My heart raced. I didn’t want to leave him. "I want to stay with you." I wasn’t sure why I said it, but I knew that I meant it.
He laughed softly, the sound of it bittersweet. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back against him. His body tightened with my touch. I wasn’t sure if he didn’t trust me or himself. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me and never let me go. How could he send me away when it was obvious that he felt this way too? I pleaded with him in my mind to let me be with him, to let me stay with him for all time. "Soon, soon, now you must go. This is not a place the living should linger in. It is good to know you are well. I did not believe the magic-man when he told of your arrival, now I see that it is true. Go now, I will come for you soon."
"Promise," I said.
I took a step forward then turned around fast. I could see nothing, but I knew he was still there, still before me. I leaned forward and reached my hand up. My fingers went to his long hair. Even without seeing him, I knew everything about him, yet I knew nothing. I stood on my tiptoes and whispered to him. "Amore eternal." I had no idea what I’d just said, but he did. He pulled me tight to him and kissed my forehead. Desire washed over my body and the need to have him in me flooded my senses. I tilted my head up and his sweet lips met mine. It was all that I’d hoped it would be, and so much more. Each swipe of his tongue over my lips made me damp and hungry for more. I nibbled at his mouth as his tongue continued to trace the edges of my mouth.
We kissed as though we’d been lovers all my life. There was no awkwardness between us, no fumbling. My nipples puckered as our bodies pressed close. I ached for him to touch me, to take me.
Flames, suddenly, shot up around us. Terrified, I screamed out.
His lips met mine, and he held me tight to him. "Do not be afraid." His voice rattled around in my head. "Dream little one, dream and remember."
Heat rushed over my body. I closed my eyes, and surprisingly enough, sleep came to me. My mind lifted and allowed the memories to filter into it. My eyes flickered open. I knew that I wasn’t awake, yet this was no dream.
I saw before me a pile of naked bodies. Men and women lay crumbled in the pile. Their vacant eyes stared out at me. I felt no fear. I felt full. My lips curved into a tiny smile as I watched the blood run from the inner thigh of the woman closest to me.
A male voice spoke softly behind me. I didn’t turn to see him. He moved his body close to me and ran his fingers over my naked skin. He moved around to my breast, and I bent down to the women’s body to admire our handy work. Her eyes met mine. She was not dead yet, close, but not yet.
I knew that she would not scream out or fight. I knew that she was mine now to do with as I pleased. I also knew that she’d been a wicked woman who had enjoyed killing men. That was how I had found her. She’d tried to seduce my lover. She had lured him away at the ball we’d both attended. She knew he was rich and she wanted a piece of it. Her plans had been to lure him back to her room and have her male companions rob and murder him. They’d all gotten the surprise of their lives when I’d shown up to aide my lover in his time of need. Together we had killed every one of them. We had drunk of their blood until we could drink no more. We let it flow from their dead bodies.
We were not normally wasteful, but this group had been killing people throughout Europe for years. We put an end to that. The woman who lay before me was not the mastermind behind the scheme, no--he lay dead in the heap of bodies. No, this woman was of simple mind. She’d been recruited for her beauty.
Her rich blond hair had been hidden under a powdered wig of white. The dress that she’d worn was as green as her eyes. Oh, yes, she was a remarkable sight. I wanted her to be forever one of us. I could turn her to help us eradicate the evil ones. I knew I could. My lover had agreed to let me have her. He was always making exceptions where I was concerned.
My lover kissed my neck gently, his cool lips sending pleasure throughout my nether regions. Each tiny caress, each brush of his lips made me thick with moisture and a need to have him buried within me.
I normally would have used my powers to hold the woman’s mind and even kill her, but she’d been a naughty girl. She had planned to kill my lover. I planned on her holding her mind enough to keep her lucid, and then releasing her to feel her end in its entirety.
Finding a companion to wander the world with for over a hundred years had not been easy. Finding a soul mate had been even harder, and she had tried to lure mine to his death. Much to her surprise, his death had taken place many centuries before her tiny plan formed. Yes, he was no longer of the living.
