by Ann Lory
Nodding, she looked up into his black gaze. “I love it,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Her eyes shone with anticipation, making them twinkle like the brightest sapphires, and he had to force himself to breathe. She never failed to intrigue him with her liveliness and animation, and he had never met anyone else who could be so vulnerable one minute, then so spirited the next. He was humbled by her.
Jacques’s hand came up of its own accord and brushed her cheek. Then he slowly lowered his head, his lips lightly brushing hers. Heat swirled to the very core of him, leaving them both breathless as he pulled away.
“I am glad.” Taking her hand in his, his head reeling, he escorted her from the fountain and back to the hotel. At the entrance to her room, he kissed her tenderly. He wanted her desperately, but he also wanted to take things slowly. To savor every moment with her, every action and reaction.
He could hardly wait for the following night.
* * * * *
Mussek watched from a tree as Jacques and she entered the hotel. They had been spending a great deal of time together ‑‑ and he wanted to tear Jacques’s heart out for it. The fact that she had refused him, his apologies, and the many bouquets he had sent did not sit well with Mussek. He had never wanted to possess someone as much as he did this beauty, his Dominique. Just looking at her caused him to ache in anticipation.
He listened as Jacques kissed her goodnight, heard her breathless reply. Mussek’s vision turned completely red. Hatred began a steady burn in the pit of his stomach until he was consumed by it. This fledgling, the one he had saved, had betrayed him: Jacques would not step aside even when he knew Mussek was falling for her. Mussek deserved happiness after so many years of darkness.
He watched Jacques leave the hotel and take to the sky. Mussek continued to shield his presence from the other vampire, keeping a watch on the woman through her window. How many nights had it been now that he came to her in the night, with her unaware?
He could see her shadow in the room through the drawn curtains, the outline of her supple body; her curves were perfect, and he longed to caress them. To linger over every delight her body had to offer. He would have groaned if he could in his hawk’s form. His whole body tightened as desire speared through him.
The light went out in the room; shortly after, her even breathing told him she was asleep. He envisioned her on the bed, her golden hair a halo around her, her warmth beckoning him.
He flew to the balcony and transformed; with a thought, the door opened, and he walked silently across the floor to the bed. “Dominique.” He whispered, his insides clenching. He needed her to want him, to long for him.
Mussek reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, making sure she remained asleep with a mental push. Lowering himself to his knees beside the bed, he pulled her into his embrace and continued to stare down into her face, the very image of his beloved’s. Unable to help himself, Mussek bent his head and kissed her ‑‑ and as his lips touched hers, memories of the terrible night when Dominique had been ripped from his life flooded his mind.
There had been a terrible storm, and she’d been late, hadn’t arrived at his home as expected. He’d gone out in search of her, the rain pelting him as he sped along the road. Then he’d seen the overturned carriage and raced to the smashed wooden box. The poor horse had been neighing wildly as it lay on the ground, its coachman clearly dead with one hand extending from under the wreckage.
Rounding the corner of the vehicle, Mussek had screamed her name. Her broken body was half under the carriage and half exposed to the inclement weather. She’d been choking on her own blood, her eyes imploring him to relieve her pain, to save her. He had fallen to his knees beside her and torn a gash in his wrist, offering his lifeblood to her.
“Dominique. You must drink.”
Her lips had willingly closed over the wound, but it had been too late. Her heart ceased beating, and no matter how much of his blood he tried to coax down her throat and into her body, he had not been able to bring her back to life.
Even now, tears filled his eyes at his failure to revive her. He moved his lips from hers, then brushed them against her ear. “What are you doing with Jacques, my darling? Are you punishing me? Are you angry because I was unable to save you in your other life?” Mussek felt her trying to wake up, knew she sensed him there in her room. He cursed, then rubbed his lips back and forth over her temple. “You belong to me, my love, and I will claim you.” He rose quickly and whirled away, leaving her alone in the room.
Jacques would have to die, and Mussek would take great pleasure in killing him; the thought of his ex-protégé touching Dominique was enough to make him mad with jealousy.
