by Ann Lory
Kelly hung her head. She loved her husband more than life itself. She would have to think positive to make it through the next week. She knew her love for Jacques would sustain her. It had to.
Leaning against Christian again, she let him cradle her as she cried.
* * * * *
“No! My love!” Mussek spun around, his fury pushing at Jacques. “Where have they gone?”
Jacques looked his old teacher in the eyes. “Where you and I can never touch her.”
Mussek thrust his long talons at him, slashing out, but striking only air. “You will die, Devereaux.”
Jacques bowed elegantly.
Burin stepped forward to aid his master, but Damian was outside and moved toward the broken window.
“Oh, no. That would not be fair at all. Come to me, little man.” The servant bellowed as he was hurled from his feet to land in the front yard. “Welcome to your death.”
With one eye on Mussek, Jacques’s other eye noted that Damian's gaze glittered like black glass. Burin didn't have time to react before Damian’s talons cut the man's throat from ear to ear with one clean swipe.
The servant gurgled, suffocating on his life's blood.
Damian bent over the dying man, his lips curled in a cruel smile. “You chose Mussek, the wrong man to follow, and this is your punishment ‑‑ death by my hand.” Jacques heard his friend’s words as Damian brought his lips closer to the man's ear. “Unfortunately for you, there is no difference between me and your master.” The last of the man's breath left his body, and his eyes stared sightlessly at the night sky.
Jacques crouched low, waiting for the attack to come. Mussek stood across from him, his fangs gleaming in the light. He snarled, and Jacques reciprocated. Then they rushed toward each other, their bodies slamming together in mid-air.
Each strike was delivered quickly and blocked, until Mussek managed to fling Jacques away from him, raking his claws over Jacques’s torso, shredding his shirt and leaving deep red gashes. Mussek laughed, licking the blood away from his fingertips.
Jacques stared down at his chest; the pain was like liquid fire scorching his flesh. His head snapped up; then he pivoted and caught the other vampire off guard, slicing Mussek from shoulder to wrist, rendering one arm useless.
Mussek howled and streaked across the room, catching Jacques around the middle. Both men flew through the air, crashing through a wall and tumbling outside.
The battle continued, with lashes of power sending one man or the other crashing into objects. Their minds fought for control as Mussek choked Jacques from across the yard. Jacques managed to break the suffocating hold that Mussek wielded, struggling against the blackness that swirled around him, the shimmering stars that exploded in his mind.
Pushing both his hands forward with one last strike, Jacques was gratified that Mussek fell backward, crashing to the ground. Jacques wasted no time; with blinding speed he launched himself atop Mussek, who vanished, leaving Jacques to collide with the hard earth. He turned, but a hand wrapped around his throat stopped him as Mussek materialized once more.
Lightning lit the sky and slammed down around them. Jacques felt Mussek slipping into his mind, holding him immobile. No! This couldn’t be happening. He refused to believe it, but it was true; he felt Mussek’s power dominate him.
Jacques caught a glimpse of Damian from the corner of his eye, but the other man abruptly stopped in his tracks and fell. Michael stood behind him, holding a blunt object.
Michael smiled widely, and Mussek laughed.
“Trusting fool! To try to steal Dominique from me and think that I would not retaliate and still make her mine in the end.” He spat at Jacques’s immobile form.
“Oh, yes. She’s mine now, Devereaux. Know that nothing you can do or say will stand in my way.” Mussek reached toward the iron wrought fence surrounding his home. The metal groaned, bending, and then, finally breaking under the strain of Mussek’s strength, a jagged piece flying into the waiting vampire’s hand.
Jacques felt despair grip him; he had failed Kelly... and Damian as well. There was no one to stop Mussek. His years set him above and beyond everyone there; Jacques had been foolish enough to believe he could best his former teacher.
Mussek raised the rod above his head. Jacques refused to look away; he wanted to see the final blow as it came. He whispered a silent prayer for Kelly, but as the piece of iron came down toward his heart, a part of the same metal fence suddenly protruded from Mussek’s chest.
