by Imogene Nix
The tremors started deep within her, the sensation of ripples that grew as she crested her orgasm. He groaned, wanting her to have her climax before he took his own.
“Javed!” She arched, lost in her pleasure.
Too much! Fire erupted and he felt his own release as he held her close to his heart.
* * * *
She lay still, wrapped in his arms, still humming in the aftermath of her orgasm. Her body tingled all over, a sensation that she could honestly say was totally alien to her.
She ran her fingers up and down his back while she studied the ceiling. Now that they had been intimate, how would it affect their whatever it was? She shied away from using the term ‘relationship’. He rolled off her, and she felt the loss. She contained the cry that rose in her throat.
“Extraordinary.” His words were lost as he tightened the embrace. “Thank you.” His lips claimed hers and even in her confusion, she melted a little.
He slid away. “You are a truly beautiful and caring woman. Now you should sleep.” His voice was rough as he tugged the covers over them both.
She felt him move, using the remote to dim the lights, and his lips touched her cheek. “Nemimneh ya habibiti,”
She tensed, waiting to hear more. But as the moments ticked past he didn’t speak again.
“What did you say?”
But he didn’t answer her, so she lay in the dark listening to the sound of his breathing, soft and rhythmic, before she finally dozed off.
* * * *
When she woke, the bed was empty. She could see the indentation on the pillow, but she was alone. Her heart clenched.
Slowly she inched to the side and around. When she was sure no one was there, Celina slipped her feet over the side, taking the top sheet with her and winding it around her nude body. If he’s had second thoughts, I don’t want to embarrass him or me.
The urgent call of nature couldn’t be denied, so she headed in the direction of the small bathroom beyond. As she opened the door a voice called out. “You’re awake then?”
She stopped. Javed hasn’t gone?
He ducked around the corner and stopped, taking in the sheet and no doubt the shock on her face. “Were you planning on going somewhere?” His voice held mirth, but he searched her face.
“I uh… I thought you’d gone.” Her voice held the husky vestiges of sleep.
He narrowed his eyes. “I see. So…” He stopped, and she waited. “After the loving we shared, you thought I’d gone?”
Her soul nearly shriveled at the coolness she could now detect in his voice. “I… No…” She stopped. The need to stop, reflect and focus on the question warred with fear. “Look, I’ve never been into one-night stands. I don’t…” She glanced away briefly, overcome with shame.
Whatever kept his back steely straight seemed to flow out of his body, and he nodded. “I shouldn’t have acted like that. I apologize.”
Celina shivered. “I had heard some vampires liked to have fun then disappear. To be honest, I didn’t know if I’d done something wrong, though.”
He raised his hand to cup her cheek. “No, my love. You have done nothing wrong. Now, if you wish to get back into the bed, I will fetch you some sustenance.”
She blushed, the heat radiating from her face. “I need…” She waved toward the bathroom.
He laughed a little. “Go, and your breakfast will be ready for you when you return.”
She dragged on the fine cotton that swathed her before retreating. Celina avoided peering in the mirror as she washed her hands and finally, unable to think of any other way to avoid the moment, left the questionable safety of the bathroom.
He’d tugged the comforter up over his lap, and for a moment she wished he hadn’t, but she tugged the sheet closer. “Do you need that?”
She dipped her gaze and blushed once more. “Well, I don’t make a habit of wandering around naked in men’s bedrooms.”
He grinned. “So you just make a habit of being undressed in men’s bedrooms then?”
She shook her head. The sum of her lovers numbered two and that included Javed himself. “I don’t do that kind of thing.”
He sobered. “I don’t intend to hurt you, Celina. So come and sit down. Break your fast and tell me about your life.”
Celina gingerly lowered herself to the bed.
He controlled a laugh. “And you could dispense with the sheet.”
With a last quick glance at him, she took the plunge. She found the edge of the white cotton and unwound it, baring her body to him. He raked her up and down, a slow curl of warmth invading her belly at the smoky look in his eyes.
“Come. Eat.” His voice sounded slightly hoarse, and she allowed herself a moment of pure feminine triumph.
Over breakfast, Celina explained about her background. She’d been abandoned as an infant at a hospital. They’d been sure she was only hours old when a woman had come in looking harried and had handed her over to the staff. Her formative years had passed in a series of cold foster homes. He held her hand as she shared her battle to complete high school and gain a scholarship to the college. The hours she’d worked over six long years until she had graduated.
“So when I finished I was offered a position in the bank. It was great because I managed several promotions during my time there.”
“Do you miss it?” The words escaped him, and he wanted to call them back as she glanced away. “Celina, I…”
“No. It’s fine. Yes. I do. I miss being able to make decisions, to be able to help in some way. I’ve been on my own for so long that… I don’t know how to let someone make decisions for me.” She turned back, but he understood what had driven her to investigate the situation at the gallery now.
“You’re a nestling now. You’ll never be alone again.” His words sounded pompous even to his own ears and she giggled before sobering again.