Yes, Jacques would pay the price for challenging him, Mussek; the younger vampire would know the full measure of his former teacher’s wrath. And when he was out of the way, Mussek would have Dominique.
She would be his at last.
Chapter Nine
“This is gorgeous, Jacques. I didn’t know you had a vineyard.” Kelly gazed around her, and then at the plants looming over them as they sat beneath a starlit night. His castle loomed in the distance, and the fields were bathed in moonlight as she gazed down on them from their hilltop.
He poured a deep red wine into a glass and handed it to her. “It has been in my family generations, long before I was even born.” He lifted his glass. “What shall we drink to?” He watched as she considered the question, then smiled.
“To France. I’m beginning to like this place, after all.” They both laughed, and their glasses clinked together.
“I will drink to that.” Jacques knew his eyes must be gleaming with mirth.
Taking a sip of her wine, Kelly looked up at the sky. “Well, I think this is just amazing. I’m so glad you brought me out here.” Taking another drink, she said, “This is delicious; is it from your vineyard?”
He nodded, showing her the bottle. “Yes. 1878 was a fine year for my wine.”
Kelly took it and peered at the date inscribed on the glass. “How wonderful. Thank you again.” Studying him once more, she crossed her legs in front of her; he could already hear the unasked questions.
“Go ahead, Kelly.”
“What was your family like?”
Even though he’d known she would delve into his past, his heart clenched in his chest. “I had four sisters ‑‑ Adorinia, Sandrine, Carine, and Gisella ‑‑ but I was the oldest by many years and the only son. My father, Phillipe, was a duc, and these were his lands. My mother was Leeana, a beautiful and wonderful woman. They were good people, though it was mostly our nannies who took care of us. However, my father was there to instruct me on my future duties as a duc.”
Kelly’s eyes had widened. “You’re royalty.”
Jacques grinned at her and bowed from his seated position. “Yes, I am. Monsieur le duc de Devereaux.”
“Wow!” Kelly laughed enthusiastically, clapping her hands before her, then bouncing to her feet. She dipped in a grand curtsey. “Or should I say, ‘Monseigneur.’”
Jacques chuckled and pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her. “Never curtsey to me, Kelly.” He kissed her temple.
“Shouldn’t those of a lower station do so?” she teased.
“You? A lower station? I don’t think so. Someone as beautiful and innocent as you could never be classified as such.”
“I am not as innocent as you think.”
He gave her a knowing look and a slight smile.
“I’ve traveled, danced in different places. And, for all you know, I’ve banged--” he winced at the word, “--men from every nightclub and the entire San Francisco 49ers team.”
Even though her voice was light, his was serious when he responded. “It is not a matter of experience of the world or the number of lovers one has had, Kelly. Aside from what Gabriella did to Cassie, you’ve never truly experienced or witnessed evil. And, remember, I know everything about you, including your sexual
past. It is a part of our bond, created when you offered your blood to me.”
“Oh,” she said, clearly feeling uncomfortable.
His hands moved up the side of her face and gently brushed her hair back. He kissed her full pink lips. “You are a rare flower.”
She blushed at his words, then tilted her head and looked deeply into his eyes. “What happened to your family?”
Sighing, he gazed at the stars, away from her intent stare. “My entire family died of the black plague. I was the only survivor, and the Devereaux line died with me.” He laid his head against hers as she rocked him back and forth in her embrace. “I know you have kept people at arm’s length as well, and why, but will you tell me yourself?” She inhaled sharply. He knew the memories still hurt her.
“I was the only child and absolutely devastated when my parents died in a car accident. I was a teenager, and Cassie’s family took me in and finished raising me since my parents had no siblings, and both sets of grandparents had passed away when I was a baby.” She sighed heavily. “You’re not completely right, you know. Cassie is in my life, and her family, too. But I never wanted to be close enough to anyone else to experience that kind of hurt again if something happened... until you came along.”
Her words moved him, and he closed his eyes briefly; her heart beat an even rhythm in his head, and her voice hummed low in his soul. “I, too, loved my parents very much and felt the same as you did when they died.”
