“Compliments of my father in one of his drunken furies,” she said in clipped tones.
Dante’s expression remained stoic, but there was no mistaking the lethal fury that flashed through his eyes.
“What did he do to you?”
“He took exception to my attempts to keep him from beating my mother and stabbed me with a broken beer bottle.”
His fangs abruptly shimmered in the faint candlelight. He moved his hand to touch the tiny round scar on her upper arm.
“And here?”
Abby shuddered, her blood running cold.
The monster that walked in the night.
A child’s fear.
For her it had never been the bogeyman.
It had been her father.
“A cigarette burn when I tried to hide his whiskey.”
His features tightened, forcibly reminding her of the predator who had stalked through the wizard’s cavern to rescue her.
“Where is he?” he growled, making the hairs on the back of her neck prickle.
“Dead.”
His eyes were flat. “There are means to reach him even dead. Viper—”
“God, no,” she breathed in genuine horror. “I don’t even want to think he might be anywhere but rotting in his grave.”
Easily sensing her distress, he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“Shh . . . It’s okay, Abby. He can’t hurt you anymore.”
She pressed her eyes closed. He didn’t understand.
But then, no one did.
No one who hadn’t lived through her childhood.
“It’s not that.” She lifted her gaze. “I don’t want to be like him.”
He gave a jolt of surprise. “Bloody hell, Abby, you could never be like him.”
She barely noticed the manner in which his accent thickened when his emotions were roused.
“How do you know?” she demanded starkly. “We don’t know what this Phoenix might do to me.”
He cupped his fingers beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his fierce gaze.
“I know that it will only strike out to protect itself. Selena was incapable of hurting anyone. A fact that annoyed the hell out of her. She came from a time when no one would blink if she wanted to beat a servant. Even if she beat him to death.” He grimaced in reluctant memory. “There wasn’t a day that went by she didn’t long to have me tied to a post and have me properly whipped.”
She regarded him warily, desperately wanting to believe his soft words.
“What about the water . . .”
He took her hand and firmly placed it against the smooth silk of his chest.
“It was no warmer than most spas. I just happen to possess a sensitivity to heat.” He gave a shake of his head. “You are not your father, Abby. You could never be cruel. It’s simply not in your nature.”
She smiled wryly at his arrogant assurance. “You sound very certain for a vampire who has only known me a few months.”
He arched a raven brow. “It’s because I’m a vampire that I know. I can read your soul, Abby, and it is as pure and beautiful as any I have ever seen.”
She became lost in his gaze. She had never had anyone tell her such amazing things. Not her worthless parents. Not her brothers.
Not even those rare handful of men who wanted to lift her skirt.
It made her feel warm and gooey and remarkably cherished.
It also eased the last of her lingering self-disgust.
She was not her father. She was pure and beautiful.
Well, that’s what Dante believed.
And that was all that truly mattered.
Reaching up, she cupped his breathtaking face in her hands and pulled him down to her waiting lips.
Soon enough they would be battling the forces of evil. Damn the luck.
She would be a fool not to enjoy this rare moment of peace.
Dante’s lips landed upon her mouth with a searing kiss, and her body reacted with its usual zing of excitement.
His fingers found her already-hard nipple, and the zings became zooms.
Arching toward his ready erection, Abby gave herself to the dark desire.
Chapter 15
Abby awoke naked and disoriented.
Not always a bad thing. Especially when she was still warm and tingly from Dante’s touch. But she discovered that she didn’t care for being naked, disoriented, and alone.
Crawling from beneath the covers, she discovered that someone had kindly left a pair of jeans and a T-shirt on top of the dresser. There was also a new white lace thong and matching bra.
She grimaced. She had never been much of a thong woman.
Probably because she hadn’t been a size two since grade school.
Beggars, however, could not be choosers. After slipping on the tiny underwear, she pulled the T-shirt over her head before padding into the outer room.
A wave of relief rushed through her as she discovered Dante standing beside the wall refrigerator, looking extraordinarily fine in a pair of leather pants and black silk shirt he had yet to button. His silken hair was still loose about his alabaster face, and the candlelight shimmered in his silver eyes.
Fine, indeed.
So fine that Abby barely noted the empty cup of blood he set aside at her approach.
A smile twitched at his lips as he allowed his gaze to take a slow, appreciative survey of her scarcely covered body.
“Nice, lover. Very nice.”
Abby rolled her eyes, although inwardly she did a bit of preening. And why not? No one but Dante had ever made her feel as if she were thong-worthy.
“What time is it?”
“Almost nine.”
Abby blinked in surprise. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You needed your rest.” Dante reached into the refrigerator to pull out a plastic cup. “Here.”
Abby regarded the offering with a wrinkled nose.
“I don’t suppose it’s that hot fudge sundae you’ve been promising?”
His smile widened. “The next best thing.”
She thought of the green guck with a shudder. “Liar.”
He moved forward to press the cup into her reluctant fingers, his lips brushing the top of her curls.
