by Sarra Cannon
But at what cost? Rurik framed for a mass murder and no one believed his innocence but me. Colby and his men hired by Tane and didn’t even know it. If they succeeded in killing Rurik they’d be hunted down by his people and if not, I think Tane would go after them anyway. The city of Budapest would be taken over by a new unknown Overlord chosen by Dragos.
The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
Did I think I could stop all this? No.
If I left and those I cared about got hurt because I kept my mouth shut and did nothing, I’d be responsible. That was unacceptable. I’d already had to sit back and watch one person I loved die. Not again, never again.
This little rabbit was about to draw her own battle line and cross all of theirs.
Chapter 14
“Rabbit.” A seductive, silken voice caressed my consciousness. “Rabbit.” It got louder. I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep. Something smoothed my hair from my face. A light touch brushed my lips and sent a smoldering shockwave through my body.
Rurik. No one inflamed me like he did.
He pulled away from the light kiss but I reached out for more and trapped him in my arms. His deep, low laugh shook his body and I peeked at him from under my eyelashes.
His clear, cold sapphire eyes sparkled a few inches from mine. They searched my face and settled on my hair where he fingered a wayward curl. “There is nothing I’d rather do than spend the night in your warm bed but duty calls.” He tugged at the curl. “Wake up.” He rolled out of my arms to sit on the edge of the bed.
I groaned as I crawled from under the covers and onto his lap. “I don’t have any duties. Why do I need to wake up?” It was mid-afternoon when I finally fell asleep, barely five hours ago. He felt solid and strong when I leaned into his waiting arms. The thin white t-shirt he wore stretched across his shoulders. I indulged myself by sliding my hands under it to feel along his narrow waist. The warmth of my hand disappeared against his icy skin.
I sucked in a surprised gasp and looked closer at him. The pale skin on his face appeared transparent and waxy. His pupils began to dilate and it reminded me of the vampire who chased me down the alley.
I swallowed the ball of tension that suddenly developed in my throat and scooted off his lap.
He smiled, flashing fang. “No fear, Rabbit. I’ve got control over my hunger.”
The memory of him, as he enjoyed the taste of my blood, returned fresh in my mind. Maybe he did have great control but I wasn’t going to test it.
I noticed my small, red suitcase laid on a stand by the door and a stack of folded clothes sat on my night table. “Did you pack for me?”
He nodded then gestured at the pile of clothes. “Get dressed and we will check out of the hotel.”
I’d planned on doing all of this, but after Rurik left. It both pleased and annoyed me that he assumed I’d just go with him. “Where are we going?”
“To safety. An old friend has opened her home to us. At least until matters with Dragos are settled. I can’t leave you here by yourself. If he found out you harbored me for the day it would go bad for you. I need to meet with my people and make plans.”
I carried the clothes to the bathroom and noticed the manila envelope no longer lay on the table. I glanced over my shoulder at Rurik. Did he go through them? I didn’t think so since I still lived. He must have respected my privacy enough not to look inside and packed it with my stuff.
Once in the bathroom I closed the door. I’d never had a man pick out an outfit for me. He’d chosen my black silk blouse, gray slacks, and matching black undergarments. The thought of him touching them gave me goose bumps. I sent a silent thanks to heaven I’d decided to leave the granny panties at home.
The outfit was not what I would have chosen to wear for tonight. Jeans and t-shirts were my preference. After I dressed I stepped out of the bathroom and shoved my PJs into my suitcase. The wastepaper basket stood next to it with the remainders of my shredded plane ticket visible. I should have hid it better.
My last pair of heels rested by the door. “Are we going somewhere else first?”
He walked up to me as his eyes traveled from my face to my bare feet. “No.”
“Then why am I dressed up?”
“A women should always try to look her best.” He smiled when my eyebrows shot up. “I’m very concerned at your lack of wardrobe.”
“I’ve destroyed two of my best dresses since I met you. Are you sure this outfit won’t get wrecked? It’s one of my last ones. You may get stuck with my jeans and sweats.” I stepped into my red heels. The extra height brought me closer to his face. His lips wouldn’t be so hard to reach now. Maybe the outfit wasn’t such a bad idea.