“Sometimes you can be alone in the middle of the maddest crowd. It’s something that can’t be fixed quite so easily.” She lifted her hand to his cheek, and he covered it with his own. “I’ll get there. But giving up the sense of being… I don’t know… Just me against the world isn’t that easy to throw off.”
He couldn’t understand that. In his human life, he’d been the feted son. He’d been wanted, pandered to. Even his wife had fussed over him until the day she ran away. Then the master who made him had stepped in, brought him into his nest.
In the last centuries, he’d never really been alone. He’d had comrades and lovers. Friends and servants. Not like Celina.
His emotions must have shown on his face because she leaned in and whispered to him, “Don’t fret about it. That’s how my life was meant to be. I’ve come to terms with it. If I hadn’t… It probably would have buried me. I couldn’t let the loneliness beat me. I fought, and I won. I made myself who I am. What’s more? I like me.”
Javed pulled her against him, hugging her close and promising himself that she would never be alone again. Never again would she be without a home and family.
Celina lifted her head and peered into his eyes. “Javed, you can’t fix this. Please. Just let it go.” She grabbed another strawberry.
“You’re sure? We could find your family…”
“Yes. I’m very sure.” She popped the sweet fruit into her mouth, and he let her go, leaning back against the brightly colored silk cushions.
“You do realize, now that things have settled, we need to complete your blood profile.” She stiffened in his arms.
“Why?”
“It is a tradition, based on the blood sacrifices we give. Now, we map all members of the nests so that we can offer any appropriate medical intervention, for those with rare blood types. It allows us to take all necessary steps to have supplies of blood products on hand. It also means that those who become vampires who are lost have living blood sacrifices to be given at the time of their passing.” He didn’t say more, but surely with the many nest members who’d been mapped, there would be
a match somewhere in the system? A long lost member of her family…
Javed stopped the thoughts. They weren’t appropriate. That wasn’t what the blood depositories were for. He heaved a sigh as he caught sight of the clock. Seven had come and soon he would have to emerge from the haven of his rooms.
Tonight he would be meeting the candidates for the position of his Yeux Secondes. Traditionally, they were the humans who took over the day-to-day running of the nest, liaised with the human world and ran their businesses.
“So tell me about how you came to be the master instead of anyone else.”
* * * *
Bertha came hunting for her once the sun went down and found her in the communal kitchen and dining area drinking coffee.
“Where have you been?”
She blushed scarlet as Javed came up behind her, wrapping his arm in a casual embrace around her waist.
“Good evening, Bertha. I was hoping to find you tonight. I need your services and those of Celina. The candidates for Yeux Secondes will be here soon. I would like both of you to sit in on the process. Represent the witches of the nest.”
Bertha’s mouth opened then closed without a sound. If it hadn’t been so embarrassing, it would have been quite funny, Celina thought, noting Bertha’s reaction. She herself squirmed, but he pulled her tighter, and she noticed the assessing gaze Bertha flashed at his hold.
“We will be there, master. What time will you require us?” Her stiff words concerned Celina, and she made a note to talk to her mentor later.
“In the next hour. Now, I’ll leave Celina in your capable hands.” But before he withdrew he dropped a careless kiss on her cheek.
She turned to watch him leave, his gait jaunty.
“You need to be careful. Falling into relationships with vampires is tricky enough, without it being a master.” It wasn’t censure she heard but concern.
“It’s not really like that…”
“Did you sleep with him?” When she didn’t answer, Bertha nodded knowingly. “Then it is like that.”
“I didn’t look for it.” She had to make sure Bertha understood. She hadn’t stalked Javed. Hadn’t gone out of her way to entice him into bed with her.
Bertha touched her shoulder. “No. You wouldn’t do something like that. But you were interested. Intrigued. I should have spoken before. Most nestlings don’t get involved with their masters. Many nests forbid it, because there is a power imbalance that eventually breaks even the best of unions, usually causing disharmony. Humans and vampires don’t go the distance because you will age. He can’t. He’ll live forever. You won’t.”
Bertha’s harsh words hurt, even if they were meant kindly. He hadn’t promised her anything, and it wasn’t as though she’d spun any fairy tales. But the truth ripped away the sense of well-being that had filled her.
Bertha was right. We are incompatible.
“Now we’d better get some work done if we have to be in the master’s office within the hour. And I’d like to run some tests…” But she stopped as Kharisma joined them.
“Good evening, Bertha. I’m wondering if I could spirit Celina away? Just for a while?” The blonde vampire smiled.
Bertha frowned. “What on earth do you need her for?”
“Blood sampling. Because she is joining the nest as an adult, we need to ensure we have the necessary information.” Kharisma cocked her head to one side, her bright blue eyes piercing as she watched Bertha. “Of course, if you have—”
“No. That’s fine. We need to meet with the master within the hour anyway.” She spoke with a frustrated tone, then she turned and walked away leaving Celina with the view of her retreating bulk.
“She is not pleased? Have you done something untoward?” Kharisma now focused on Celina, who squirmed slightly.
“Beside spending time with a master?” She dipped her head so Kharisma wouldn’t get the gist of her feelings.
“Oh. That’s a problem if she’s upset about that. Okay, come on then, you can talk to me once we get to the clinic.”