He put his naked body against mine. He kneaded my breasts, tweaking each nipple with precision. I leaned farther forward so that he could enter me. I cried out in pleasure as his thick cock entered me. My channel held it tight, contracting, pulsating as he drove himself deeper into me. His balls smacked against my clit as he claimed my body over and over again.
His thrusts seemed perfectly choreographed with my kisses on the woman’s soft lips. Each lick of her soft flesh I took sent him closer to the edge of release. I knew his body as if I knew my own. His body tensed and I could feel the shared climax approaching. I lifted my magic from the woman. Her eyes unglazed, she blinked. I opened my mouth wide and sank my fangs into her neck. Her scream coincided with our orgasmic release. Her life slipped away as we hit full-blown ecstasy.
I collapsed onto of her body. I propped myself up on one arm and moved my finger up to my full breast. I ran my fingernail over it, slitting it open. Blood swelled to the top of the fresh wound. I ran my finger through it, collecting it before putting it in her mouth. She blinked, and her lips tightened on my fingertips. I lifted her head to my chest. I pressed her mouth to my bleeding breast and let her suckle my sweet demon blood.
"With this blood, I call you to me from the pit of hell. You will forever be mine." I spoke in a language I did not recognize, yet I understood every word. "From this point on you will be known as Camille, the unblemished one." I pulled her from my breast. Blood ran down the corners of her mouth. I leaned forward and lapped it off her chin. "Tell me my child. Tell me what I want to hear."
"I am your Camille, your unblemished one." Her green eyes locked on me. "I shall always obey you, Mistress."
I stood slowly from her with my lover still close behind me. I turned and caught a glimpse of a mirror on the wall. I was covered in blood. The startling turquoise in my eyes was all that remained recognizable.
I looked for my lover. He was gone. Flames rose slowly around me. I stood wide-eyed staring at my smeared reflection. I reached my hand out as the flames engulfed me. A moment later, I screamed out.
Cool hands grabbed me. "Valerie, it’s all right now." I looked up to see Guytano standing over me. I could still feel the temperature rising. I still felt like I was burning. Guytano jerked his hands off me.
"The heat. How did you do the heat?"
What the hell was he talking about? I’d just had one of the freakiest nights of my life and this guy suddenly thought I could change the temperate of the room at will. Yeah, the day was shaping up to be a doozey. "Well, while you weren’t looking, I rubbed two sticks together and hoped for the best."
He rolled his eyes. "I take it you’re feeling better."
I thought about it for about a millisecond before I nodded. I didn’t feel fine. I grabbed my neck and it was smooth. I was relieved, for a minute, I actually believed that Torin had bit me.
Guytano smiled at me. I really liked his smiles. I could see why fans lined up to spend money viewing him--he was amazing. My hands brushed against my sides, someone had changed my clothes. I was in something long and satin. I looked down. The black sheets and I matched perfectly. How cute.
"Where am I? Where’s Payton?" I looked around. The room was very large and dark. The walls were painted dark red and the carpet matched. Huge heavy black drapes hung from ceiling to floor on the wall to my left. To my right, two doors stood on both sides of a large black dresser. The place looked like
a Goth wonderland.
My gaze fell on Guytano. He only had on a pair of loose black pajama bottoms and a matching silk shirt that was completely undone. I saw a theme with his taste in clothing. The look of his naked chest was enough to take my breath away. I backed up against the cushioned headboard. I didn’t want to let him have that kind of power over me.
"Where am I, and where’s Payton?" I repeated my questions. This time my voice wasn’t nearly as calm.
"You are a guest in my home." He looked around the room. "Or should I say my home until the end of filming."
I didn’t want to be another notch in some rich guy’s bedpost. Even though he was the most gorgeous man I’d ever laid eyes on. "Where’s Payton?"