He picked up my single piece of luggage and opened the door for me.
“Are we driving in the rust bucket?” I couldn’t help taunt. The Overlord of Budapest drove a fifty-eight year old micro-car that belonged in a museum, not on the road. “What happened to that nice black sedan you kidnapped me in?”
“That was a rental, Rabbit.”
It took a few minutes to arrive at the lair—a small house nestled in one of the suburbs. The locals would never guess a kiss of vampires rested in their quiet haven. No traffic passed us as we parked on the sleepy street. Most homes in this city were spaced close together but this neighborhood oozed of old money. The stone fences and the moderate gardens said it all.
He led me through the front door where one of the guards who accompanied Rurik at the club greeted us. He watched me with a stern expression as we continued through the foyer.
Rurik handed him my suitcase. “Samson this is Rabbit. She is my companion. Please escort her to my room.” The guard started up the stairs and stopped when I didn’t follow.
“Where are you going?” A sense of unease settled on me. I knew Rurik but not these other ... vampires. If he wanted me to be alone with a stranger, it wouldn’t happen. That’s wasn’t in my definition of ‘safety. ‘
My face must have expressed my discomfort since he sighed and signaled Samson to hand the luggage back to him. “Follow me, Rabbit.” He climbed the stairs.
The guard made room for us to pass. He leered at me, pearly fangs exposed, as I pushed by him.
The way Rurik used the word ‘companion ‘ made it sound like a title. It gave me a squishy sensation inside, as if he’d said ‘girlfriend’. I probably read too much into the statement and disliked that it even occurred to me. If Red or Colby had said it, I would have reacted differently but Rurik nurtured relationship vibes from me.
The upstairs hallway led to a moderate sized master bedroom and attached bathroom. Rurik set my suitcase on the floor by a huge wooden sleigh bed. “I have some things to attend to. Stay in here for now until I have time to introduce you to my remaining clan. I won’t be long.” With that mild warning he left.
Things had gone better than I’d planned. Who would have guessed he’d invite me to one place I needed to find? Originally, I’d hoped Tane would inform me of Rurik’s hiding place. I was so happy I didn’t have to deal with that monster. He probably would have demanded my soul in exchange for the info.
I opened my suitcase and found the manila envelope within. It still contained the photos. How could I tell if he saw them? Rurik thought I worked for a travel agency. Maybe he thought the contents paper work.
His room held a dresser that overflowed with clothes and a chest at the foot of the bed. I eyed the mess of jewelry, papers, and socks that cover the dresser top. It looked as if things were dumped there in a hurry, as if they’d just moved in.
Where would I hide a drug capable of rendering my mental shields useless? A corner of a black lacquer box stuck out under a pile of ties. I felt under them to get a better idea of what hid there and was rewarded by pricking my finger. I yanked it out and stuck it in my mouth.
That’s all I needed, to be bleeding in a house full of hungry vamps. I examined my wound but found just a dent, no blood.
The ties
shifted in my haste to rescue myself and exposed the culprit, a letter opener. It lay next to the lacquer box, which contained nothing of interest. I did a quick search of the area. Under the bed, behind the dresser, and in the bathroom but I still didn’t find anything which resemble a drug. Was it a pill, a powder, or a liquid? I ingested it in a drink so I assumed a liquid.
I knelt next to the battered wooden chest at the foot of the bed. The only place I hadn’t explored and it was locked.
The mechanism looked old. If I could just slide something under the lid to pry it open. My finger throbbed and I remembered the letter opener. I retrieved it from the dresser and used it to pry at the hook-like lock under the lid. At any moment Rurik could return and walk in on me. My heart drummed with each failed attempt until something grated and the letter opener slid between the spaces under the lid with ease.
I scrambled to my feet and returned the nicked implement to the dresser under the pile of ties. The bedroom door opened and I swiveled as Rurik stalked in.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw me by the dresser. “Find anything of interest?”