The vampire appeared incredulous for a moment; then his gaze met Jacques’s before he burst into dust, his ashes carried away on the night breeze. Both rods clanged loudly as they hit the ground.
Jacques immediately felt the release of Mussek’s hold on him and rose shakily to his feet to face Michael. He was stunned. “I thought you had betrayed us.”
Michael shrugged. “You fought well, but against Mussek, you needed someone whom he would not suspect of aiding you. Old as he was, none of you had a chance otherwise.”
“Thank you, Michael.”
“It was nothing.” Then Michael shifted and flew away.
Damian approached him, rubbing the back of his head. “He was always a bastard.”
Jacques grimaced as the pain from his wounds finally registered. His chest and stomach were badly slashed; he needed the healing soil of France. Damian caught Jacques as he staggered; then Damian lifted him into his arms. “My thanks, Damian.”
“I will take you home; then I must go.”
“You are welcome to visit the States with me.”
Damian shook his head. “No, D'Angel calls, and I must travel to her. She’s in danger and needs protection.”
Jacques grimaced at the mention of Damian’s maker. “You are a good man, my friend. Allow yourself to behave as one.”
Damian said nothing and took to the sky.
Jacques watched as the earth moved in a blur beneath them. Soon he would be home, but it would be empty an empty place until Kelly was returned to him. By the time his wounds healed, he would be in San Francisco awaiting her. He missed her now and hoped she would forgive him for sending her away, knowing her fear for him must be great. It was the worst and best thing he could have done for her, depending on the outcome of the night’s events.
He relaxed in Damian’s arms, but cursed and tensed when he remembered he’d have a lot of explaining and memory-planting to do about the other vampires’ absences when he faced his in-laws.
It was a good thing no one would doubt he himself had spent the time in bed with his wife. If only it were true.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Christian approached Kelly. “It is time to return.”
Kelly wrung her hands together; she was afraid to go back, afraid Jacques would not be there waiting for her.
She had spent most of her time keeping her mind occupied by reading books from Christian’s extensive library, walking the plantation each evening, and even learning how to milk cows.
Christian's hands closed around hers, stopping her fidgeting. “Be brave, Kelly. You’ve been valiant these past seven days. Remember that.”
Kelly squeezed his fingers and smiled. “Thank you, Christian.” She looked over at Annie, who stood with a towel in her hand.
“I just wanted to wish you well, Mrs. Devereaux.”
Kelly walked across the room and hugged the woman. Annie had been a wonderful companion to her during her stay on the plantation, including fitting a dress especially for Kelly. She’d told Kelly it wasn't right for a woman to wear the revealing white dress she had been in when Kelly and Christian had first arrived.
“I will miss you, Annie. Take care, and thank you.” Annie inclined her head, smiling sweetly at her, and left the room.
The full skirt Kelly wore, with all of its heavy material swished loudly as she moved to Christian and into his arms. “Let's go,” she whispered.
A shimmering mist clouded around their feet, rising to swirl them into its embr
ace until they disappeared.
* * * * *
Disoriented, Kelly stood still for a moment getting her bearings. Opening her eyes, she looked up at Dimitri's mansion. She gasped and ran toward the side entrance, which was the closest to her. Her heart was thumping against her ribs, her fear making her sick to her stomach as she wondered if Jacques would be there. This life she now led was not worth it if he wasn’t around to share it with her.
Flinging open the door, she raced into the house and moved toward the front hall. Cassie was standing on the stairs.
“Kelly!”
She sobbed loudly, her terror a living thing. “Jacques! Jacques, where are you?” She felt his love surround her before she saw him. Then he was there, rushing toward her from Dimitri's study, his friend following close behind.
Jacques caught her in his arms. Kelly cried out in joy, the sound muffled as her face buried in the hollow of his shoulder. He picked her up and swung her around, the sound of their laughter ringing through the hall.
Jacques pulled away, but she latched onto him, kissing his forehead, eyes, cheeks, nose, chin. Finally, her lips met his, and it was a soul-searing kiss, burning through her. Their mouths clung, and their hands held each other tightly as if they would never let go.