She took a shaky breath, and his hands ran up her spine, comforting her, urging her to continue. “I didn’t think I would survive, but Cassie... she saw me through those terrible days.”
Tears fell unchecked from her eyes, and she attempted to move away from him. He knew she was ashamed to cry over old hurts, but he refused to release her, and she finally sagged against him, letting the hurt flow out. He held her steadily while the sobs racked her trembling body and absorbed her pain. When the tears finally stopped, she wiped her eyes and gazed up into his. “I hate crying!”
He smiled. “I bring out the best in people.”
She touched his lips, tracing them, and his grin quickly faded. “Yes, you do.” She leaned forward slowly to kiss him, her mouth deliciously seductive. Jacques’s heart raced. They were mere inches from each other, their breaths mingling in anticipation... when a lightning bolt streaked across the sky.
Jumping to his feet, he examined the storm rolling in rapidly above and knew it was not Mother Nature’s fury, but Mussek’s. The squall was coming in without advance warning and with such ferocity that he knew the cause could be nothing else but the older vampire. Jacques could feel the rage in each loud rumble of thunder and in every flash through the air.
Without a second thought, he scooped up Kelly and raced with blinding speed toward the castle, but not before a torrent of rain beat at them, soaking both of them to the bone. Seconds later, they were safely in his home, even as the storm seemed to pound at the structure with a vengeance.
“Well, that came up out of the blue,” Kelly gasped out, as she looked through the cut-glass window.
Narrowing his eyes and searching the darkness, he nodded. “Yes, it did.”
Turning to face him, she gazed at him with enormous blue eyes. He saw that her lips were turning blue, and her teeth were beginning to chatter. He tugged her to him and ran his hands up and down her arms.
“Come, I will start a fire and find you some dry clothes to wear.”
He led her into the study and waved a hand toward the fireplace. A blaze came to life instantly. Kelly twitched, then smiled.
“More magic?”
He kissed her forehead. “Get out of those wet clothes and wrap yourself in the blanket on the back of the couch.” He winked at her. “Try not to be too loud, or Marian will have Quintin come and investigate to protect your virtue.”
Jacques laughed when her mouth dropped open in shock. He left the room and went to his chambers below the earth. The doors opened at his mental command, and he walked over to his armoire, pulling out a long-sleeved, button-down shirt. This should do till her clothes dry.
He paused for a moment, thinking of her dressed in his shirt, the way she would look, seductive and inviting. He imagined slipping the material from her body, his body tensing as wild thought after lusty thought went through his head.
* * * * *
Kelly paused, her blouse slipping from her fingers to pool on the floor alongside her jeans. She stood in a tank tee with matching white panties, staring toward the windows. Had Jacques just called her name? What was he doing outside again?
She stepped from the study, leaving the warmth of the room behind as she made her way to one of the many back doors that exited the castle. She moved out into the garden, the rain still pelting the earth, and was immediately drenched once more.
Kelly looked through the falling sheets of water and saw a figure. “Jacques?” She felt a little strange, as if her body had a will of its own, but continued to walk. Then she felt the attack on her mind. Before she could react, everything seemed to fall away.
Mussek watched with glee as Kelly came to him, held under his power. It was a bit difficult to maneuver around Jacques’s claim on her, but he’d managed by placing an aggressive hold on her so that she wouldn’t be able to fight him. There would be no gentle mind submission with Kelly; no, he’d learned from their first meeting at the theater the need to seize her firmly and without remorse.
“Yes,” he whispered. “Give me your hand.”
She did as she was told, her eyes gazing up at him but not really seeing, he knew. His gut clenched hotly as he brought her closer. He wanted to touch her for a moment before he took her away from this place, away from Jacques. She could and would bring him joy.
Mussek kissed her fingertips, then stroked her shoulders, which were slick with the rain. Just the sensation of her was like electricity beneath his hands.