I smiled. “You’re a terrible housekeeper.” I gestured at the mess behind me.
He laughed out loud as he crossed the room. His skin color had improved and I bet he felt warm to the touch.
“Did you just feed?” The stab of jealousy surprised me and made the comment come out sharper than I intended.
He removed his sweatshirt and tossed in a corner. His voice became soft as he eyed me like a dangerous animal. “Yes, I need to feed, Rabbit. If I knew you were willing, you’d have been my first choice.” He turned away and took off his t-shirt. The fine muscle of his shoulders and back moved under his skin with the motion.
“That’s not the point.” Hell, I didn’t know what my point was anymore since he started to undress. The man knew how to unplug my brain.
He undid his belt. “Should I have asked your permission?” He turned his attention away from the belt to glance my way and grin at me.
I crossed my arms and tried to stare at the bed but that made my desires worse. My imagination played havoc on my concentration with ideas of what I’d like to do with him in that bed. My traitorous eyes returned to Rurik who just stepped out of his jeans.
“What are you doing?” I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I stared. Rurik apparently went commando.
“I want to shower.” His grin never faded as he walked into the bathroom. “There’s room for two.” He called out.
I tried to remember how to exhale. The temptation to join him teased and poked at me. Of course his shower would be big enough for two. I laughed at myself. I wanted to take on Budapest’s biggest and baddest monsters. All they needed to do for me to lose cohesive thoughts was get Rurik to undress for me.
Monsters. Tane. The recently unlocked chest at the foot of the bed. I raced to it. The lid weighed heavy in my hands as I pulled it open. The contents struck me with awe. Inside, a nicked, bronze short sword lay on top of an old, gray wool soldier’s uniform. Some ancient foreign coins sat in a jar and a framed aged photo of him smiling with a new micro-car was among other things that distracted me from my quest. I fingered the dull edge of the weapon, a piece of Rurik’s past, and wondered.
A red velvet jewelry case drew my attention. It stuck out of the uniform’s pocket. I opened it to find a small vial of blue liquid inside. Could this be the drug? I hesitated to listen for the shower. It still ran. For all I knew it was perfume. I twisted the cap and smelled it. No sent rose from the vial.
This was as far as my plan went and why I needed someone like Colby to run my life. I sucked at this. My choices were to place it back in the chest and forget it, stick it in my pocket and find out later it was mouthwash, or to try it.
Crap. I twisted the top then dabbed a drop on my tongue. To err with less sounded safe.
The shower noise stopped. I stuck the vial into my pant pocket and closed the chest lid. My knees wobbled as I stood, probably from squatting too long.
Rurik came out with a towel wrapped low around his hips drying his hair with another one. “We will introduce you to my people so there are no misunderstandings.” He approached me, beads of water sat on the skin of his chest. “You’ll have full access-”
I licked at one of beads.
His head came up like I’d staked him.
My head fuzzed a bit, my mental shields still held but barely, and my inhibitions apparently flew out the window. I stepped closer to fulfill one of my bathhouse fantasies and sipped the water from his skin. It tasted warm and clean. No doubt about it, that vial contained the drug Rurik used on me, and I didn’t give a damn.
He dropped the towel he used to dry his hair but still didn’t touch me.
I glanced at his eyes to see them full of fervent fire. His mouth parted a fraction while his hands hovered by my shoulders. I licked a solid line to the hollow of his throat.
As if coming to a decision he grasped my shoulders and lifted me to within an inch of his face. “No teasing this time.” He glared into my eyes. “You need to say the word ‘yes ‘ or this won’t go any further. Once we start I won’t stop. Not this time.”
I stepped back and his fingers trailed down my arms.
A hurt narrowed his eyes until he realized why I pulled away.
I undid the buttons on my blouse one at a time and watched as his eyes widened and were drawn to what I revealed. He picked out the undergarments I wore but they were empty and lifeless when he did it. Now, I filled every lacy tidbit. As the last button came undone I whispered, “Yes,” and allowed the blouse to slip off my shoulders to the floor.
His eyes drank me in.
