I shook my head. “Later. I believe you, and I would rather continue the conversation about how you feel concerning this trip.”
He settled back into his chair and wrapped his other arm around my back. “As your protector, it’s my job to keep you away from danger. As someone who cares about you, it’s also my job to make sure you’re happy. I know as the days pass and you stay locked up here, that happiness is harder to grasp. I can’t properly explain how I feel about this trip, because there are two halves of me at war right now.”
I reached up, grabbing his neck. “You have no idea how much I appreciate that you’re not letting the protector in you stop me from doing what I need. What can I do to make this easier on you?”
I might have only known Maciah less than a few weeks, and I might not have been a willing participant in everything to begin with, but the more I got to know him, the more I respected what he stood for and what he was trying to do.
“We need to know exactly what we’re going to do and what we’ll do when something doesn’t go as planned. When we have that sorted out, then I can stop being as stressed,” he replied.
“Understandable. How about we start plotting now?” I suggested.
He closed the small space between us and pressed his lips to mine. “I have several things we can plot.”
His voice was playful, and I was glad I’d chosen to face him head-on instead of ignoring how he felt. We were adults, and with trust shared between us, we could finally act like it.
“Let’s see how quickly we can sort out this Rigo adventure, and then I’m happy to hear your other ideas,” I said before kissing him back.
His hands tightened around me. “We better hurry then.”
22
Maciah and I let ourselves get distracted, but not for long. We invited the others back into the office and ordered food to be delivered. Pepperoni pizza with jalapenos, a favorite of mine and something Nikki also enjoyed, but the others all passed on the spicy toppings. I didn’t mind, because when it came to pizza, my stomach had no limits.
“Damn, that was good,” I groaned after my sixth slice.
Zeke frowned at me. “I miss enjoying food that much.”
His words gave me pause. I didn’t want to think about how my life would one day change. The more I got to know the vampires, the more unsure I was about what I planned to do after I died. My mind still agreed I needed to end my vampire existence after turning as quickly as possible, but my heart was growing fonder of Maciah and wanting more time with him. Only the future would tell what I would do.
“Doesn’t blood give you a boost?” I finally asked.
Zeke was mid-sip—they’d gotten better about drinking around me, and I’d stopped being as grossed out—so Nikki answered instead. “It does, but not like drinking from a human. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I don’t do that. There were too many times that I lost control of myself due to the euphoria that races through us when we sink our fangs into flesh. I don’t want to be a murderer. Though, there is nothing that can replicate the feeling.”
Nikki’s honesty took me a bit by surprise. The fact that they could control their thirst and ignore the desires they clearly got from drinking out of the proverbial tap was another reason I trusted them. Any vampire that had that much strength couldn’t be all that bad.
“Maybe we can find you a life-like dummy and pump some blood through it,” I joked, reaching for another slice of pizza, because why not.
She laughed. “I’m not sure it works that way, but good thought.”
“Does everything feel good about our plans?” Rachel asked, giving me a pointed stare before taking the pizza box away.
I wanted to be mad, but she’d made the right move. I was going to be sick if I continued eating. It was just so damn good.
“Fang yes, we do,” Zeke said, causing everyone else to laugh and me to groan.
“You guys have to let that go,” I begged.
Rachel reached for me, grabbing my wrist. “Not a chance, Amersyn.”
I turned away from her and found Maciah staring at me. His eyes were brown with only light touches of red, a color I noticed they took on when he was happy. Not aroused, but just enjoying life in the moment. It was a color I liked. A lot.
“Fine. Have your fun. At my expense. I’ll try not to make your deaths slow when I lose my shit,” I replied with a smile.
None of them seemed at all afraid of my loosely given threat. We’d moved beyond that, and they knew it.
“But yes, the plan is solid. Rigo will die tomorrow,” Maciah said confidently.
We would fly out at five the next morning and arrive in LA just a couple hours later. Apparently, Maciah had houses all over the West Coast and a few scattered around other areas of the United States. Once we got to his house, we would check in with Gregory, the bouncer, to make sure everything was still good to go.
The next part I wasn’t worried about, but Maciah was. It involved me spending the rest of the day being turned into a hooker. Okay, I probably wouldn’t look like I was for sale, but I was going to be dressed up with full make-up, a wig, and an outfit that left little to the imagination with the hope that Rigo picked me out of the crowd to spend time with.
I’d have stakes hidden on me and, best-case scenario, get Rigo by himself and finish him off before doing our best to sneak away. The getaway part was the only piece of the plan that had too many variables. We’d have our exits planned out of the city, but we’d have to wing it from the club.
If Rigo didn’t pick me out of the crowd, I’d shove myself at him, which would be more suspicious, but it was really the only other option.
If I couldn’t get him alone, I’d have to publicly seduce him, which I wasn’t fond of, and neither was Maciah. I was pretty sure he was trying to pretend I wasn’t about to throw myself at another man, something he wouldn’t be able to ignore if it was happening in front of him.
Lastly, if all those other things failed, we’d wait him out. The party had to end at some point. We’d get inside to see how many guards Rigo had with him and what kind of fight we’d be getting into. Either way, we weren’t walking away without at least making an attempt to end Rigo.