Guytano’s head fell down slightly. He seemed to be searching for just the right words. "I am assuming that Payton is the man from your house. If that is so, then you should know that he’s not here." I slid out of the big bed quickly. I was about to start another screaming match. Guytano continued and held me off. "I did go in to look for him. I was not able to locate him."
"Why the hell are you following me around? And, more importantly, what are you?" I shot him a nasty look that anyone else would have cowered from. He stood his ground. "And, why in the hell is your little buddy, Torin, attacking me and mine." Great, it sounded like I had marked my territory. Maybe I was part of the Mafia before my accident? Not likely.
Guytano was suddenly in front of me. I hadn’t seen him move. He startled me. I fell backwards. His hand slid around and caught my waist. "I am afraid that you are mistaken. Torin and I are no longer friends." I managed to get my footing, but he didn’t move his arm. "I was not following you. I was following Torin. After you left us, we continued our little ‘disagreement’. I feared that he would seek you out to punish me, and I was correct. I lost his scent in front of your home." He looked at me with those black eyes, and my body tightened. I wanted to be stroking that smooth pale white chest. I had to fight with myself to keep from reaching out to touch him. "I assumed that he had doubled back to the old mill. When I did not find him there, I went back to where I’d lost him. That is when I found you and your lover." The word lover came out harshly. I let it slide. It was none of his business who I did and did not sleep with, but something he had said sat well with me.
"Scent, you said, you followed his scent. Like a bloodhound?" I asked.
His head tipped back, and laughter spilled from his lips. My inner thighs tightened. This guy had a voice that made you want to have sex with him. Add that to his muscular body, smooth skin, dark blue eyes, and voila, you have my version of a walking sexual fantasy.
Guy made no attempt to answer my question. The rich and famous probably didn’t have to answer for much. He slid his hand down and touched the top of my butt, causing my body to shiver with excitement. I wanted to close my eyes and have him run his hands all over me.
"Why am I here?" The words popped out of my mouth. Leave it to me to go all practical at the first stirrings of lust. Guytano moved his hand over my arm. I didn’t pull away. I should’ve, but I didn’t. His touch made the tiny hairs on my body stand on end. Unsure of my feelings for Payton and being eager to find any excuse not to commit, I closed my eyes and savored his every touch.
Guytano’s hand continued to caresses my bare arm lightly. "Torin tried to hurt you to send me a message." He looked past me. His eyes glassed over, and I watched as yellow flecks pushed up through them.
"Your eyes."
"Yes, it’s not important. I won’t question you about being a witch and you will leave my eyes alone."
"Fair enough," I knew when I was getting a good deal.
"Torin and I have quite the extensive history together. I believe that he thinks you and I are a great deal closer than we are."
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. "You mean sexually?" It seemed like a reasonable question before I said it, now it just seemed silly. My cheeks reddened. Great, blushing again, what a shocker! Guy’s smile told me that Torin definitely did think he and I were an item. "What difference does that make? It’s not like you can go around attacking people just because you’re pissed off at them. There are laws against that you know." This brought a huge smile to his face.
"I’ve lived for many years, and never once has the law ever held any power over us." His voice was calm. I took a good look at him. Many years? He didn’t look much older than me.
"Can the cryptic lingo. I’m sure that in your, what, thirty years on this earth that you’ve been good at avoiding the law. Big deal, I’ve managed that too. In fact, most people live their entire lives without being incarcerated." I could have gone on and on. I wanted to know who the "us" was that he referred to. I wanted to know exactly how I’d gotten into these pajamas. There were a ton of things I was dying to ask him, but I got the impression that baby steps were called for here.
"Valerie, looks can be deceiving. You of all people should know that." If I was supposed to know what he was talking about, we were screwed. I was beyond lost. "You’re correct many humans do not draw the attention of the law makers." The way he said humans was not normal, there was much contempt in his voice.
