a shiver ran across her spine. She studied the grounds closely, looking for any signs of movement. Suddenly something moved to the far right, and Liz gasped, only to chuckle a moment later as a doe darted out and took off into the woods.
Liz shook her head with a smile. That had to have been what she had seen earlier. Geez, she thought with a chuckle. She was a paranoid mess!
She decided that since she wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon, she would go for a walk through the garden, hoping that some fresh air and peace and quiet was just the thing that she needed to clear her head. She knew that her worry for Angie–not to mention those ever present thoughts of Marcus that constantly flitted across her addled brain–were preventing her from sleeping much more than the coffee she had consumed ever could.
Liz settled herself on a bench near the pond and fountain, and grinned, practically beaming. There was just such peace here. This entire city wrapped around her like a warm embrace, almost as if this was where she was meant to be. She gazed out at the grounds, loving the plants and trees that surrounded the gardens.
She suddenly wondered if Marcus was asleep. He had said that he was a night person. She closed her eyes and groaned. What was it about that man that she couldn’t get out of her mind? Her head was a frenetic mess of thoughts of him, his smile, and his warmth. Shit! She had to stop this. She was here to do a job and nothing more. She had absolutely no place in her life for complications. She had finally settled into a safe and fulfilling existence, and she was not about to take the chance of getting involved with someone again. No matter what her body told her to the contrary when he was near. Men were dangerous.
“Can’t sleep either?” Liz jumped up as the voice of the person in question drifted across the garden from behind her.
“Oh, crap…” she gasped and took a quick step to run back to her room, but only succeeding in tripping and falling head long right into his rock-solid arms, her face slamming against his chest with a solid thump. Ah, crap!
She gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat and gazed up at him in complete and utter embarrassment.
Marcus pulled her in close against him, skin against glorious skin; his eyes locking with and holding hers. Elizabeth gulped, her body instantly quaking at the contact. She could feel the heat rising up her neck to her cheeks as she looked up at him, feeling like a total klutz.
“Are you all right?” he husked, painfully aware of how warm and inviting her body felt as he kept her pressed up against him. He knew that he shouldn’t, that this was stupid… and dangerous. She was a mortal for God’s sake…but he just couldn’t stop himself from taking advantage of her literally falling into his arms. It was just too good to pass up at the moment.
The thin t-shirt that she wore was no barrier against her heated flesh as it made contact with his bare chest, and Marcus felt the overpowering urge to lean forward and lick away the bead of sweat that had formed at the base of her throat. It shimmered and sparkled against her skin in the moonlight like a perfect diamond–and he so wanted to taste the saltiness of her flesh. “I didn’t mean to frighten you,” he murmured thickly, trying as hard as he could to keep his desires at bay.
“I was…I mean…it…it was just so hot…and I drank too much coffee and…
” she stammered, painfully aware of his arms around her as they stood there. This was all so overwhelming. Yet, a part of her was glorying in the feel of being there.
The scent of jasmine filled the air, as the bubbling from the fountain drifted across the garden. Dear, God! This was what dreams were made of she thought with a shiver. She pushed away her romantic musings and gave him a quick, very embarrassed smile as she found the strength to take that much needed step back.
She silently reprimanded herself when, with a will of their own, her eyes flickered to his perfectly sculpted chest. Oh, sweet Disneyland loving Lucifer, she inwardly groaned. No man should be allowed to be that perfect! It just wasn’t playing fair! “I couldn’t sleep,” she went on uncomfortably, clearing her throat of the very large bullfrog that had taken up residence there. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”
Marcus grinned as he studied her. She was shifting from foot to foot, her hands twisting together in front of her, and he couldn’t help but notice how absolutely adorable she was. You would have to have been deaf, dumb, and blind not to see her mortification. Why was it that mortals constantly felt the need to apologize for their actions? He chuckled slightly. “You didn’t. Seems we both suffer from insomnia. Although if I am completely honest, I do prefer the night.”