His lips traveled down the column of her neck, the smell of her blood calling to him. Only a little taste; then they would go. His tongue lingered over her pulse, and he circled her waist with an arm, his free hand rising up to palm her full breast.
Her head fell back at his command, and he inhaled deeply. She was so full of life, his Dominique. His teeth grazed her delicate flesh briefly, and then he bit down on her neck, savoring the sweet fluid that flowed over his tongue.
Her moans filled his ears, and he gripped her mind more firmly, dragging her further under his thrall. Her body writhed against his, her arms holding him against her as he drank. Finally, he lifted his mouth, licked the wounds, and watched, mesmerized, as the pinpricks disappeared. He yanked his shirt open, desperate to feel her mouth on him as she took his blood.
Mussek slashed his chest, disturbed when she suddenly tried to fight him. Feeling his mental hold on her inexplicably slipping, he grabbed her arms roughly, shaking her slightly. “Do not fight me, Dominique.”
Walking back to the study with towels and dry clothes, Jacques’s breath caught in his throat. Something was wrong; Kelly wasn’t where he’d left her. He’d been so caught up in his own emotions and thoughts that he hadn’t noticed her leaving his study.
Then he heard it, felt it. Mussek’s call. Reaching for Kelly with his mind to help her against the hold Mussek had over her, Jacques filled with instant pride as she began to struggle.
He tore out of the castle with blinding speed, caught the older vampire around the throat, and pinned him to the garden wall. He heard Kelly hit the ground, her cry stunned. Jacques growled, his claws digging into the other vampire’s neck, but Mussek only grinned tauntingly.
“She’s mine, Devereaux. I’ve only begun to stake my claim on her.” Then, even as Jacques tried to prevent it, Mussek faded to mist and vanished.
Jacques screamed his outrage, his shout carrying over the very hills themselves. He was torn between chasing after Mussek and staying with Kelly. He heard a muffled groan and turned to her, decision made. Sweeping her into his arms, he carr
ied her back to the security of his home. She was shivering uncontrollably as he set her on her feet in his study.
“What happened?”
“Mussek tricked you.” Jacques wiped her down with a towel, his movements brisk and harsh in his enraged state. Then he glanced away from her. “I should have been more careful. I was... was...” Jacques felt her mind touch before he knew what she was doing.
“You were daydreaming about me.” Incredibly, she laughed.
He looked at her, shocked. It was clear she had no idea what had occurred, otherwise she wouldn’t be chuckling.
“My God, Kelly, if I hadn’t gotten there, he’d have truly claimed you. I never thought he’d actually go this far, but I tried to be alert just in case. Yet I still almost failed you.”
Her hand fell on his arm, stopping his quick back-and-forth strides. “What do you mean? What did he do? I have no memory of going outside. One minute I was here and, the next, I was in the rain.”
Jacques faced her; for the first time, he could almost view her entire body. Her golden hair fell down her back, heavy and dark from the downpour, and she wore only a now-transparent tank top, a white lace bra that outlined her delicious breasts, and white panties that framed her feminine mound. Her arms were slender, her legs long and glorious, and her waist, trim. The light in the room gleamed on her skin, making it appear like pure, pale silk.
She trembled. Cursing silently, he grabbed the shirt from the couch where he’d dropped it in his haste to rush to her rescue, and motioned for her to undress. When she raised her hands and, without any sign of shyness, removed the tee and unfastened the bra, Jacques gripped the shirt tightly, wrinkling the material. It seemed to him that her breasts practically leaped from the lacy cups. He found that he wanted so much of what she so delicately displayed.
Kelly grabbed her bra and panties and slid them from her body. Jacques had to suppress a groan at the wondrous sight she presented; his own body was hard as a rock, his stomach clenching hotly. Perfect pink nipples had become taut from the damp chill, and the juncture between her legs looked only too inviting; he wanted to touch her there, glide his fingers and his cock deep inside her. He wanted to crush her to him and kiss each breast while he pumped into her. But her pale skin and shivering brought him back to his senses. This fantasizing was what had gotten him into trouble in the first place and had left her open to Mussek’s deception.
