Rose of Jericho (Lilith Adams Series Book 2)

by Jenny Allen

  “When was the last time you fed?” As soon as the words left his mouth she felt like a colossal idiot. Of course. Why the hell hadn’t she thought of that? All the crap side effects that came with Cohen’s blood had affected her treatment schedule. Was the emotional feeding actually sustaining her? With a shock, she realized she hadn’t had a single drop of blood in days.

  The thought terrified her on some level. Was she slowly losing a part herself, becoming less of a vampire? More importantly, would she even miss it? Being a vampire had never been a proud part of her life. It was just a health condition with a limited list of benefits. Despite her ambivalent feelings about her heritage, the thought of turning into something like Ashcroft was simply horrifying.

  “I guess it’s been a little while. I can’t really remember.” She didn’t want to get into that discussion with Chance right now. They had bigger problems than her fears of slowly becoming a succubus.

  “Would mine help? At least for now?” It was a valid question. Chance was a half-blood. His blood would have more functional hemoglobin than another full-blood’s. Theoretically it would help, but the thought just made her queasy.

  “This isn’t some kind of bizzaro fantasy of yours is it?” She cracked a weak smile and peeked up at him. He didn’t look very amused. “Look, I appreciate the…offer, but the thought of that just grosses me out.”

  “Uh, am I supposed to say thank you? Because that kind of sounded like an insult.” There was a definite degree of defensiveness in his voice mixed in with his usual smartass humor.

  Lilith closed her eyes for a moment, just trying to think and finally sat back against the couch. “Chance, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…this isn’t some Hollywood fantasy. I don’t have any desire to try and hypnotize you and then suck blood from your neck in the throes of passion. I’ve never fed from a person before. That’s why we have the blood banks and the pills. You know all this.”

  Chance lowered his head, fixing his eyes on her in serious determination. “I know and I laugh at those cheesy vamp moments, but you do need blood and you have those little fangs for a biological reason.”

  “Chance, it’s not just the creep factor. I’ve never done it before. Despite what the movies like to show, veins and arteries are delicate. There is no way that a movie vamp with those huge ass fangs could puncture a major artery without tearing it apart. Even with our more modest fangs, it’s impossible for someone unpracticed like me to accomplish something that precise. It’s so incredibly dangerous. Even with the incubus blood, you could bleed out in mere minutes.” Lilith wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head. “I couldn’t risk hurting anyone like that, especially not you.”

  “Lily, we have to figure this situation out and you are a crucial part of that. I don’t need you snapping and attacking someone, especially not one of them. I somehow doubt they’d be very forgiving.”

  “Cohen’s family just abducted three vampires. I somehow doubt they are oblivious to what we need. Once he gets back in here, we’ll see what they have planned. Assuming they actually want our cooperation, they’ll have to take care of our basic needs. If not, then we’ll revisit this idea of yours, okay?”

  Before Chance could say anything, Cohen returned with a woman trailing behind him. She was definitely petite, maybe five foot even with a willowy frame to match. Her deep black hair was gathered into an intricate arrangement of curls that cascaded freely down her slender back.

  Her hairstyle might have been straight out of a Middle Earth movie, but her clothes screamed high fashion. She was sporting a modern black jacket and a vibrant green skirt that hugged her frail curves down to her knees. It looked like she’d be more at home in a red corset and purple gypsy skirt, but was over compensating to connect with the modern world with high end designer fashion. Her rounded face seemed pleasant and friendly, but then so had Cohen’s when Lilith first met him. Her eyes were an eerie marine blue that looked like the ocean in the Bahamas and held a lot more age than her youthful face.

  “Mr. Deveraux, Ms. Adams, this is Luminita Dragomir.” Lilith watched Cohen carefully as he made the introductions. There was no hesitation in his voice. In fact, all his facial cues seemed to indicate that he was more relieved than anything else. When he looked back at Luminita, there was a look of kinship and love that people usually reserve for very close family. Reading people was habit, but Lilith really didn’t know why she bothered with Cohen. She was pretty positive that Cohen only showed her what he wanted to. Still, maybe there was some information to be gleaned even from that.

