by Mandi Casey
I laughed. “Daire, just because I confided to you my fears of being the Selected doesn’t mean I’m not watching you, too.”
His grin widened. Leaning his mouth so close to my ear I felt his breath on the sensitive shell, he said, “You learn fast. I told you, Sydney, if you stick with me you’ll do all right. Hell, you may even realize you find me irresistible and ache for my sexual prowess, once we figure out who did what to you.”
We ascended the steps to the house. Daire held the door for me. The sensation of the hand he placed close to my backside when he entered behind me burned with an intimate promise. It took everything I had to focus on keeping my stare forward, pretending not to notice how his touch was sending sensual shocks to my core. I had it bad for the half-breed vampire; I wanted him as much as I wanted Blake.
“We’ll see what happens, you can bet on that. I almost feel pity for you. You see, I’m not sure I’ll have such reactions to you once I’m fixed.” We continued to stroll through cliques of vampires being served by humans, both by glass and the offering of their necks.
Daire kept my hand tucked in his arm while he used the other hand to rub his thumb along my fingers. I didn’t pull away but he made it difficult to concentrate on anything beyond the sensations he was inducing.
Seeing humans give their blood to vampires bothered me less than when I was first introduced to the coven. Kieran’s coven made a glorious show in displaying themselves as the predators they were. I suspected they wanted to instill fear in me. They’d failed, but not because I wasn’t intimidated by the threat of them ripping my throat out at any given moment. Kieran had made an example out of an errant vampire who’d dared insult me. The vampire lived, but only barely.
Daire stepped in front of me but kept my hand in his. I didn’t mind having him for an escort. The coven members gave him a wide enough birth. Despite leaving us alone, they sized us up under lowered gazes. That was fine, as long as they kept their distance. Daire’s statements about the Others hit home emphasizing that I was utterly alone amongst them, despite being in the mansion with their numbers topping two hundred.
The main dining hall had once again been turned into a large dancing area. The entertainment for the evening was provided by a ten-piece orchestra playing classical music. Beautiful people occupied the dance floor, gracefully gliding over the perfectly polished marble floor.
Daire turned to face me and lifted my hand. I giggled like a schoolgirl as he firmly insisted on us joining in with the others for the dance. He twirled me around with the ease only a vampire’s strength could give him. We enjoyed each other’s company while we swayed to the music despite the others’ coming and going.
The music stopped abruptly. We turned to the wide entrance of the hall just in time to see Kieran’s grand arrival. He wore a well-tailored suit, not unlike the ones he required his Knights to wear.
Kieran opened his arms wide to all in the room. “Welcome, my coven. Tonight, we are here to celebrate the event of togetherness, as only we know how. Enjoy.” He queued for the musicians to resume playing their instruments.
Daire twirled me around once more. He led the dance, swaying our hips from side-to-side as he placed his cheek against mine.
“You know, I think I’m going to like my new assignment quite a bit more than I first thought.”
I could tell he was smiling from the movement of his cheek muscles against my face.
“Did you know about your assignment as my bodyguard that first night when I saw you at the palace?”
He nudged my side with his palm. I hadn’t realized we stopped moving to the music for a moment. We resumed the slow dance that did nothing to cool my ardor.
“No, the night you fell from the sky, landing in my arms like an angel, I did not know that it was I who would be given the pleasure of watching over you. I did know your identity and station, however.” There was an orange-tinted hue around his eyes, making them glow brighter.
“Uh, huh. Like you said, I don’t know if I can believe anything you say.” I smiled as he continued to swing me around, thrusting me away only to bring me back into his embrace as we swayed to the left, then to the right.
“Sydney.” He tilted his head like a parent getting ready to scold a child.
A deep booming voice interrupted Daire before he could finish. “Daire, I will be cutting in, thank you.”
Kieran didn’t mince words with his new Knight in telling him to get lost. I supposed, as the coven Master, Kieran couldn’t afford to be a soft leader when dealing with his subordinates, who could annihilate an entire city of humans in a single night.
Daire bowed to Kieran but didn’t leave before he kissed the top of my hand.
“To what do I owe the honor of dancing with our gracious host?” I smiled up into Kieran’s maroon-colored eyes. His eyes were a different hue from all of the other vampires in his coven. He’d once told me they often change when a vampire turns three hundred years old. Kieran was well past that time-acquired achievement.
“Ah, my dearest Sydney. It is my honor to be dancing with you. Are you enjoying yourself this evening? I noticed whose company you’ve kept since arriving. Is the Knight behaving in a proper manner while in your presence?”
We’d resumed dancing while we spoke. His movements were nothing like Daire’s. The coven leader had been born a vampire. He had never quite mastered human-like expressions and movements, and I found I could add dancing to the list of his attempts to appear more human.
I went on tiptoes to speak quietly in his ear and he still had to lean forward a bit to hear. “Have you been able to find out any information about my new bodyguard?”
Kieran awkwardly swung me away from him then clumsily brought me back in his arms. He needed to work on his moves for sure. “Yes, I told you he was only half-vampire. The demon blood coursing through those dubious veins of his comes from his father, a Judge.”