Eventually, Kelly released him, her eyes shimmering with tears as she gazed at his beloved features. “I was so afraid you wouldn't be here.” Her sobs rolled from her as she tried to tell him how much she loved him, but his fingertips touched her lips.
“I will always be here,” he whispered fervently. “I promise.”
Kelly grinned through her tears, and his mouth met hers once more, sealing his promise of always and forever to her.
Epilogue
Kelly laughed as Marian clucked over her and Jacques like a mother hen. She laughed even harder when he actually reddened at the woman's affection.
Quintin smiled at his wife. “I am sure Kelly and Jacques would like some time alone to get settled back into their home.”
Marian hugged Kelly tightly, then took her husband’s hand and let him lead her out of Jacques and Kelly's bedchamber.
Kelly peered at her husband, eyebrow raised, a teasing smile lifting the corners of her pink lips. “Why, my dear, I do believe you’re blushing.” Jacques flushed even more, and Kelly grinned, rising to her toes and twirling away from him around the bed. Her arms lifted gracefully above her head, and she knew her eyes must be glinting with mischief. “I didn't know vampires blushed.”
With a move too rapid to follow, Jacques was around the bed. He grabbed her and flung her down on the mattress. His body covered hers, his hands pinning her wrists above her head.
“I didn't know wives were supposed to tease their husbands so unmercifully.”
Kelly chortled with glee. “Aww, I'm sorry.” She knew it was likely the most insincere apology Jacques had ever heard. As punishment, he began to tickle her until, breathless with laughter, she begged for mercy.
Jacques stopped and looked down at her soberly, though a smile still hovered around his mouth. “Are you happy, Kelly?”
Kelly’s eyes widened. She touched her hand tenderly to his cheek, caressing him. “Happy? That word seems so small compared with what I feel. Elated. Joyous. I love you, Jacques. And I’m thinking about joining a new dance company here in Paris; they seem amenable to me dancing in only their evening performances, since those tend to draw a larger audience. I think Vincinni almost stroked out when I told him I was leaving his company.”
At the moment Jacques seemed to have other things on his mind. She moaned as he pushed her skirt over her waist, clearly delighted at the absence of the panties she’d purposely left off. He leaned back, quickly unfastening his pants and kicking them away, then stared at her, watching as he entered her.
She gasped at the pleasure as he filled her, and then he was moving. Kelly’s moans filled the air as she pushed herself against him, burying him even deeper within her. She groaned as tingles raced up her spine; her tongue licked her lips as he shoved onto his elbows and continued his long, deep strokes.
Kelly realized she’d underestimated her husband’s ability to concentrate on more than one thing when he spoke.
“You know you’ll have to retire at some point; perhaps return as someone else every seventy-five to one hundred years or so. What about rehearsals during the day?”
Kelly tangled her fingers in his hair, grinding against him as she replied. “I’ll have you work your vampire mind tricks on the director. You’re like my very own Jedi Master.”
“You obviously have all the answers.” Grinning widely, he bent down and kissed her. “I love you, Kelly. You are truly my angel.” Then Jacques rolled her above him, causing her to cry out at the earth-shattering bliss they could only find with each other.
She had everything she wanted right here, and the one who had given it to her was Jacques. He’d made her dreams come true, had made her willing to risk giving her love wholeheartedly again, despite the early loss of her parents. She was his in every way now, and his pain, frustration, happiness, and love were hers. They belonged together for eternity.
THE END
Ann Lory
I am a Missouri native, although I did live ten years in Nebraska, where I began writing in hopes of one day being published. I have been married to the same wonderful man for the last eleven years, and we have a son who is the spitting image of his father. Our second child is on the way; either late winter or early spring ‑‑ whenever baby decides to make its debut into the world.
We also have our furry babies ‑‑ two cats, and one dog. Our poor Lab still gets pushed around by our hissing felines.
I enjoy spending my spare time with my family, watching movies, reading, bike riding on one of the local trails, and of course college football. I love football season and my Missouri Tigers! I hope other fans don't hate me, but it’s like our significant others ... we can't help who we love.
Visit Ann on the Web at http://www.annlory.com.