  “Ah, you must be Crin.” Her voice was slightly deeper than Lilith had expected and her accent was very thick. It reminded her of those vampire movies set in Romania. She flashed a wide smile at Lilith and gracefully settled into the cream colored chair Cohen had been using.

  “I’m sorry?” Lilith wasn’t sure about most of what she’d said, but she definitely didn’t understand that last word. Despite pop culture’s belief, not all vampires were from Transylvania and foreign languages weren’t just imprinted along with martial arts skills. It would be handy, but sadly it was pure fluff fiction.

  The pale woman blushed and smiled apologetically. “Crin means Lily in my language. Cohen has spoken to me of you.”

  Lilith glanced up at Cohen with a quizzical look that wasn’t exactly friendly. He was hovering behind Luminita’s chair and he definitely hadn’t missed her look. He simply shrugged nervously and focused his attention elsewhere.

  Cohen’s guest definitely didn’t miss the awkward silence in the room or the seething tension coming from Chance’s general direction. “Did I misspeak?” Her rounded little face tilted in confusion. In that moment, she looked like a delicate elf wrapped up in futuristic clothing. “English is not my best.”

  After a frozen moment, Lilith managed to flash a small smile. “My name is Lilith Adams. A few close people call me Lily so I can understand the confusion. What can we do for you, Ms...? Dragomir, was it?”

  She nodded softly and her ebony tresses glittered in the light. “I am here for two purposes. One of those is to see what I can do for you.”

  “Luminita sits on the council. She is... a close friend.” There was a weight to his words that implied a whole slew of things. Lilith was almost positive that this woman was Cohen’s inside contact. “She wanted to meet the two of you and determine how she can help.” Cohen’s look of relief made perfect sense now. Maybe they weren’t completely screwed after all. It would definitely be a welcome change to the recent litany of events.

  The woman lifted a graceful hand to silence Cohen, but it held none of the anger or contempt that Farren had when he used the same gesture. It was hard to imagine a council where the two of them sat on equal ground.

  “First thing is first, Andrew.” Her blue-green eyes studied Lilith as if she could see something that no one else could. Lilith squirmed in her seat and rubbed at her arms under the close scrutiny. This whole routine of being the center of attention was starting to wear on her nerves. “The guard at the door has something she requires. Retrieve it.” Her quizzical eyes studied Chance next as Cohen silently walked back toward the hallway. Luminita seemed surprised by what she saw in Chance. “You are… different, are you not?”

  “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean.” Chance glanced at Lilith, hoping she might have a clue, but he was out of luck there. He nervously ran his fingers through his chestnut hair, still damp from the shower. Even with the growing migraine it was incredibly distracting.

  “Ce a-ti spus, apologies. I am sorry. I did not explain well. Lilith is vampire. It is strong in her blood, but you…”

  “I’m a half-blood. I don’t suffer the same needs but I don’t get the same benefits either.” There was a slight edge of bitterness that caught her attention. Lilith knew exactly what benefits he was talking about. Longevity. That had been one of Gregor’s many objections to their relationship. If they both managed to avoid being executed, he’
d grow old and die before Lilith even started to look thirty. It wasn’t a thought that either of them wanted to dwell on, but it was the first time she’d really heard Chance come close to mentioning it.

  “You had only one vampire parent?” Luminita seemed more interested in their species than Chance specifically. Lilith could understand the curiosity since she still didn’t know everything about their kind. Perhaps Luminita would answer the questions that Cohen deftly avoided if she knew a little more about vampires.

  “I wasn’t aware of it, but yes.” His voice sounded slightly gruff and defensive. He didn’t really want to talk about it, but there was something about Luminita that just put people at ease or perhaps Chance had the same thought she did. Give a little to get a little.