Surprise flashed through Celina as Kharisma threaded her arm through hers. She held the mug of coffee tightly in one hand as she followed the vampire to the other end of the house and into a small room. It was fitted out with clean white walls and industrial brushed metal shelving. The bank of lights overhead was turned off, but she supposed they would be bright, like she’d seen on television, when needed.
The area itself was compartmentalized with retractable walls, and fitted with washing zones, a seat and desk, computer, and in the back of the office was a large slab, which she guessed was where the surgery was undertaken.
“Amazing.” She looked around. Kharisma prepared her space herself as Celina placed her coffee on the desk. “What a fantastic layout.”
“Yes. Javed let me have free reign to make sure this was set up exactly as I wanted it.”
Celina stared at her. “You were…”
“We were. But it’s long over. Now sit down and roll up your sleeve while I get everything together.”
Chapter Eight
Kharisma entered Javed’s office. “You know, I think you may have a problem or two brewing.”
He glanced up and scowled, running one of his hands through his hair.
The reports in front of him made no sense. The words like gross negative return and facilitation of corporate branding swam before his eyes. “I hope you plan on saving me. I don’t get half of this.” He waved at the masses of reports that littered his desk.
“No. I don’t do that either. That’s what the Yeux Secondes does. Thank heavens. No. I’m more concerned about the outcome of any relationship you plan on having with Celina. Bertha is walking gingerly around her, and it’s already been noted that you have a partiality there.”
“Are you asking me what my intentions are?” He observed Kharisma as she sat down on the other side of the desk.
“Yeah. I guess I am. What you decide could affect this nest. You need to be sure what you hope to achieve before it occurs.”
Javed pushed the chair back and rose, stalking to peer out of the windows. “I don’t know. I mean… She’s like a ray of sunshine in my life. When I’m with her… I feel like I can do anything.” He shrugged. “But then I remember I’m over eight hundred years old, a master vampire with the safety of a nest on my shoulders. And that I’ve never managed to keep a relationship together for longer than several months since my turning.”
Flashes of light cut through the night-time gloom as he continued to gaze out over the driveway. He knew Kharisma saw through to his inner turmoil.
“I can’t tell you that this will work either. But you need to decide if you want to be with her or not. You need to talk to her. She is bound by rules too. The rules of the nest and her oath to the Conclave Paramount are very clear. She has as much to lose as you do. Maybe even more.”
He turned at her soft words. “What do you mean?”
“She’d be on her own. If she’s removed from a nest, then she is back to where she was. But this time with nothing to fall back on. The Conclave might turn their back on her.”
He stared at her, surprised.
“She’d have no career. No job. So if you plan to take her for a lover, then consider what will happen if it all ends.” Kharisma inhaled deeply as if clearing away the topic then continued, “Your candidates are here, too.”
His mind whirled. He hadn’t really considered the consequences of any dalliance, and he would certainly have to think long and hard. But right now he had matters of the nest, not the heart, to focus on.
Kharisma looked uncomfortable.
He focused on the immediate task, knowing he’d have to consider what she’d said soon. “Send in the representatives, please, Kharisma.”
“What?” She gaped at him. His mouth flattened as he watched her reaction.
Kharisma blushed slightly. “Well, did you mean to include her in this?” She picked up the small pile of blue files at the edge of
the desk.
“Yeah I did. Along with every other member of the panel.” Kharisma nodded without a word and walked to the door, before casting one last look at him.
“I hope you’re doing the right thing.” She slipped through the exit.
He stood there. He knew what she meant—the casual and inclusive structure he’d outlined for the nest.
Was this really the way he wanted to go forward? The answer was there, though. Yes. I want this nest to be free of the restrictions that nearly tore Hope and Xavier apart. I want my people to be able to have their say. I want them to feel equal and valued in a way that other nests do not.
Nervous energy filled him, and he thrust his hands into his pants pockets and leaned against the desk, fighting the urge to tap his foot.
The door opened and in filed the nestlings he’d chosen to participate in the choosing of the Yeux Secondes. Two witches, two nestlings, two of his vampire guards, Kharisma and the one shifter who lived with the nest.
“Thank you for joining the panel. Tonight I am talking to the candidates for the position of Yeux Secondes. Each of them has various skills and abilities. But because this is a new nest, we have the opportunity to make our own rules. Tonight I want you to talk to every candidate. Kharisma will hand you a folder. Within are details of the candidates. I want you all to choose the three you think would best fit into our nest after mingling with them. Later tonight, we will shortlist then meet with the top four candidates.”
He stared at the people gathered before him. They were a motley crew, but everyone had been picked by him to represent their position in the nest. “Any concerns or queries, ask Kharisma.”
He had decided on an informal meeting tonight, a barbecue outside so that all the members of the nest could see them and interact. Normally the position was hereditary, but that wasn’t what he wanted for his nest. He’d seen the havoc that could be caused when people didn’t acquire the role on merit.
Everyone filed from the room and he stood in his empty office, watching the door close. He would talk with each one privately and draw his own conclusions. But first he should go welcome them as a group.