For two-hundred years, he’d terrorized humans. I couldn’t let that go on any longer. My family—and all the others he’d ruined before and after murdering mine—deserved that justice, even if they never knew it happened.
Nikki stood, breaking my thoughts away from the plan we’d been over several times throughout the night. She groaned and stretched. “I’m going to go make sure all my stuff is accounted for. Morning is going to come soon.”
“Don’t remind me. I know we don’t need sleep, but I do enjoy it still.” Rachel stood to leave as well, and Zeke followed them out.
“We’ll see you guys in the morning,” he said.
“Goodnight,” I replied, then turned to Maciah. “I should head to bed, too. I actually do need sleep to function tomorrow.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?” he asked, voice soft, almost as if he was unsure of himself.
We’d spent many late nights staying up together, talking and kissing, but not much else. I wasn’t in a hurry when it came to Maciah. The slow burn simmering between us felt perfect, but the thought of having him hold me all night… I couldn’t think of any reason to turn that down.
“I would love to,” I replied.
Maciah got up, taking calculated steps toward me. I had no idea what he was up to, but I wasn’t going to complain. Especially not when his eyes darkened, and he stared at me as if nothing else in the world mattered.
He bent down and picked me up from where I’d been sitting in the chair. I dropped the slice of pizza I’d taken but not eaten onto the coffee table and gave Maciah my full attention as he cradled me in his arms.
I’d thought I would hate being carried, that it would seem as if the person doing so thought I was incapable in some way, but as Maciah’s grip tightened on me, none of those t
houghts entered my mind.
He might have been bound to protect me from the dangers that lurked in the shadows, but taking care of me like he had been had nothing to do with protection. That was about attraction and affection, two things I never would have assumed vampires were capable of, but Maciah and the others I’d gotten to know were proving me wrong about a lot of things on a daily basis.
For once, I had no problem being wrong.
Maciah carried me out of the office, then grinned down at me. “Hold on tight.”
I was confused until the walls became a blur and my stomach nearly came up out of my throat. Before I knew it, he was opening his door and gently setting me down on his bed.
“Don’t…ever…do that…again,” I moaned.
“If you hadn’t eaten so much, you wouldn’t feel so sick,” he teased.
He might have been right, but I hadn’t known he was going to race across the house with me without much notice.
The room only spun for a moment before I was able to look up at him again without wanting to be sick.
When my eyes met his, they were scrunched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t actually think it would affect you that badly.”
“I’m fine.” I waved him off and stood, then wobbled.
Maciah caught my arms, holding me close. “Do you want me to go get your pajamas?” he asked.
Well, how was I supposed to answer that question? The only time I’d slept in clothes at the mansion was when Rachel was watching over me. Even then it was the shirt I’d worn that day and my underwear. I didn’t actually own any pajamas. Something I hadn’t really thought about when I agreed to stay in his room for the night.
“Um, no. I’m good. I’ll sleep in what I have,” I said, avoiding his gaze.
He held me tighter. “You know I remember everything about the night I broke into your house. Not a detail has escaped me.”
I tried not to laugh as I remembered getting out of my bed naked without a care in the world. Yeah, he’d gotten an eyeful.
“Is that so?” I hoped he didn’t think I was getting naked now. I wasn’t diving into the deep end that fast.
His hands traveled down my arms, then up my waist until he held my face. “Every curve and mark on your body, Amersyn.”
Damn, that was hot.
My fingers gripped his shirt tighter as I pressed myself closer to him. I needed to be patient. I was not sleeping with him after only knowing him a few weeks. I had to keep my resolve.
Yes, I was also aware I was an idiot.
This man was sexy, caring, and wanted me. Still, something held me back. I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t often that I ignored my instincts. They rarely led me wrong.
“How about I settle for one of your shirts as pajamas?” I suggested, then added, “That is, if you own t-shirts.”
Maciah smirked at me. “I have everything you will ever need.”
I didn’t miss the underlying promise in his words as I followed him to his walk-in closet. He opened the door, and it was exactly as I expected. Rows of black to grey suits, crisp white dress shirts, a handful of sweaters and khaki-type pants, along with one section of military-style clothing like I’d seen him wearing the first night in the alley.
In one of the drawers beneath the racks, he pulled out a plain white tee. It was going to fall to my knees, but that was probably for the best.
He handed me the shirt. “Bathroom is the next door over.”
I nodded and took the clothing before heading directly for the bathroom. I’d never been ashamed of my body, but I knew if I got naked in front of Maciah, any thoughts of keeping things slow would go out the window.
As quickly as I could, I undressed until all that was left was my underwear, which thankfully covered most of my ass. I slipped the shirt over my head and groaned. My nipples were on full display through the thin material.
Of course, he only has white shirts, I thought.
I went to the sink and stole some of his toothpaste to put on my finger that would sub as my toothbrush. Not ideal, but it would be good enough until morning when I went back to my room to get ready.
After I “brushed” my teeth, I decided to wash my face. Then, I eyeballed the shower that had four shower heads and fluffy white towels folded on a shelf next to it.
