Bodyguard of Love

by Lane, Terri

  As I got out of bed there was a knock on my door. Then Kai's deep voice penetrated the room, “Are you awake Sophie? I was hoping we could talk about a strategy to present to the others for getting out of here,” he said.

  “I'm awake, I'll just be a moment,” I said. I was hyper-aware of my nakedness and Kai's proximity. Oddly enough, it felt as if the door wasn't there. I knew he was waiting on the other side; I could hear his slow heartbeat. Quickly, I changed into the clean combat leathers. It was a full body suit accompanied with boots and a duster jacket. Though I usually kept my shoulder length hair straight, it had a natural curl when left to air dry. My eyes looked dull compared to their usual ice blue color. I knew it wouldn't be long until the need to feed hit me hard.

  When I opened the bedroom door Kai was indeed leaning against the door frame. His hair was pulled back into a half ponytail and he wore the same jeans and plain black t-shirt from the night before. It wasn't as if they'd gotten dirty. He'd only fought in his wolf form.

  “The others are spending their time in the control room, watching the monitors. The Hunters really don't know this place is here, but they do patrols close by,” he said. He was getting right down to business.

  “I'm sure they figured they could ignore this place if they had noticed and looked in the cabin before,” I said.

  “Right. So, shall we talk in the common area?” he asked.

  “Of course,” I said and stepped from the room.

  “So, the others have been vague but…are you the Sophie? The vampire princess?” he asked. I rolled my eyes. That unfortunate nickname was something given to me in jest. How it had gotten into werewolf conversation was beyond me.

  “I'm not a ‘vampire princess'. But My father does oversee the Prime Coven of this region and I am to take his role in due time,” I said.

  “Huh…you aren't quite what I had in mind when I pictured the vampire princess people talk about,” he said.

  “What is said about me in your circles?” I asked, truly curious. We'd started a slow walk towards the common room.

  “That you lead the least aggressive coven. It's why a lot of my kind live in Portland,” he said.

  “I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment or insult,” I murmured. Kai chuckled.

  “Well, coming from me, I appreciate your coven's tame nature. It bodes well for the population of my fellow wolves,” he said. My coven did not go hunting in the woods as other vampires did. We encountered fewer wolves, thus had no reason to engage many in combat. We'd sent many fighting parties out to aid in eradicating the Hunters, but the night before was the only excursion we'd lost so many vampires.

  “We aren't tame, we simply stay away from needless conflict with your kind,” I said.

  “When you take over the regional coven, how about you implement that policy into all the smaller covens?” he said.

  “Are you ordering me?” I asked. Kai smirked, but held his hands up in surrender.

  “No, of course not Princess,” he said, still grinning. I wanted to laugh and punch him at the same time, it was an odd emotion.

  “So, you said they've been studying the Hunters' patrols around the cabin?” I said. We'd reached the lounge area. I sat down on a chaise and stretched my legs out on it. Kai sat near my feet. I wondered why he chose to sit so close to me.

  “Yes, surprisingly Damien and Joseph work well together when focusing on something mutually beneficial,” he said.

  “It seems like much happened in three hours,” I said. Kai chuckled.

  “Yeah, to say the least. They're still trying to find a pattern in the Hunters' patrols. I'm sure it'll take at least twenty-four hours to figure that out,” he said.

  “Then what strategy could we possibly brainstorm on, without that information?” I asked.

  “Just the mechanics. We're looking for a window of time to get out of the woods. Will we stay together? Will we split up? Take a certain formation?” he asked.

  “Ah, right…” I said. I blamed my lack of energy on my shortsightedness. “I'm not sure if you picked up on it while in the fight. But when we took to the trees and you all were on the ground, it worked as a good formation to surprise and attack the Hunters,” I suggested.

  “It leaves us mostly vulnerable,” he said.

  “Not if we're a few paces ahead of you all,” I said.

  “It's too easy for you vampires to just bail on us.” He shook his head and then leveled his golden gaze on me.

  I said nothing, my mind blank for a moment.

