My breath snagged.
My fairytale prince had arrived, and he was nothing like the stories we tell children.
“Thank you, Lougenia,” he said without taking his gaze from mine. “You can go to bed now. Mila won’t be needing you until the morning.”
The housekeeper nodded and headed for the door. Gabriel moved aside to let her pass, then put his hands on the door jamb, blocking me in the suite with him.
I moistened my lips. My stomach chose that moment to growl.
“Lougenia?” He glanced over his shoulder. “Bring Camila something to eat.”
“Very good, M’sieur. I’ll send it right up.”
Then she was gone, and I was alone with Gabriel. I took a few steps back. He shut the door and followed me, step by step, with that lean predator’s grace.
He drew a slow breath. “You’re afraid.” This time it wasn’t a question.
My hands gripped my skirt, inching it higher. His gaze flicked to the tear over my hip. When I glanced down, I saw skin and a scrap of the tiny satin panties they’d given me—black satin with little red hearts, like it was freaking Valentine’s Day.
“No,” I lied.
I adjusted the skirt, trying to cover myself, but instead, I somehow made the tear even larger. If I kept this up, I’d be standing before him wearing nothing but a few tattered scraps.
And damn if that didn’t make my inner thighs tingle.
Down, girl. The bad vampire is looking at you with darkness in his eyes.
“Hm.” He shrugged out of his suit jacket, dropped it on a chair.
I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
A shrug. “Maybe you should be afraid. That’s why you ran, isn’t it?
I pressed my lips together. Why should I care what he thought? But it stung, that he believed I was such a coward that I’d run rather than tell him straight out that I wouldn’t accept his blood bond.
“Believe what you want.” I swung around, not sure where I was going. I just wanted to get away.
“Answer me, Mila.” His eyes shimmered ice blue, and suddenly, he was right in front of me, blocking my way.
8
Gabriel
Mila looked like a goddess in that lipstick-red dress. A long-legged, earthy, incredibly fuckable goddess.
I stalked forward, drawn by something as powerful and unbreakable as the moon’s lure for the tide. She gulped and dug her fingers into the spandex skirt, tearing it further.
My gaze locked on those flirty red-and-black panties. Had she worn those for me? My dick pressed painfully against my zipper.
She hurriedly smoothed down the dress—and made the rip larger.
My lips twitched. I pressed them together.
I was not going to be amused by Mila.
I was not going to notice how, now that we were beneath the living room’s bright overhead light, I could see she was not only thinner, but hollow-eyed from exhaustion.
Most of all, I was not going to give into the tenderness that kept tugging at me, especially when she muttered, “Stupid dress,” under her breath.
“Answer me,” I repeated in a soft, obey-me-now voice. I stepped closer, deliberately invading her space. I was six inches taller and a good seventy-five pounds heavier, and I wanted her to understand just who—and what—she was dealing with.
Her eyes widened, but she squared her shoulders and stared back.
The gods help me, that pleased my vampire half. Easy prey was boring.
“No,” she gritted. “I didn’t leave because I was afraid.”
“Then why?”
She shrugged a slim shoulder.
My jaw tightened. I was the Kral crown prince. Very few people—vampire, dhampir or human—dared stand up to me, and to shrug off a flat-out demand was almost unheard of.
But this woman—this human—dared. She stared up at me, lush mouth set in stubborn lines.
I hesitated. I could compel her to tell me the truth, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. Because the day I compelled Mila to do anything was the day I’d lose her for good.
Oh, maybe I’d have her body and her blood, but I’d seen what happened to those thralls bound to power-drunk vampires who used compulsion more than absolutely necessary. I’d have an empty-eyed shell of a lover.
The ocean breeze had done its work on her updo. Wavy chestnut wisps framed her face, and the clip looked like it would fall off any second.
I brought my hand up. She flinched, which bothered me on some primal level, even though my darker side wanted her afraid. Wanted her to suffer for leaving me without even a fucking goodbye.