“I’ll make you a deal. You finish that and I’ll buy you as many hot fudge sundaes as you can eat.”
Abby briefly sucked in the male scent of his cologne before stepping back to regard him with a suspicious glare.
“Okay, what’s going on? Zombies? Wizards? The end of the world?”
A raven brow arched. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re never this easy to get along with.”
He gave a startled chuckle. “Me? Lover, I’m not the difficult one.” Dipping his finger into the neckline of the T-shirt, he gave it a tug to inspect the barely-there bra. “Of course, there are moments when you are less difficult than others. Like when you—”
She swatted his hand away. “Dante, I’m not going to be distracted.”
He gave his fangs a meaningful lick. “Actually, I think I’m already distracted.”
Damn. Her nipples hardened. Determinedly she kept herself from melting into a puddle.
“You’re up to something. What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“Try again.”
He hesitated and Abby felt her stomach muscles tighten. She wasn’t going to like this.
“I have an errand I must run,” he at last confessed.
“What sort of errand?”
“I’m returning to Selena’s house to see if there are any clues to where the witches might have gone.”
She considered his words a moment before giving a nod of her head and setting aside the cup o’ goo.
“Not a bad idea. Let me take a shower and—”
He reached out to grasp her arms in a firm grip. “I’m going alone, Abby.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
Her temper soared as s
he poked him in the chest. Hard.
“Dammit, Dante, it’s a little too late to try and keep me out of danger.”
“I will not have you taking unnecessary risks.”
“The only risk is leaving me alone. You’re supposed to be my guardian.”
His expression hardened at her stubborn determination.
“You will not be alone here. Viper will keep you safe.”
Abby was not impressed. Viper might be all kinds of delicious goodness, but the last time they had stayed at this hotel, they had nearly died.
“From zombies?” she demanded with a poke. “Dark wizards?” Poke, poke. “Creepy crawlies we don’t even know about yet?”
Grasping her fingers, Dante lifted them to his mouth to give them a lingering kiss.
“He’ll be on his guard this time, I swear. Nothing will get past him.”
“I don’t care.”
“Abby—”
She threw her arms about his narrow waist and pressed her face to his chest.
“Damn you, I can’t do this alone,” she muttered. “If something happens to you, I won’t be able to go on.”
He lightly stroked her hair. “You will have to.”
“No, I can’t.” She pulled back to regard him with a resolute frown. “We’re in this together, buster, and if you leave here, I’ll follow you. I swear I will.”
His jaw briefly tightened before he gave a rueful shake of his head. “You truly are a pain in the ass, lover.”
“But a most beautiful pain in the ass,” a hypnotic voice husked from directly behind her.
“Exquisite,” another deeply accented voice concurred.
With a jerk of surprise, Abby turned about to discover two male vampires standing far too close for comfort.
“Holy . . . freaking . . . cow,” she breathed, her jaw dropping.
Dante was a dark and beautiful pirate. Viper was an exotic aristocrat.
These two . . .
They were sex magnets.
Gods of lust.
There were simply no other words.
Identical twins, they were tall with the polished golden skin of ancient Egyptians. Their faces were chiseled perfection. High cheekbones with hawkish noses and a noble brow. Their almond-shaped black eyes were outlined in heavy kohl, and there was a hint of color on their full lips. Their long ebony hair was pulled into a braid that hung down their backs, brushing the tiny white loincloth that was all that covered the most bodacious bodies ever seen.
King Tut, take me now, a renegade voice whispered in the back of her mind.
Abby gave a shake of her head, attempting to rid herself of her breathless reaction. A task more difficult than it should have been. Then Dante’s arm curled about her shoulder, and the mystical tug of fascination was broken.
She sucked in a deep breath as Dante bristled at her side.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice cold.
“Master Viper requests your presence,” one of the twins murmured.
“Master Viper?” Abby grimaced. “I bet he gets off on that.”
Two sets of luscious black gazes moved in her direction, both spending an inordinate amount of time inspecting her half-clad form. Something that Abby might have taken as a compliment if she hadn’t suspected that they were speculating upon whether her blood was A positive or B negative rather than her dubious attractions.
“We will protect the human while you are gone,” Tut One claimed.
“It will be our pleasure,” Tut Two echoed.
Abby stepped closer to the vampire at her side. “Dante?”
He pressed a comforting kiss to the top of her head. “Why don’t you get dressed, and I’ll find out what Viper wants?”
She shot him a wary glance. “They won’t—”
“We have been commanded not to taste of you,” the first of the intruders interrupted, stepping close enough for her to be cloaked in his rich, spicy scent.
“Or bed you.” The second added with a hint of regret as he moved to take a deep sniff of her skin. “Unless it is what you desire.”
They both smiled to reveal snowy-white fangs. “We possess many skills.”
“Most will not harm a human.”
Dante pulled her abruptly backward, his face the stark mask of a predator.
“Touch her and you’ll wish you never rose from the dead.”
The nearest twin merely shrugged, still sniffing at her hair. “Surely it is for the human to decide?”