  “They did not tell you?” She leaned forward in the chair with genuine interest. It was purely academic. If it had been anything else, Lilith would have felt it. This was Luminita’s opportunity to glimpse into the life of a half-blood vampire. Lilith got the feeling that it was a fairly rare chance for her.

  “No.” There were a million unspoken things weighing on him and it took him a moment to choose his words carefully. “They both died when I was in my teens. I didn’t know what was wrong with me until…” Chance paused and Lilith could see the pain in his green-flecked eyes before he continued.

  “Gregor found me and he gave me a real life. He helped me to be more than the shadow of my parents.” There was a deep tension in his words when he mentioned his folks. Lilith knew that he hadn’t had a great relationship with them, but the flecks of contempt on his face made her realize that she didn’t really know how bad his life had been. Maybe he wasn’t the completely open book she thought he was.

  Lilith curled her fingers over Chance’s knee in a reassuring moment and he slid his fingers over hers. There was a tiny spark, like a circuit completing, that made her feel better.

  For the first time Lilith realized that they didn’t seem to hurt each other by drawing on the other’s strength. She had definitely drawn on him a lot in the past few hours and he didn’t seem weakened by it at all. It felt more like an even ebb and flow of energy. Distantly she wondered if it was because they both had Cohen’s blood inside them. The thought brought an odd mixture of relief that she wouldn’t hurt him and fear that they were somehow changed forever.

  “Ce frumos!” Luminita’s ocean shaded eyes widened in surprise. “Andrew told me what happened, but he did not mention this.” Her petite hands rubbed together anxiously. This definitely was not a happy surprise and Lilith’s breath caught in her throat. This woman may have been Cohen’s ally but how loyal was she? Enough to overlook something that Farren would have instantly killed them for?

  Cohen stepped back into the room and just stopped. His eyes wandered from their guest to Lilith, then to Chance and back to Luminita. Subconsciously, he licked at his lips and swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry. I should have mentioned it…”

  The graceful woman turned in her chair and gestured at Cohen. Lilith was completely lost, but Andrew seemed to understand it perfectly. He handed Lilith the small blue thermos in his hands and reached into his suit jacket. He pulled out the little jamming device, switched it on and placed it in the center of the coffee table again.

  Lilith twisted the cap on the thermos and sniffed at its contents. Warm, fresh blood. Her mouth actually watered and it disturbed her as it always did. She was only 27 years old and she had never really been fond of this aspect of her life. It was just a necessity to her, like taking a daily vitamin, a fact of life. She definitely wasn’t the Hollywood vampire that drooled over the throbbing external jugular of every random person that happened to have their neck exposed.

  “I don’t suppose that guard has anything else out there. Like maybe a hamburger and fries?” Lilith was grateful to Chance for the distraction. Once he had everyone’s attention, she lifted the thermos and took a healthy gulp that warmed her all the way down to her toes. Her headache eased away immediately and she felt like she could breathe a little deeper. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed blood until that moment. Chance was right. She hadn’t been that far away from snapping. Any longer and she would have looked just like Spencer that night in Madisonville, like a jumper on a ledge.

  “My apologies, Mr. …?” Luminita paused as if she was unsure how to pronounce his name.

  “Deveraux, though you can just call me Chance if that is easier.” He smiled politely at her and pushed the sleeves of his charcoal grey shirt up his forearms. He definitely wasn’t comfortable in the stuffy shirt and tie, even if it did make him look like something off the pages of GQ magazine.

  “Ah, Chance. Yes, thank you. I’m sorry. We have been poor hosts.” Her smile was sweet and friendly. It was almost enough to make a person forget how cruel and ruthless Farren was, but not quite. Lilith had no illusions that they were anything but prisoners. “Food is on the way as we speak.”

  The woman returned her attention to Cohen. “Andrew. Please, sit.” She smiled softly and gestured to the vacant seat on the couch next to Chance. Cohen fixed a nervous smile on his face and sat down slowly on the edge of the seat. Apparently, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about cozying up to Chance. Big surprise there. “I understand now why you were so…anxious about Farren. If he had seen what I just saw…”

  Cohen hung his head low and sighed. “I should have told you, but I couldn’t. It wasn’t safe. I didn’t know that giving them my blood would produce these…side effects.” He looked up at the delicate woman with complete seriousness on his almost handsome face. “Honestly, even if I’d known, I still would have done it. We need her.”