  “I'm not trying to insinuate anything…but are you thinking clearly?” he asked.

  “I'm fine. What are your suggestions then?” I said, waving away his concern.

  “We pair up, obviously there's gonna be a group of three, but we split off in pairs. Of course, we'd be within reasonable proximity with each other, but it doesn't group us all up for the slaughter. That way we each have a better chance at getting away alive,” he suggested.

  “Pair up as in vampire to wolf?” I asked. Kai nodded.

  “As unnatural as it seems, yes. But this is an extreme situation,” he said.

  * * *

  “What you're proposing is…logical I suppose,” I said. Kai nodded, his gaze seemed concerned as he watched me.

  “You look sick and that's saying a lot for a vampire,” he said. I took a slow breath, my chest felt heavy with exhaustion.

  “I simply need to sleep,” I said.

  “We both lost a lot of fighters out there,” he said. His voice had softened and his gaze seemed understanding.

  “You couldn't sleep either?” I asked.

  “Not a wink,” he said, his voice heavy. “But I did eat at least. Can't your kind feed from each other?” he asked.

  “Yes, but we are all in similar positions. I don't want to take any of the energy they have, feeding one only to deplete another,” I said. Kai nodded slowly and leveled a considering gaze on me before he stood up.

  “Well, let me walk you back to your room then,” he offered.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  He stood and gently pulled me up by supporting my forearms. Once I was standing, I kept hold of his arm and used him to lean on. He was incredibly warm and smelled like pine. The burn of thirst inched up my throat and I felt my fangs elongating. I was shocked that I was reacting so strongly. Then again, I wondered when the last time I fed was. It must have been months before. I was to a point where my body wasn't discriminating about what I could drink from. I kept my gaze averted from Kai. I didn't want him to see the change in my visage.

  “You aren't…like Joseph,” I muttered.

  Kai laughed. “Thank you, I actively try not to be,” he said.

  “I mean to say, you aren't what I thought wolves to be like,” I clarified.

  “I guess you and I are the same in that way…not what the other thought,” he said softly. If I wasn't mistaken, I heard a degree of intimacy to his tone. I looked up at him with mild surprise. His eyes widened of course when he saw my eyes glowing. Thankfully I had it in me to keep my fangs from fully descending.

  “Okay, I'm getting you to your room and sending Damien over,” he said. The pang of disappointment I felt was baffling. All I could do was nod and let him get me to the room. He walked me to the bed and sat me down, then he hurried to fetch Damien. I lay down on my side and closed my eyes while he was gone.

  “Sophie.” Damien's voice woke me from the light slumber I fell into. I opened my eyes and saw him crouched in front of me. Kai was standing in the doorway watching. I couldn't fathom his expression, he looked so serious. I focused on Damien, he looked just as tired as I felt.

  “How are you standing?” I mumbled.

  “I drank from Nia. Roland and I were thinking of venturing out to capture a Hunter,” he said. I glanced over his shoulder at Kai. There was a small scowl on his lips.

  “No, no…” I shook my head. “That wouldn't be wise,” I said.

  “Of course we'd stri
p them of all gear, and once either of us feeds they'd be in a state of euphoria,” he said. I glanced at Kai once more. Damien looked back and sighed.

  “You don't have to stay here,” he said. Kai pursed his lips and slowly walked out of sight.

  “I don't think keeping a Hunter as blood slave here would help things with the wolves,” I said. Damien rolled his eyes.

  “That is not what it would be,” he said.

  “Damien, holding humans captive to bleed them dry is not how vampires operate anymore. We take what we need, wipe all memory and that is it,” I said sharply.

  “Given the situation—”

  “Enough. We aren't staying down here longer than a few days. This discussion is over,” I said.

  “Of course Sophie,” Damien said. He inclined his head in acquiescence. “Here, you need to feed.” He offered his wrist. I sat up and brought it to my lips. My fangs descended sharply and I struck him quick. Blood spilled from his vein and I could already feel some life entering my system. I took only two swallows of his blood before I let him go and licked the puncture wound for it to heal.