“She’s decided,” Abby retorted as she grasped Dante’s hand and pulled him toward the bedroom. Glancing over her shoulder, she pointed a finger at the carpet at the twins’ bare feet. “Just . . . stay there and don’t move.”
“A waste,” one of them murmured softly.
“Indeed,” the second agreed.
Closing the door behind them, Dante pulled Abby to face him. “I must speak with Viper. Will you be okay?”
She bit her lip, glancing toward the door. “Can I trust them?”
His smile was without humor. “No, but they fear Viper and are not foolish enough to risk his wrath. They won’t trouble you without invitation.”
“Invitation?” She blinked in disbelief. “You think I’ll invite them to . . . to . . . ?”
He gave a lift of his shoulder. “Few women can resist them. They have lured some of the most powerful and beautiful women to their bed. Cleopatra. The Queen of Sheba. It’s rumored they’ve even seduced more than a few presidents’ wives.”
“Oh my God.” Abby widened her gaze. “Which ones?”
“Does it matter?”
The edge in his voice warned Abby that now was not the time to press for juicy gossip.
“Only in a historical context.”
A reluctant smile curved Dante’s lips as he pulled her close. “Abby.”
Her hand lifted to trace a light pattern upon his chest. “I’d be lying if I said they weren’t gorgeous, but I don’t want any vampire but you.”
“Good.” His lips nuzzled her temple. “It’s not really good etiquette to dust a fellow vampire before dinner. Besides, Viper tends to get a bit cranky when he loses his goons.”
She heaved a rueful sigh. “Speaking of Viper, I suppose you should go see what he wants.”
He ran his tongue along the line of her jaw. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
A delicious shiver raced down her spine, but Abby refused to be entirely distracted. Grasping the front of his shirt, she pulled back to regard him with a warning frown.
“You’re not going to try and sneak out behind my back?”
He arched a raven brow. “Would it do any good?”
“Absolutely not.”
He sighed. “Don’t worry, lover, as much as I hate to admit it, I can only search for what Selena might have left lying for anyone to find. To discover her secrets, I will need you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will explain later.” He placed a branding kiss on her lips before moving toward the door. “Oh, you might want to wait until I return before you have your dinner.” He flashed a dry smile over his shoulder. “The last time you sampled the herbs, they had a rather . . . potent effect on you. I wouldn’t want your watchdogs to get the wrong idea.”
He was gone before Abby could find something suitably heavy to toss at his head.
Damn vampire speed.
As he drove through the dark streets of Chicago, Dante found himself as twitchy as if he were standing in the midst of a lightning storm. An unfamiliar sensation and one that he found impossible to dismiss.
Bloody hell, what was the matter with him?
As promised, Viper had gathered a large canvas bag filled with a variety of mystical weapons. He had even given Dante a cell phone that was programmed with the numbers of various vampires and demons he could contact in case of an emergency.
Along with his supernatural powers, there were few things mortal or immortal that could hope to best him.
&
nbsp; He was near invincible.
But near invincible was not good enough, he conceded, glancing to where Abby sat in the seat beside him.
There were too damn many creatures who wanted this woman dead.
One mistake, one miscalculation and . . .
His jaw tightened in grim determination.
No.
There would be no mistakes. No miscalculations.
Unaware of his brooding thoughts or just how easily she had managed to rattle his nerves, Abby poked at the heavy bag that Dante had placed in her lap.
“You haven’t told me what’s in the bag,” she broke the silence.
“Protection.”
With a curious lift of her brows, she pulled open the heavy zipper and gave a choked cough.
“Good God, are you sure Viper didn’t make a mistake?”
“It would be refreshing to think Viper could occasionally make a mistake, but unfortunately it never happens. Why?”
“There’s nothing in here but junk.”
Dante hid his amusement. “Rare and priceless junk, I assure you.”
Shaking her head at the amulets, talismans, and charms, she plucked out a delicate dagger with a serpentine blade that glowed with mystic symbols etched on the layered metal.
“What’s this?”
Dante instinctively shuddered. “A keris.”
“A what?”
“It’s a blessed dagger from Bali.”
“What does it do?”
He flashed a wry smile. “You use the pointy end to stab people.”
She rolled her eyes. “Ha-ha.”
“It possesses protection spells. Viper believes it will be effective against whatever evil the dark wizard might conjure.”
“Oh.” She held the weapon toward him. “Shouldn’t you be carrying it?”
Dante flinched from the power of the blade. “Careful, lover, it works against me as well as other nasties, so you might not want to wave it in my direction.”
“Oh, sorry.” With a hurried motion, she dropped it back into the bag. “Why would Viper have a weapon that kills vampires?”
Dante shrugged as he turned the car toward the exclusive neighborhood that had once been his home.
“Better in his hands than in the hands of his enemies.”
“Surely it would be better to have it destroyed completely?” she pointed out with indisputable logic.
A Vampire Bundle: The Real Werewives of Vampire County, When Darkness Comes, Real Vamps Don't Drink O-Neg, & Hunted by the Others Page 50