  “Andrew, stop. I know you would not risk this with no good reason. You do not need to defend yourself or Ms. Adams. These… side effects if they are pentru totdeauna…what is the English word? Permanent?... this could be serious problem. If they can feed, even Chance…”

  “Luminita. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.” Cohen cut her off quickly, leaving Lilith wondering why. What was it that he didn’t want them to know? Just thinking of the possibilities made her skin itch and apparently, she wasn’t the only one.

  “Shut it, Cohen. What does ‘even Chance’ mean? What about me?” He looked directly at Luminita. She considered Chance very carefully for a moment that seemed to stretch on forever.

  “Look, I don’t want to be ungrateful, but we are sitting right here. Please, don’t talk about us like we aren’t.” Lilith shot her sharp look at Cohen before turning her calm attention to the petite woman with all the power. “Luminita, if there is something we should know, you need to tell us. This isn’t Cohen’s call, it’s ours.”

  “No, it is mine. I’m afraid Andrew is right. There is no point getting hopes up or putting you in panic. The current situation is too… serious for that. We can talk on these things later.”

  Lilith began to protest again, but Luminita raised her hand. “I understand. I do.” She leaned forward in the chair, crossing her delicate wrists over her knees. There was a sincere weight in her Mediterranean blue eyes as she looked at Lilith.

  “I give my promise. Once matters at hand are done, I will answer all questions about your…condition. This is a great favor and I want you to think on it carefully. There is not any of my kind that would offer this. Not even Cohen knows things I know.” Lilith was actually getting used to Luminita’s very thick accent, filling the gaps in her language automatically. What she was really saying was worrisome. How could Lilith’s cooperation be this valuable?

  “And just why are you willing to make this deal? If Cohen is right and Farren would outright kill us for these side effects, then why are you so calmly willing to not only overlook it but to actually help?” Lilith was so overwhelmed and frazzled that she hadn’t even thought to question the woman’s motives before. Perhaps it was her endearing demeanor or Cohen’s introduction as a friend. Then again, maybe Lilith was just losing her edge.

  Luminita flash
ed an understanding smile that made her seem completely trustworthy. For the first time, Lilith was reminded that Luminita and Cohen were two of a kind. Perhaps the petite woman was just better at playing the friendly role than Cohen was.

  “Your …mistrust is expected. If I were in your shoe I would question helping hand as well. I will not lie to you. Cohen is correct. We need you. It is simple as that. I could threaten you with death and worse as Farren has, but I find people are more… motivated when there is agreement.”

  Lilith sat back and seriously thought about what Luminita was offering and why. It truly seemed that Ms. Dragomir was simply willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. Now they just needed to find out what that was. “You said before that there were two reasons you are here…”

  “Ah, yes.” A small quiver of a smile tugged at the petite woman’s lips. She seemed happy that Chance and Lilith were satisfied with her explanation and willing to work together. There didn’t seem to be any ill intent or devious master plan behind that small smile. Every micro-expression bolstered the woman’s credibility but the fact that she was a demon like Cohen still nagged at the back of her mind.

  “I convinced council to allow me to act as advocate. I am here to give their instructions.” Her delicate hands ran over her edgy black jacket, smoothing it as if she was a dignitary on official business and in a way, that’s exactly what she was.

  Every person on the couch seemed to breathe a sigh of relief for similar reasons. Luminita delivering their message definitely seemed like a positive. No doubt they would have sent someone else if the verdict was instant death. Lilith was just glad that they weren’t going to be dragged in front of the whole council. She could go her whole life without seeing Farren again and be perfectly happy with that. Not to mention that it would be next to impossible to hide Lilith and Chance’s new…abilities in an entire room full of demons.