Still, I gentled my voice. “Take it easy. I just want to—.”
I undid the clip, letting the rich brown waves tumble down. I dropped the clip on the coffee table and combed my fingers through the silky tresses, working out the tangles and arranging it around her shoulders.
All the while she stared at me with a tense crease between her eyes. I smoothed the crease away with my thumb.
She heaved a breath, and I felt her relax—just a bit.
Something inside me eased in response.
“C’mere.” I urged her closer until her forehead rested against my chest. Gathering her hair, I moved it aside so I could massage her neck.
She was tight, a wire stretched to the breaking point.
Guilt snaked through my belly. Was she that afraid of me?
I stroked my fingers up and down her nape, then gently squeezed the flesh on either side of her neck.
“Relax, cher.” My mom was part Cajun, and it tended to come out when I was with children, but almost never when I was with women.
Unless the woman was Mila.
“I can’t,” she muttered against my shirt.
“Yes, you can.” I worked my fingers up her neck, pressing and circling, and then back down again.
“Easy for you to say,” she grumbled, and my lips twitched in spite of myself.
But her breath sighed out. Her hands came up to rest, butterfly-light, on my chest.
My heart clenched painfully. “That’s it,” I murmured. “Relax.”
She fell silent, but her fingers spread out on my chest. They were warm, the nails cut short. She stroked the thumbs over my nipples. When I caught my breath, she stiffened and curled her thumbs into her palms as if she hadn’t meant to do it.
I continued to massage her neck and shoulders until she relaxed again.
A knock on the door made her start. She pushed at my chest. Reluctantly, I let her go.
It was Airi, the head of my personal security. “I have the food, sir,” she said through the closed door.
I took the tray and waited for the door to shut again before tapping a control on the wall to activate the security system. A precaution, even though Airi or another enforcer would remain on guard in the hall all night, and the entire compound was wired with a high-tech system so expensive only billionaires could afford it. In addition, Tomas had assigned extra Syndicate soldiers to prowl the grounds 24/7.
I set the tray on the coffee table. Lougenia was a fucking treasure—she’d prepared an assortment of sandwiches, fresh fruit and tender young vegetables. She’d even included two glass flutes and a split of champagne chilling in a bucket.
Mila stood near the window, arms wrapped around herself.
I indicated the couch. “Sit.”
She cast a longing glance at the food, but shook her head. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Get this over with?” I repeated softly. The guilt receded, replaced by anger. “Don’t play the victim card. You came to me, remember? Now, sit.”
Mila worried her lower lip. She had such a beautiful mouth, soft and full, with a sexy upward tilt at the corners.
“Gabriel,” she said. Just my name, nothing else.
“What?”
She opened her mouth, closed it. “Never mind.”
She took a seat on the far end of the couch. I moved the tray so
that it was in front of her and sat down, my thigh touching hers.
She stilled. Her gaze lifted to my face, then skittered away. “I suppose I am hungry.” She reached for a succulent-looking strawberry.
I grabbed her wrist. “I’ll feed you.”
Her chin jutted. With her other hand, she snatched up the strawberry and brought it to her mouth.
I plucked it from her fingers. “The rules have changed, Mila. First rule is, I’m in charge now.”
She squeezed her thighs together, and her pupils darkened. No fear now. Instead, I scented arousal. I didn’t bother to conceal a smile of satisfaction.
“Open.” I brought the plump red fruit to her lips.
Her gaze went from the strawberry to my face, and then those soft lips parted.
Watching her eat was pure torture. The juices coated her lips, making them shiny and red…like she’d look after taking me in her mouth.
I swallowed hard and fed her another. She ate it slowly, deliberately, her gaze locked on mine the entire time.
I forgot this was meant to be a lesson in who was boss now. Instead, I fed her another strawberry. And another. By the fourth, I was iron-hard.
A muscle in my jaw worked. Was she playing me? Or was she as caught up in the moment as I was?
I couldn’t read her, and it was driving me insane.