I’d had enough. I broke contact with him by taking two steps to the left. "I don’t give a shit about the little rich boy who had a tough childhood." I looked around the room and lifted my hand out, motioning to his furnishings. "From the looks of it, you’re doing just fine now. None of this is an excuse for one of your little buddies to come after me. Now if you will excuse me, I’d like to get dressed and file a police report." I headed for the door. "I need to call Dr. Sullivan ... Payton, he needs to know I’m okay."
Guytano grabbed my wrist. He put enough pressure on it to stop me, but not enough to hurt me. "I am afraid that you cannot bring the police in on this matter. It is of a personal nature." I looked at him. How could he stand there and tell me that I couldn’t go to the police for help? Some steroid-crazed sex god was after me, and I was just supposed to sweep it under the rug and hope for the best? Yeah, right! I yanked my wrist free and headed for the door.
"Valerie, I forbid you to leave this room." He said it with such conviction that part of me wanted to stop and listen to him. The other part of me, the sane one, wanted to get the hell out of there. I listened to that one and headed for the door. Guytano beat me to it. I’m not sure how he did it, because I never heard him move. He put his body in front of the door. I had no problem going through him, if it came down to it. "I said that I forbid you from leaving this room."
I smiled at him. He was joking right? "Umm, well, Master, I think I’ll do as I damn well please. Now move or I will move you."
He looked shocked, but he moved. "Interesting, you are acting like you’re one of us now." He took a step closer. I backed away.
"Would you tell me honestly if you were?" he asked.
"If I was what?"
"One of us."
I didn’t have time to answer, a voice from the other side of the door called out to him. "Hey Guytano, where are you? You’re not coffin bound are you?" Guytano froze for a minute and looked at me. If he kept on expecting me to understand him, it was going to be a long day.
Guytano pulled back and walked out of the room. I of course followed. There was no way I was going to miss out on a thing. I followed him out and into an enormous room. The room seemed to be many rooms in one. I saw a large group of blood red sofas, facing each other, and a huge black table between them that could easily dub as a coffee table or as extra seating. The ceilings in the massive room had to be at least thirty feet high
"Sorry, Guy, I didn’t know that you had someone here." A man that I recognized from the other night in the warehouse said.
"Yes, Charan, thank you."
Chapter 11
For the next hour I argued with Guytano to let me leave. I tried to use his phone, but he didn’t have one. What kind of star didn’t have a phone? Charan had been nice enough to offer to let me use his cell phone. I tried Payto
n’s house, then Molly’s, I even resorted to calling Payton’s office. I couldn’t get ahold of anyone.
Guytano retired to his room. In my opinion, that was the best place for him. I’d had more than enough of his cocky, yet somewhat charming behavior. I was sick with worry over Payton and needed to get to him.
"You know, Guytano’s a really nice guy once you get to know him," Charan said, as we headed toward the door.
"I’ll just bet he is. Now can you take me home?" I asked. I had no idea where we were. If we were still in town, then I had no doubt that I could walk home. Our town was about as tiny as they come. If we were in the neighboring city, then I’d need to get a ride. He gave me an odd look and checked his watch.
"You sure you want to head out? The sun’s coming up in less than an hour. You could hang here today if you want."
Wow, these guys would make millions in the business of confusing people. I stepped out and into a long hallway. The brick was painted a soft cream color out here. It helped to take away from the heavy Goth theme the place had going on. I made my way down to the exit marked stairs. I saw an elevator door next to it. I wasn’t taking my chances. This didn’t feel like an apartment building. Something was different about it. We headed through the green metal door and down the stairs.
We hit the lower level and I pushed the large wooden door open. The hour just before the sun rises is so beautiful, and the view was amazing. I looked out at the large, well-manicured grounds and caught the faintest glimpse of the sun poking up. Charan came to a stop beside me.
"See a lot of these?" he asked.
I turned and gave him a questioning look. He smiled and gestured to the rising sun.
"Yes," I said.
Chapter 12
Charan drove me back to Molly’s house. It was odd not thinking of it as home anymore, but it was true. He didn’t ask me to invite him in, he just followed me. He took one look at my bedroom window and excused himself.
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