Elizabeth nodded, agreeing with him wholeheartedly. She had always loved the evenings. The calm, the quiet, she had always felt safe within the shadows. She supposed it came from her need to stay hidden.
“Well, I’d better get in, and at least try to get some sleep,” she whispered, a part of her thoroughly pissed off at herself that she was doing what she always did–fleeing like a coward, turning tail and running away.
She moved to step around him, but his hand shot up and touched her arm, stilling her in an instant. She glanced up into those warm eyes of his once again, and had to keep herself from falling back into his embrace. Just what in the hell it was about him that drew her in she couldn’t say, but he did, as no other ever had before. It was as if he were a magnet and she just a helpless piece of steel.
“You know,” he murmured softly, “I never did get my dance tonight. And, I can’t help but feel a bit cheated.” He didn’t know why, but he just couldn’t let her go yet. He wanted to spend just a little more time with this enchanting creature, common sense be damned.
Elizabeth looked down at her feet and felt her face heat to dangerous proportions, knowing that it would be a mistake on so many different levels.
She looked back up and gave him a nervous grin, her nose crinkling in a way that had Marcus’s body taking notice immediately. “There isn’t any music,” she replied, her voice low and husky. She straightened her spine and deftly stepped away from his touch. It was just too dangerous. “But, thank you. Even though it’s probably your feet that should be thanking me,” she finished as lightly as possible, and dashed through the doorway, softly calling a goodnight as she did.
Marcus watched her disappear and silently wondered what could have possibly happened to make running so damned easy for her. It was like a natural reaction with her. He broke in to a grin as he decided that that was something he intended to find out. He choked out a laugh before shaking his head and heading inside himself. “Damn, LaGrange,” he quietly chided himself with a soft grunt, “You sure do like playing with fire.”
Elizabeth slipped through her door and closed it, taking a deep breath. She leaned against it and listened as Marcus’s footsteps came down the hall, her heart pounding in her chest.
She chewed at her lip when she swore that she heard him walk over to her door and hesitate a moment, and fought the overwhelming urge to turn around and throw it open and jump into his arms. No! She had to stop this; she silently chastised herself as she pushed herself away from the door, and crawled into bed. She had absolutely no business even toying with such ideas! She snuggled up beneath the comforter, praying that she would finally sleep. She really needed to get her shit together.
Chapter Eight
Marcus descended the stairs the next morning in a foul mood. An early morning call from Desmond had turned what had been a nice dream into a nightmare. Luckily, he had talked his brother into waiting a few days before packing everyone up and coming down here. Still, it bothered him that he didn’t trust him enough to handle this on his own. He didn’t want Abby and Kat put in any more danger. They had been through enough already. They needed to relax and concentrate on having beautiful, healthy children. They were safe at the manor, and Marcus couldn’t guarantee the same here in New Orleans. There was just something in the air here that wasn’t setting well with him. It had his internal alarms going off full blast.
He stormed into the kitchen, spotting Bri sitting at the table. “Brianna, I’m out of blo…” he stopped short when he noticed Liz standing over by the sink, pouring herself a glass of juice. He could have choked the smug smile right off of Brianna’s face as he tried to cover his tracks. The last thing he needed was for Liz to hear him say that he was out of blood. “Blades…um, razor blades,” he stammered, feeling like a complete and total ass. “Do you happen to have any?”
Brianna smiled at him mischievously. “You look pretty darn clean shaven to me,” she murmured, taking a sip of her coffee and giving him a wink.
Marcus glared at her, knowing beyond any doubt that she was thoroughly enjoying watching him sweat. “I just used my last one,” he ground out slowly, his eyes shooting daggers at his friend. Why she insisted on tormenting him at every turn was beyond him, but he could tell that she was taking great pleasure from his discomfort.