I yearned for his touch again. For that wicked desire he awakened in me. I slid one red heel off.
“Leave the shoes on,” he ordered, his voice deep with passion.
Chapter 15
I slipped the red heel back on.
Rurik crossed his arms over his chest with a crooked smile on his face. “Please, don’t let me interrupt.”
A nervous laugh escaped me. My mental shields no longer protected me but I didn’t need them with him. He wouldn’t hurt me. After all the opportunities he’d had to harm me, he never did. Why would he start now? I felt wild and free, like a huge weight lifted from my heart. Rurik did this to me, not the drug. It may have affected my defenses but not my soul.
I undid my pants and let them pool around my ankles. The cuffs were wide enough I needed only to step out of them. I shook my head to send my bouncy, blond curls to fly wild around my face and turned in a lazy circle. His gaze never left mine. It waited for me as we lost contact for a moment when I completed the turn. Full of hunger, he absorbed my presence, but his eyes never wandered lower.
Mine did though.
His body’s reaction under the towel told me he liked what he saw. The crooked smile on his face turned salacious as I advanced toward him.
I ran my fingernails down the sculpted ridges of his chest muscles until they reached the towel and gave a tug so it fell from his hips. It was hard to believe someone so sensuous could be real. That he wanted me.
His hands caressed my shoulders and he pulled me against him. I felt a potent snap of sensual awareness at the feel of his hard length along my stomach. Drips fell from the tips of his wet hair and rolled over his chest to rest on his hardened nipples. They summoned my lips.
I knew of the darkness in Rurik and his potential for ... evil, but I trusted he wouldn’t do it. Use me, feed from me, and kill me even though I stood before him helpless. It was a lot of trust to have. More than I’d ever thought possible.
His chest rose with heavy breaths as my mouth moved lower. I kissed the smooth pale skin to his navel then nipped at the short hairs that grew in a line to more delicate bits.
He nudged my chin with his tip, asking for more attention. Fingers brushed through my hair before I blew a gentle breeze over his hot and needy end. He clenched his hands, entwining my curls in his f
ingers. I slid my mouth over him. A moan echoed in the silent room. Hard and stiff, I fought to take in as much of him as I could and swallowed him. My instincts cried out something this big shouldn’t be coming down my throat whole but I found if I didn’t struggle I could still breathe.
When my lips felt the solid touch of his base, I knelt lower to change the angle so he could watch as he slid from my mouth. Breathless, I was pleased with the results.
Rurik stared at me with carnal urgency. Maybe I wasn’t as rusty at this as I’d worried. Almost a year and a half had passed since I’d been with a man, almost two since I had a wild one. I bent my face back over him. It was easier to take him in, harder, faster.
His short gasps filled the room and he gave gentle thrusts, trying to hold back so as not to hurt me, while griping my hair. It felt good to have him in my mouth, ripe and firm, to hear him make all those enticing sounds. The skin was so soft and silky as it rolled over my tongue. I took him deeper and concentrated on relaxing my throat so not to choke but it convulsed around him as I reflexively swallowed my saliva.
His breaths were frantic now, making everything from his abdomen to his shoulders move. He stumbled back. “Enough. I don’t want to come this way. Not our first time together.”
On tiptoe, I stretched my body along his torso to come eye to eye with him.
“Connie.” A bare whisper fluttered from his mouth before he crushed his lips to mine. The kiss woke a fierce yearning and sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine.
His hands slid around to my back and with an expert’s grasp he unclasped my bra. The butterflies in my stomach took wing. I gave up to his kiss in sweet surrender and opened my mouth to invite him in. His tongue swiped a sure stroke inside, he left no spot unexplored.
I felt him graze the underside of my breasts as he slid his hands under my bra to cup them. My nipples hardened when his palms brushed over them, he then pinched them between two fingers to twist and pull. A flood of reckless desire flowed from me. I returned his kiss with as much fervor as he gave. I grasped his broad, strong shoulders and jumped to wrap him in my legs. I wanted to be part of him, to be as close as possible, to feel every inch of him.