  * * *

  Damien went back to the control room afterwards. I was about to wander after him, but Kai walked in then.

  “You guys don't…kill regular humans?” he asked.

  “How do you not know this?” I asked.

  “I'm sure you can imagine we were told a bunch of vampire-hating stories growing up as wolves,” he said.

  “Well the practice of bleeding a human dry is gluttonous. It's been gravely looked down on since the turn of the nineteenth century,” I said. “I assume you wolves don't sit around sniffing each other's rear ends?” I asked pleasantly.

  “Wow you're cheeky when there's some life in you,” he chuckled. I shrugged and got out of bed.

  “I'm fully sarcastic at my peak,” I quipped. Kai laughed. He followed me towards the control room, but I stopped before we got close enough to be overheard. “Why are you…why do you prefer my company?” I asked.

  Kai's brows drew together and he shook his head. “I find myself interested in you,” he said. “It's just that you're not at all like I pegged you. So, I want to learn the real you,” he said. I hadn't expected him to be so truthful, but he spoke in earnest.

  “Oh…alright then,” I said. I continued into the control room. It had one large desk with several monitors on it and a long keyboard that worked the entire surveillance system. Nia and Roland sat in front of a monitor towards the end of the desk. Damien, Nick, and Joseph were grouped at the monitor in the middle. They seemed to be discussing something they'd on a monitor.

  “How goes it in here?” I asked.

  “We think we just spotted a pattern in the Hunters' patrols,” Nick said.

  “It appears as though they have a gap in between patrols so far,” Roland said.

  “One at dawn,” Damien said.

  “It's only dawn?” I asked.

  “We haven't been down here long,” Nia said. “Though it certainly feels like it,” she added. Joseph shot her a glance, but ignored the quip otherwise.

  “How long is the gap in patrols?” I asked.

  “Only ten minutes…” Joseph said. “We'll have to watch for the rest of the day to pick up on anything else,” he said.

  “Great,” Kai sighed. Nia excused herself from the room and I was tempted to do the same. I didn't particularly feel like watching the video feeds.

  “You all are doing well, thank you,” I said. Nick gave me a small smile, Damien inclined his head, but Joseph didn't even look up. Still, I took that as a positive response. I left them to it and went to read a book in the common room. There was a small bookcase with classic English and American novels. I chose Wuthering Heights.

  “Interesting choice,” Kai's voice didn't surprise me. I was beginning to expect his constant presence.

  “Why interesting?” I asked, a small smile on my lips.

  “That you'd choose a book about people from different upbringings living out a tragic love,” he said.

  “I think you're looking too deep. I happen to quite enjoy Wuthering Heights as any person appreciates a work of art,” I said. Finally, I turned around to face him. We were only a breath apart…and his eyes were on my lips.

  “You aren't any person,” he murmured. I leaned forward and stretched up to press my lips against his. Heat swept through me as if I were drinking his blood. A low rumble went through Kai's chest. I felt it echoed in my own. He slid his arm around my waist, then pulled me flush against him. He was all muscle and I felt the hardness of his sex pressed against my belly. Moisture slicked my core and the urge to mate became unbearable.

  “Lie with me,” I whispered against his lips.

  “Yes,” he whispered back. I put the book down and strode purposely towards my bedroom. Kai practically stuck to my back as I walked. As soon as he closed the door, he pulled me against him. His lips were soft and surprisingly gentle as they moved against mine. But I didn't want gentle from him. He pushed off the coat I wore and I slid his shirt over his head. His chest and stomach couldn't have been sculpted better. His tanned skin was stretched tight over his muscles. I kissed his chest and ran my hands over his stomach. My lips trailed down to his belly button, where I dipped my tongue. Kai's chest rumbled again with a low growl as I knelt in front of him.

  Quickly, I undid his pants and pulled his erection free. Kai's sex was wide with girth, and long. There was a bead of moisture at his sensitive tip. I licked it up and was gratified by his groan. He ran the tips of his fingers along my jaw as I slid my tongue around the tip of his cock. He held my chin in his palm and watched as I took him fully into my mouth. He easily reached the back of my throat, but he didn't force himself deeper. I sucked and licked his sex until he was rigid as stone.