It didn’t help that my dick didn’t give a damn either way. It strained against my pants, mindlessly eager to bury itself inside her tight, wet heat.
I could almost see Father shaking his head in disgust. “Control, son. That’s what separates the Primus from those he rules. A primus is always in command, especially of himself. From control comes strength and from strength comes power.”
I tore my gaze from hers. “Champagne?” I asked coolly.
When she nodded, I popped the cork and poured us both a glass.
“Thank you.” Mila accepted hers with a longing look at the sandwiches, cut into triangles and arranged on their own plate. “What are those?” She pointed to a trio of miniature shrimp po’boys.
“A New Orleans specialty.” I brought the small, fried-shrimp-stuffed roll to her mouth.
She took a taste and closed her eyes with pleasure. “More, please.”
I fed her another po’boy, followed by curried chicken on wheat bread. I continued feeding her between sips of champagne until she’d eaten most of the sandwiches, then had a few myself.
She finished her champagne and set the flute down.
“More?” I lifted the bottle.
“No, thanks.” She stifled a yawn. The tendons of her neck stretched.
I stared, arrested, at all that smooth, delicious flesh. The hunger rose up in me—for both blood and sex. Even for a dhampir, it could be almost unbearable at times.
She brought her hand to her throat. “Are you—tonight?”
“Am I what?”
“You know.”
“Going to feed from you?”
Beneath her fingers, a pulse jumped. My mouth watered. I could literally taste how good Mila would be, savor the warm rush of her blood as I sank my teeth into her throat at the same time I stroked into her hot cunt.
She nodded wordlessly.
Control, Gabriel.
“No.” My voice sounded harsh in my ears. “You’re tired. Go to bed.”
“Oh.” Her swallow was audible. “Okay. You sure? I mean, a deal is a deal…”
Was she relieved or disappointed? I couldn’t tell.
But I did know that if I stayed much longer, I was going to push her down on the couch and rip the remains of that snug excuse for a dress off her—and when I did, I wanted a woman who wasn’t about to keel over from exhaustion.
I rose to my feet, pulling her up with me. “Go.”
I turned her toward the bedroom, but couldn’t resist bringing my mouth to the turn of her neck. Inhaling her honeyed scent.
A tremor went over her—and then, very slowly, she tilted her head to the side. Exposing the tender skin beneath her jaw.
My breath punched in my lungs. My fangs lengthened.
In the thirteen months we were a couple, I’d never fed from her. At first, I hadn’t wanted to scare her off. For the first time in my life, I had a woman who treated me like just another guy, and I liked it. We had sex—I wasn’t a damned monk—but the summer we’d met, she’d only just turned twenty-one. She might have been of age, but she seemed so fucking young. I’d believed it was the honorable thing to do, a way to prove to Mila that she was more to me than just another human.
Now it seemed incredible that I’d never even taken a taste. Maybe if I had, she wouldn’t have run.
Darkness slithered through me. Moving her hair aside, I scraped my fangs over that soft, exposed spot, careful not to break the skin.
Her breath sped up, and her eyelids lowered. “Gabriel. Please...”
My throat hummed in a low, pleased growl. I would have her, writhing beneath me and begging. Taking anything I wanted to give her and pleading for more. Screaming my name until her voice broke.
But not tonight.
“Get some sleep.” I straightened up and smacked her round ass. “And Mila?” I feathered my lips over her nape.
“What?”
“You will tell me. Anything I want to know.” I turned and strolled to the door.
I deactivated the security and went out, shutting the door behind me. The security reactivated immediately after.
Mila’s outraged growl was audible through the closed door.
When I chuckled, Airi eyed me strangely.
My brows snapped together. “Guard her with your life,” I told the enforcer, and entered my suite.
9
Mila
I stared at the locked door, equal parts angry and aroused. For a few minutes, I’d forgotten everything but Gabriel. His scent. His hard body. His magical, knowing fingers.
