“I have a problem with germs, Your Majesty.”
Basilio puts his hand to his heart and grins.
“That is only more endearing.”
I hear Sebastian grunt, but I am devising a plan to make the King’s flirting work to my advantage.
“Tell me more about yourself, Lilith. What do you do to pass your days?” the King asks.
“I worked for a suicide hotline. I tried to talk people out of killing themselves. At the moment I am trying to discover what I want to be when I grow up.” Basilio laughs.
“Interesting. I don’t think I have ever met a vampire like you. You must stay here for a few days and let me show you my city. I will not take no for an answer. Armand, send for their luggage.” I know this is not a suggestion but a nicely worded command.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty, Lily and Sebastian are to be married in five days in Florence. We must be there in time for that. It was very difficult arranging for the church,” Julian gently reminds the King.
“There will be plenty of time. I promise. Now before I forget my manners, does anyone else need to eat? We have many donors here at court.”
“Andrew is new and will need to eat today or tomorrow, but the rest of us have just eaten, Your Majesty,” Helena says.
“Armand, why don’t you get young Andrew something to eat and then let us find accommodations for our friends. Lilith, I would like to show you around my home.”
He captures my hand and starts to lead me away before I realize what’s happened. But I look back to Sebastian and wink. Sebastian looks panicked. Helena and Julian are stiff and I know they are nervous, but I am not a possessive vampire fiancée.
The King leads me from the ballroom down the hall to a gallery of exquisite art work. Sculptures sit in between the columns supporting the high ceilings, paintings of every Italian period and more frescoes cover every square inch of the room. We stroll, his running commentary about the artists and history of the place almost hides his personal questions peppered skillfully throughout the tour. He is a smooth one, but his interest makes me uncomfortable. He seems to be trying to find out what our plans are. I believe he is worried about what happened to Zoe.
“Lilith, tell more about this journey you are on to find yourself...”
I let my guard down and answer him, enjoying myself. I need to play the game and try to get some of my own intel. The King is very charming, but I am aware of Julian and Helena’s warnings. After the gallery, we go through some of the other rooms. He gives details about the architecture and painted ceilings. The mansion is amazing.
“Your Majesty, how long have you lived here?” I ask.
“Please, call me Basilio. I have lived here for a little over 600 years in this house. I have lived in Venice for seven hundred and eighty years.”
“You must love it here to have stayed for so long?”
“Yes, I have traveled extensively. But I always return home.”
His smile is genuine, his eyes sparkle.
“Basilio, would you do us the honor of coming to our wedding?” His eyes widen. I don’t believe he is surprised, just a very good actor.
“It would be my pleasure. I just wish you had chosen Venice. I would have thrown you a grand party afterwards.”
“Oh.” I know he’s trying to manipulate me. His avid expression makes me shiver. “That would have been wonderful. We wanted a quiet, family wedding. It will be at sundown in five days at the Basilica di San Lorenzo.”
“I will be there. I will have Armand make arrangements for me tonight. What would you like for a wedding present?”
“Oh, Your Majesty, nothing please.”
“Nonsense. I have a small villa that would be perfect for you. That way you would always have an excuse to come back to Italy and would have to visit me again,” he says looking into my eyes meaningfully. Ugh, creep factor off the charts.
“Your Majesty…”
“Basilio.”
“Basilio, that is too generous. You hardly know us. We couldn’t accept such a large gift.” I’m cutting little half-moons into my palms from squeezing them so hard. I have no idea if I just made a huge blunder.
“Yet I feel like I know you very well, Lilith. Something about you is very familiar and alluring and I intend to know more. Please accept my gift. It will hurt my feelings if you don’t,” he says actually looking pained.
This guy is the King in more ways than one. But I’m aware I am walking a fine line that separates generosity and obligation. I can’t figure out how to refuse without setting off an international incident. I resent the pressure.
“Then I accept on behalf of Sebastian and myself. We thank you very much, Basilio.”
He is not a tall man but I stand on my tip toes and air kiss his cheeks. He holds me up and returns the kiss, lingering on my cheek for longer than is appropriate. Yikes.
“We have been looking for interesting things to do while we are in your beautiful country. Something that we can’t do while in San Francisco. Do you have any suggestions?” I ask.
“I might be able to find a few things for you to do,” he says as his eyes narrow. I chose to play innocent.
“Oh, thank you, Basilio. I don’t want this to be a boring trip. I just knew you would point me in the right direction.” I might have laid it on too thick as he is scrutinizing me closely.
“I am sure the rest of your party is settled. Let’s join them. I am sure you will want to get your things put away and freshen up. It has been a delight. May I call you Lily like your family does?”
“Of course, Basilio.”
We return and Armand waits for us at the bottom of the grand marble staircase.
“Armand, will you escort Lily to her room, please? Lily, anything you need please ask of me or Armand.”
He bends and kisses me on the cheek again.
“Thank you, Basilio,” I say.
I wasn’t sure if I was still supposed to call him that or not, but he smiles widely. He kisses my hand before he hands me off to Armand. Armand stares at me with wide eyes.
Armand leads me upstairs. He knocks on a door. Sebastian swings it open and his expression changes to one of relief when he sees me. Helena sits on a couch. Armand leaves me at the door and I thank him.
“Thank the gods,” Helena says quietly.
“Where’s Julian?” I ask.
“He’s meeting with the King. They want to put their grudge aside,” Helena says. “Aidan’s sound-proofed the rooms for us and frazzled out the cameras.”
Sebastian takes me in his arms and kisses me. He holds me tight.
“You didn’t think he was going to hurt me did you?” I ask.
“No,” Sebastian says. “I have had several ideas running through my head, mostly of me hurting him.”