I shook my head. I was stalling. I’d never done that before. We were only going to sleep. I didn’t need to be so nervous.
I gathered my resolve and headed out of the bathroom. Maciah was already under his silk black sheets with the lights off except the lamp next to him.
Any nerves I’d had before were gone as his dark eyes met mine. He lifted the sheet, and I saw he wore loose sleep pants and nothing else.
My steps were slow as I appraised him. I’d yet to see him with his shirt off and that was probably a good thing. His chest was defined by lines that showcased his time in the gym. He had a solid six-pack—nothing over the top, but there was no denying his strength, even without the vampire benefits.
There was a tattoo above his heart. The very spot I’d wanted to stab when I first met him. As I crawled onto the bed, my fingers reached for the black ink. It reminded me of a Celtic knot at first, but on closer inspection, the lines also made me think of a man’s chest with his arms crossed, holding two blades. Nothing distinctive, just the perfectly drawn lines making that the first thought that came to mind as I traced over the ink.
“What does it mean?” I asked, settling into bed next to Maciah and laying on my side so I could face him.
He lowered his head to the pillow, doing the same as me. “Nothing official, but for me, it reminds me of the strength I need to keep moving forward. No matter how impossible it seems to find a way back to the old ways of our kind, I can’t stop fighting for that.”
My hand cupped his cheek, and he brought his face closer to mine. “Then, it’s the perfect tattoo for you,” I said.
“What about yours?” he asked, lifting the sleeve to show my tribal marks.
“I don’t know. I’d asked the artist to draw me something that would remind me of vengeance. When he showed me the art, I just knew it was right.”
“You have good instincts.” He kissed me, and I tried to tug him closer, but he pulled back. “You need rest for tomorrow,” he reminded me.
Taking things slow had never seemed more idiotic, but as I agreed and rolled over, I was more content than ever before. Maciah wrapped his arms around me, making me feel safe and cared for.
23
Early morning came quickly, but I wasn’t complaining. As I headed back to my room, all I could think about was the fact that I was going to bring another murderer to justice by the day’s end.
As I closed the door behind me, I took a deep breath and pictured my family. I hoped they’d be proud of what I’d become, of what I was fighting for and doing.
Maciah had been right when I’d first met him. I was searching for vengeance. But, I had no plans to get off this path once the vampires I searched for were dead. Other families deserved someone to fight for them as well.
I walked to my closet with my mother, father, and brother still heavy on my mind, as I knew they would be all day, but thoughts of my night with Maciah weren’t far behind them.
He’d remained the perfect gentleman as we lay in bed together all night. His arms never left me, and when I thought I would get tired of the constant touch, I only wanted more from him.
I got dressed, amazed at how much life had changed in the last few weeks. I’d been so afraid that by accepting these vampires and accepting that I would one day become one of them that it would change who I was at my core, but none of that had happened.
Even though not much time had passed, I already knew that Maciah, Rachel, Nikki, and Zeke would never expect me to be someone I wasn’t. They would support my decisions and desires. That fact had been proven when Zeke took it upon himself to search for the vampires that I still wanted dead.
I’d never asked him to do that,
especially not when we had other threats to worry about. Still, they’d kept my wants at the forefront of their thoughts and were following through, even when it wasn’t exactly safe to do so.
We had plenty to worry about. Just because I was going to be wearing a disguise, didn’t mean that nobody would realize who I was, but that was a risk we were all willing to take.
I grabbed my stuff and headed back toward my door. As I grasped the handle, it was already turning. I stepped back to find Rachel getting ready to walk in.
“I was just coming to see if you needed help, but I see you’re all set,” she said with a smile.
“That I am. Is everyone else ready?” I asked, meeting her in the hallway before closing my door.
She nodded. “Zeke is warming up the SUV. Eddie is going to be driving us. Maciah and Nikki should be out any minute.”
A shift in the air had me turning around to find Maciah right behind her. “Good morning,” he said casually.
“It is a good morning, isn’t it?” Rachel added. She was almost as excited about hunting down Rigo as I was.
Maciah winked at me. “Yes, it is. Where’s Nikki?”
“Down here.” She was waiting at the bottom of the stairs wearing sweatpants, slippers, and a sweatshirt. I should have copied her.
We got to the first floor and headed toward the garage. The door was open, and an icy blast cut right through me. “Mother effer, it’s freezing out here.”
“Yeah, it’s beginning to snow. We need to hurry to the airstrip before it’s too icy to take off. They don’t have the same resources there as they do at the main terminals,” Maciah said.
My steps quickened, and I threw my bag into the waiting SUV before climbing into the back seat. Rachel and Nikki joined me while Maciah and Zeke took the middle. Eddie was already in the driver’s seat and turned around to face us.
“Morning, everyone,” he said before putting the vehicle in reverse. Eddie’s auburn hair was combed and still wet from a recent shower. He wore a forest-green jacket and dark-wash jeans, looking more put together than when I normally saw him either coming in from dealing with newborns or in the gym.
Vampire Heir (Scorned by Blood Book 1) Page 16