“I’m running out in a bit,” Liz offered, walking over and joining Brianna at the table. Marcus couldn’t help but notice the slight coloring that rose to her cheeks, or the way that she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and his mood suddenly shifted. As much as he hated to admit it, the damn woman calmed him. Christ!
“You really don’t have to do that,” he replied softly, watching the way she stared into her juice with interest, and a grin played across his lips.
Liz finally looked up and graced him with a smile that almost made his knee’s give out on him. “I don’t mind, really. I was planning on going out anyway.”
Marcus was silent for a long moment, his gaze flitting to Brianna briefly, who only sat there silently, that damn, irritating grin on her face as she continued to quietly sip her coffee. “All right, but on one condition,” he finally replied, and watched with interest as Liz’s eyebrow quirked up in interest.
“And, that would be?” she questioned softly. Marcus was amazed at the strength, yet nervousness, of her tone. Damn, but this woman was a paradox.
Marcus grinned. “Join me for drinks tonight in the garden.”
Liz sat silent, seeming to mull it over. Finally, she laughed, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “But–I’m doing you the favor,” she chuckled. “Why do I get the condition?”
Brianna snorted and feigned interest in the tablecloth, tracing the design with her finger as she fought the laughter that so wanted to break free.
Marcus shot her a glance, and then looked back to Liz. “I didn’t ask you to provide the drinks,” he laughed. “It’s my way of saying thank you. This saves me from having to go out, and I have…um…work that I really need to do,” he finished, feeling like a heel for lying to her.
Liz shook her head as she pushed back her chair, and stood. She graced Marcus with that tightening in your chest smile that was like a shot of straight adrenaline to his groin. “Okay, deal. But I get to bring some type of dessert.”
Marcus extended his hand and grinned. “Deal,” he laughed. “Shall we say eight?”
Liz placed her tiny hand in his and instantly felt that little shot of electricity run up her arm at the contact. Oh, Geez! What was she getting herself in to? She shook the thought off and straightened her spine. A drink with the man didn’t mean anything at all. “Eight it is,” she said as calmly as possible, although, her heart was jumping around in her chest like a j
ackhammer. “If you will both excuse me, I think I’ll go shower. “ She started to leave, but stopped abruptly and turned back to Marcus. “Oh, what kind of razor blades do you need?”
“Whatever,” he said with a smile that she couldn’t help but notice made him look so young and carefree. “I’m easy.”
Once again, Bri snorted, only this time she didn’t try to hold back her laughter. She burst into a fit of giggles and shook her head. These two were amusing as hell, she thought, trying to cover her smile with her hand.
Marcus ignored her until Liz had left the room and he heard her softly close her door. He turned to his friend and scowled. “And, just what in the hell is so funny?”
Brianna leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She studied him silently a moment, her lips twitching. “So, when are you planning on telling her that you have an affinity to bite people?” she choked out, and Marcus practically growled, which only succeeded in causing Bri to burst into laughter once again. “Seriously, Marcus,” she laughed. “If you’re going to date her that just might be something you would want to mention!”
“I am not dating her,” he snapped. “I’m merely thanking her for doing me a favor.”
Brianna rolled her eyes and laughed all the harder. “Yeah, yeah. If that’s what you need to tell yourself to get through the night, who I am to argue. But, she might notice it when she never sees you eat anything, Einstein.”
“Brianna,” Marcus warned, although a part of him couldn’t help but worry at the thought. No matter how much he told himself that whatever he was…experiencing with Elizabeth, that it was just a passing fancy, there was a small part of him that wanted more. He pushed the thought aside. He had no place in his life or his heart for anyone. He was just being nice.
“Don’t try to intimidate me, Vamp-boy,” Brianna snorted. “I know you. You like her!” she said the last in a sweet, sing-song voice that would have normally set his teeth to grinding, but in this case he just couldn’t deny it.
Marcus' Mortal Embrace (Book 3) (The Supernatural Desire Series) Page 7