My muscles had been lax, my pussy wet for him.
When he’d scraped his teeth down the side of my throat, I’d nearly come out of my skin.
And then he’d left me.
“Prick,” I growled. I don’t know who I was more upset with, him or myself. One thing I knew: I was damned if I’d tell this cold-eyed stranger why I’d left.
Even if he did make my lady parts sit up and beg.
My dress had hiked up. I jerked the skirt down, tearing it past all repair. With a feral snarl, I dragged the damn thing off and shoved it into a waste basket before stomping into the bathroom.
The soaking tub was actually a big jacuzzi. I blew out a breath.
You’re in.
That was the important thing. If Gabriel wanted to play with me, well, I couldn’t blame him. And I also couldn’t pretend I hadn’t liked it.
I took a quick shower to wash off the makeup and my own nervous sweat, and then filled the tub, adding bubble bath for good measure. I lowered myself into the hot water and turned the jets on low. As they purred to life, a sigh of pure pleasure escaped my lips. I sank deeper until the bubbles reached my chin.
For a few minutes, I just lay there. It made no sense, but for the first time in a long while, I felt safe.
I knew it wouldn’t last. Gabriel’s security seemed solid, but Andre was an old, powerful vampire. He’d find a way inside.
Not tonight, though. Andre hadn’t told me much, but I’d heard enough to guess the plan was to attack Gabriel in his Manhattan penthouse.
So for now, I was safe, and so was Gabriel.
I swallowed sickly. I fingered my left earring, wishing I dared remove it and its mate. They were soldered on, but a pair of wire cutters would do it.
But they had Joey.
Andre had tied my hands as surely as if he’d snapped a pair of steel cuffs on me. I couldn’t even write Gabriel a note. “We’ll know if you do,” Andre had warned.
I wasn’t sure how he’d know, unless he had someone on the inside—or maybe they were monitoring me via Gabriel’s security system? But I coul
dn’t take the chance.
I cast a bleak look in the direction of Gabriel’s suite and got out of the tub. My relaxed feeling had evaporated along with the bubbles.
Back in the bedroom, I turned the lamp on low. It had been a long time since I’d slept without a nightlight. Too many monsters lurked in the dark.
Curling up in the big bed, I stared at the sky-colored wall, sure I wouldn’t sleep, even worn out as I was. But for too long, my nerves had been stretched to the breaking point, and my belly was full. The combination made me heavy-eyed.
I rolled onto my other side. This time I faced the windows. The blinds were closed, but somewhere far below, the ocean threw itself against the rocks, over and over, in a hypnotic rhythm.
My eyelids drifted shut. I felt again Gabriel’s hands on my shoulders, massaging me, long-fingered and sure. Touching me exactly where I most needed it.
Sorrow stabbed through me. I’d missed him so much. It hurt, to have him be so cold.
But his kindness hurt even more, because I didn’t deserve it. I didn’t know how or why Andre would attack, but he would. And then Gabriel would fight Andre to the death rather than allow him to hurt me.
It was time to face facts. I didn’t have to do a thing to help Andre. Just my being here endangered Gabriel. My accepting the blood bond had made things even worse. Gabriel was honor-bound to protect me now.
God, I’d been stupid. Hot tears pricked my eyes.
You did what you had to do. It was Gabriel or Joey. At least Gabriel has a fighting chance.
But knowing that didn’t do a thing to relieve the guilt eating me from the inside out. I moaned and pressed the heels of my hands to my eyelids.
Outside, the ocean heaved and sighed. Gradually, my breath slowed to match it.
When I was sure I wasn’t going to cry, I took my hands from my face and resolutely closed my eyes. I might not be able to sleep, but I needed to rest.
10
Gabriel
I spent the rest of the night working in the study off my bedroom. Near dawn, my father finally contacted me on the secure phone, a cryptic text that was pure Karoly Kral.
Pursued: A Vampire Syndicate Paranormal Romance (The Vampire Syndicate Book 1) Page 6