“You told me that, but what kind of demon Judge was his father?”
“His father is a Fate demon, Sydney. Daire, if he is capable of harnessing the powers given to him at birth, can manipulate outcomes by the use of sight.” Kieran must have decided he’d had enough of our inelegant dance exhibition and led us toward a set of private rooms we’d used in the past to speak without fearing being overheard.
It was nice being with the vampires. Away from Daire, I felt refreshed feeling the cold essence of their presence. I also enjoyed not feeling the crippling pain that came with the rogue’s presence who infiltrated the party the last time I visited Kieran’s mansion on the lake.
We went into a library with books lining the walls. It was my favorite room in the house. A roaring fire blazed in the hearth. I walked over to enjoy the heat from the flames. Kieran instructed his human servants to always have a fire going anytime I planned on coming for an event because he knew my being around so many vampires was quite the cold experience.
Kieran locked the library door. The coven leader and his vampires shared a similar communication link as Blake’s wolf pack did, except Kieran had to consciously use it whereas the wolf bond was open all the time, between every pack member. I think I’d go crazy having to listen to the thoughts of so many people all day long, every single day.
Kieran took a seat near the fire to be close while I warmed up.
“Sydney, I haven’t been able to find anything nefarious in regards to Liam’s replacement.” I turned to gaze over his face. We shared a knowing sadness at Kieran’s previous Knight’s betrayal. Liam had been a vampire I called my friend. He’d been fun to hang out with. Unfortunately, he’d focused his life on a very old vendetta that he couldn’t let go. It didn’t matter who was caught in the fray as long as he achieved his goal. In the end, Liam ended up dead. His target was still living in secured confinement with the other Elders.
“So, you�
�re going to keep Daire on his assignment, right?” I held my breath, waiting for Kieran’s replay. I didn’t want to think of the reason why it was so important Daire remain as my bodyguard, but it was. I knew why I wanted him around. I was starting to fall for the arrogant half-breed, but I wasn’t sure if my feelings were the result of whatever weird mojo someone had cursed me with or if it was because I was really falling for him.
Either way, I needed to find out. I couldn’t do that if he wasn’t around.
Kieran’s eyes opened wide, expressing his surprise at my request. “If that is what you would prefer then, yes, the Knight will carry on as your personal guard. If, at any time, you feel differently, then you will notify me at once. I will enjoy having him removed from your vicinity immediately.”
I felt pure joy with Kieran’s decision. The urge to kiss him on the cheek overwhelmed me, but I refrained. We didn’t have that kind of relationship. I never wanted to cross the line by being anything more than cordial. He’d shared his blood with me on more than one occasion to save my life, speeding up the healing process of my wounds, but beyond that, I didn’t want to be hugging and kissing the vampire on a regular basis, even if it would always be on a father-daughter level.
Brianna, Michael, and, I bet it was safe to assume, Blake, too, were waiting for me at Max’s bar, so I had to get going. Being around vampires was fine, but I’d had enough for one night. Kieran escorted me to the main dining hall where the vampires continued to revel in dancing with the occasional bite on the neck of their human blood addicts.
Kieran steered me to the hallway bidding me farewell.
I turned to leave only to bump into someone. “Excuse me,” I said, trying not to cause a confrontation. Vampires weren’t known for common courtesy. They tended to react with violence, especially when it came to the males.
The bumped vampire turned, but not before I had the pleasure of eyeing up the vampire’s generously wide shoulders.
I should have known my body had reacted for a reason.
Daire smiled as he put his fingertips under my chin to raise my face, forcing my eyes to meet his. Glowing red orbs tinted with an orange border seared me to the core. My reaction to him was intensifying. If I didn’t get out of the mansion, I was afraid I’d let him have his way with me. I was pretty sure I would let him even if the vampires were watching.
My body hurt with sexual need.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him behind me while we made our way through the gathering of vampires in the hallway leading to the exit. Why did vampires have to congregate in the hall? I tried not to bump into anyone else, but at that point it didn’t much matter who I pissed off. I had to get out into the night air. Vampire-cooled air wasn’t the same as the fresh night air.
Recognizing my urgency, Daire took the lead. He pushed through the masses, creating a straight path out of the house. We crashed through the front doors. Relief washed over me the moment the cold air blasted me in the face. I could physically separate myself from Daire, the source of my extreme wantonness.
Running down the steps, not an easy task in my fabulous knee-high, high-heeled black boots, I stumbled down the last two steps. In my haste, I lost my balance. I found myself air-borne, plummeting straight to the ground with my palms outstretched in front of me.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist. The impending path of gravel-embedded flesh with a possible concussion from my head bouncing on the pavement like a basketball was redirected with the swiftness from the vampire’s, or half-vampire, half-demon’s, quick thinking.
Daire flipped me in the air like a pancake. He caught me up in his arms with the grace of someone who seemed to have executed that same move a hundred times. He leaned his face close to mine, placing a soft kiss on my lips.