  Kai gripped my shoulders and pulled me to my feet. He quickly unzipped the leather suit I was wearing as I kicked off my boots. As soon as I was naked, he picked me up and carried me to the bed. I stretched out on my back after he laid me back. His eyes were hot on mine as he watched me squirm with my need of him.

  “Kai…” I said, my tone soft with lust. A low growl left his chest before he slid his hand up along my side to cup my breast. He rubbed his thumb against my nipple before he traced my lips. With his other hand, he gently pushed my legs farther apart. “I don't want you to be gentle…” I whispered. Kai's eyes widened a fraction. I leaned against his chest to kiss him. His lips were greedy and his tongue sought mine feverishly. My hand was on his neck and I tilted his head to the side. My fangs lowered and I grazed them along the side of his neck. Kai's hands tightened on my waist. He quickly turned me around and I bent over. I took his sex and guided him to my entrance. Kai leaned over my back as he slid into my core. He filled me completely.

  “I won't be gentle,” he said. The way he said it made the words seem like an eager promise, but also a warning. I clenched around his cock in anticipation. Kai began to move then; he thrust into me hard and fast. Everything sharpened and intensified then. He touched me in a way I couldn't comprehend. It was more than our flesh. I turned to look at him and his eyes locked onto mine. As a rush of sensation and pleasure swept through me in my climax. I knew our souls had touched.

  * * *

  Neither of us knew what to say. After we'd both climaxed and recovered, Kai laid down next to me and held me in his arms. I wanted to get lost in him all over again and again after that. But…then the others would know what we'd done. No matter how they behaved around each other. The mating of a vampire and werewolf was existentially wrong. Yet, what had happened between us felt like the most natural thing.

  “I know this may come across as trite but…I don't want to leave this room,” I told him.

  “We have to. At least before Joseph and the others figure out the time for us to make our escape,” he said.

  I sighed, then lifted my head to meet his gaze. “What was that?” I asked. I wanted to know what he felt, if he felt the strange c
onnection between us. The strange bond.

  “That was us damning each other I think,” he mumbled.

  “From what?”

  “From life as we knew it,” he sighed. “Nothing will be the same…nothing has been the same since the fight and these woods.”

  “You felt it too then?” I said.

  “The spark? Yes, I felt it. Why do you think I shifted back to human in the middle of a fight?” he said. He smiled and then pressed a soft kiss to my lips.

  “We should shower,” I said. “Otherwise they'll smell our scents all over each other.” I stood up and watched him slowly stand from the bed. Kai gave me a lingering kiss before he grabbed his clothes and hurried from the room. There weren't any voices in the hall, so I figured he'd be safe getting to his bedroom.

  I took a quick shower, careful not to wet my hair in case that should seem suspicious. Then got dressed and went to pick up Wuthering Heights again. Nia was in the common room alone. Immediately I wondered if she'd heard us.

  “I'll just come out and say it. It's easy to get bored down here, I know that can make us do certain things…” she said. One minx-like glance at me and I knew.

  “What do you know?” I asked.

  “About boredom? Plenty,” she said. She gave me a sly smirk and shrugged. “What happens in the hole stays in the hole,” she added with a wink. I laughed once; a short sound mixed with the shock I felt. She stretched her legs out on the love seat she sat in, then went back to the book she was reading, Jude the Obscure.

  As I sat with my novel, I wondered just what she had insinuated. I knew for a fact that Kai followed me around most of the time we were down here. He wasn't making a habit of bedding vampires? Then again, there were two other wolves down here as well. Though I couldn't picture either Nick or Joseph wanting to have sex with a vampire.

  I got through the first two pages of the book before I went in search for Kai. He was just walking out of his room with Joseph behind him.

  “Sophie…” he said, his tone curious. Joseph glanced at me once, then looked away almost guiltily.