“You have a habit of falling like an angel right into my arms, Sydney. Have you ever heard of fate?” A devilish smirk lined those fabulous lips.
I squared my fist before punching him in the chest. “Put me down, right now.”
Struggling against his grasp, I jumped away from him the second my heels touched the ground. His comment about fate didn’t pass by me without notice. According to Kieran, Daire was all about fate.
“Sydney, what is wrong with you?” Genuine concern showed in his furrowed brow.
Taking a few steps away, I put my hands up to ward him off. “I don’t know, but the reaction I’m having to you keeps getting stronger. Daire, I can’t let that happen. I have to go.”
I stepped sideways to walk away. His hand clasped around my bicep, stopping me mid-stride.
“You can’t just walk away. We’ll figure out what’s happening to you, together.” He firmly planted me against his body, making the sense of urgency to be taken flare to a peak. I groaned against his chest, taking the lapel of his suit between my fingers. I reveled in the sensation while rubbing the fabric against my cheek. Inhaling the scent of his cologne, I memorized the smell of him.
He grabbed my arms and pushed me away.
Confused, I gazed at him with disappointment.
“Thought you said you wanted me, Daire.” I put a sensual purr to the tone of my words. I was done fighting the attraction between us. I wanted to feel his naked body against my burning flesh, just like in my dream. Our dream.
“Sydney, snap out of it.”
I saw an inner conflict warring behind Daire’s eyes. He placed his hands on his hips, separating the opening of his jacket.
The movement directed my gaze to his midsection. “Are your abs just as cut in real life as they were in the dream we shared? I think you should let me see for myself.”
I sauntered toward him, swaying my hips purposefully with each step. Two could play at that game.
Daire blinked out of my view into nothingness. I was alone, or so I thought.
“Sydney,” Daire called from behind me, a harshness in his voice. “Stay where you are. If you continue to come at me, I won’t be held accountable for my actions.”
Turning around with slow, deliberate steps on the graveled pave, I peered up at him from under a heavy lidded gaze. “My sweet, I want you to taste me like you were going to in my dream. I’ve thought of nothing else except you and me together since we shared that moment.”
I licked my lips, making him watch me, waiting for a response.
Daire’s chest heaved at a faster rate.
Good. I was getting to him.
He’d break soon, then I’d get what I wanted.
“I’m leaving, Sydney. You’re going to the bar to meet your sister as planned. I need to figure out what the hell is going on.” He stood close to the end of the mansion, yet I could hear him as clear as if he’d been whispering in my ear.
I let out a whimper of disappointment. My lip pushed out in a pout. “I thought you wanted me. You said you’d have me, did you not?”
“Don’t tempt me, Selected.” Daire’s using my station and not my name felt like a cold slap in the face. “I won’t forget this. I won’t let you, either. Once we have whatever spell has been cast upon you reversed, we’ll see how you feel about my taking you.”
Throwing my head back, laughing whole-heartedly, I said, “You silly vampire, you’re not the only man on the planet. There’re lots more willing participants where you came from.”
Under his breath, he said, “No, there’s not a lot like me where I come from.”
The sorrow in his voice shook me, forcing me from focusing on my mission to get my way. Nodding, I said, “You’re right, I need to leave.”
Taking my keys from my little black purse, compliments of Kieran, of course, I got into my car without another word.
Once I no longer could smell Daire’s scent, my head began to clear. My cheeks burned with embarrassment. I was so ashamed I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. Selecteds didn’t cry in
the heat of the moment. They figured out how to fix the problem, then they’d cry after the fact if they so needed.
I pounded my fist on the steering wheel to help get my mind back on task.
The music was loud. Bass from the six-foot speakers upstairs surrounding the DJ station thumped through the floor to the main dining area of the club. The lighting soothed my aching senses. I appreciated Max’s decorators; they weren’t big on bright light.
The glowing candle flames dancing on each of the white tablecloth-covered tables provided the perfect amount of illumination. I went straight up to the bar and the bartender handed me a bottle of beer. I guessed I should reevaluate the frequency of my partying with Brianna at the club since the bartender knew what I wanted before I even asked.
I smiled at the lean-bodied man in acknowledgement of his gesture as I gave him an extra dollar tip before leaving. Lifting my eyes upward, I decided to hit the ladies’ room on the first floor before heading up. The girls that used the one-stall bathroom never did their business fast enough in my bladder’s opinion.
The walls of the hallway were covered in dark gray bricks. I trailed my finger along the cold stone as I made my way to the bathroom. The door in front of me opened and my sister, Brianna, walked out.
With red, swollen eyes.
My heart sped up. I surveyed the rest of her to make sure there were no claw marks or vampire fang bites anywhere on her skin.
With a fresh sob, Brianna turned once she spotted me then went back in from where she had come. Trotting the rest of the length of the hallway, I whipped open the door.
“Brianna?” My sweet little sister sat on the bench in the bathroom that was used as a sitting area for those who had to wait to use the stall, or for their buzz to wear off.