“Ahhh, well…”
“I knew it!”
“I invited him to the wedding. He’s coming and he’s given us a villa as a wedding present.”
“What? That’s absurd.” Bast studies me trying to get a read on me.
“I know what you feel like, but I didn’t see how I could refuse without offending him.”
“Basilio has money, but he doesn’t throw it around like that,” Helena says.
“He said it was so I would have to come back and have a reason to visit him again,” I say.
“Merde, I swear I will kill him,” Sebastian mutters under his breath.
“Or I will,” Aidan says as he pops in.
“Were you following me earlier, Aidan?”
“Of course.”
“Of course.” I roll my eyes at him.
“What if he meant to hurt you?”
“I can take care of myself you know,” I say, thinking of the months of kick boxing experience and the fangs and fury of a werevamp.
“Not very well,” he responds, his genial personality cracking. “Flirting it up with one of the most ruthless kings in recent history is not taking care of yourself. He has her calling hi
m Basilio in front of the staff.”
Helena gasps and Sebastian growls.
“What do you mean, she was flirting with him?” Sebastian’s radar homes in on the point guaranteed to stick in his mind.
“Just trust me, Sebastian,” I say.
“You were laughing and joking with him, carrying on,” Aidan reports evenly. It’s clear he doesn’t trust Basilio or maybe it’s me. I narrow my eyes at him.
“Oh, Aidan, that’s called having a conversation. It’s what people do. Stop being so protective,” I say.
“You don’t know how dangerous he is, ma petite. Being overly nice to him is just the kind of encouragement that could get you into trouble,” Sebastian says. His voice is tense. I believe he is jealous and I need to fix this.
“I hate him considering how he can manipulate you,” Aidan sighs. “There are cameras everywhere. I’m sure he’s replaying the moments with you now. Gah! I know he knows something about Manda. Promise me, Lilith, if you get the chance, without putting yourself under further obligation, will you ask him about her?”
“Of course, Aidan,” I say and touch his arm to reassure him. “It is the most important reason we’re here.” Sebastian and Helena nod in agreement. Aidan kisses me on the cheek, soft and sweet. His eyes are wrinkled with anguish. He returns to pacing and rubbing his forehead.
“Child, Basilio is as old as he is for a reason. Italy is a fierce country to live in. Very traditional vampires. You saw how he shrugged off our concerns about draining those volunteers. He had no qualms about making two new vampires. There are parts of him that are very primal. He covers it well with his charm,” Helena says. “It’s part of his success.”
“What should I do?”
“Nothing. You should continue to remind him of your upcoming wedding and keep Sebastian close to you. Make excuses if you can if he wants to take you off by yourself again. Try to involve someone else at least. Use your condition right now,” Helena says. “Tell him that you need people around you that have experience in dealing with your condition.”
Sebastian paces the floor and Aidan growls. I thought that was ironic, considering Aidan once used my time of the month to take advantage of me. I get super sexual during the full moon. My resistance is very low. I guess Aidan thinks it was one thing for him to take advantage of me and another for someone else to. I’m glad to know it. I plan on using everything I can to my advantage when it comes to Basilio. Anything we can get out of him the better. I know he knows more than he’s said.
Sebastian answers a quiet knock at the door.
“Well, Lily, Basilio is quite taken with you,” Julian says as he enters. “All he wanted to talk about was you and what happens during your transformation.”
“Jules, I hope you didn’t tell him about her weakness?” Sebastian asks hesitantly.
“No, he asked me all about it. It seems news of your condition has spread far and wide. You can look it up on Voogle,” Julian says looking guilty.
Everyone turns to look at Julian. His face is gray, it is clear he feels dreadful.
“It’s a scientific phenomenon,” he explains. “I thought it needed to be published for the entire community. There are more than just Lily and Liam out there now. People must know their habits,” he tries to justify.
“Oh Jules,” Helena sighs.
“Well the damage is done,” Julian says. “He knows all about it and I dare say he plans on taking advantage of it. Lily, they don’t think like we do here. Many vampires look down on marriage and have many partners. They don’t think anything of it.”
Sebastian is at my side immediately. He is holding me tightly.
“We just won’t be available. Lily will plead ill due to her condition. We will find a way to avoid him for the next three days,” Bast says.
“You can try, but I don’t think that will work, Sebastian,” Helena says.
“I will insist that Bast be with me. Bast can take care of my needs enough that I won’t be tempted. I am not a complete animal,” I say.
“Speaking of which, why don’t we let you two have some privacy,” Helena says. “We will see you in the morning, Sebastian.”
“Thank you, Helena. I may just stay with Lily until she wakes up,” Sebastian says.
“Excellent strategy, Sebastian. We will offer your apologies to Basilio,” Julian says.
“Goodnight, everyone,” I say.
Helena kisses us on our cheeks and then she and Julian leave. Aidan touches my forehead with his lips and pops out before Sebastian can do more than grimace.
“Finally some peace. What am I going to do with you, Lily? Everyone finds you as irresistible as I do.”
“Bast, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make it worse. I was just trying to be pleasant. He is the King and we’re in his territory. I want to use his attraction to get information out of him.”
“That’s not acceptable, Lily.”
“What!”
“You know what I mean,” Bast stumbles replying.
“No, I don’t, Bast.” My ire is piqued and he is not going to get off easily.
“It’s not safe, Lily. He is conniving and slippery. I don’t like you encouraging it.”
“Well, you are going to have to get used to it. We have to find Manda, Sebastian.”
“Yes, but not at the cost of you, ma petite. There must be another way,” Sebastian says firmly. I take a deep breath.
“I think this is the best plan, sweetheart. I will be careful and diligent. I know he is ruthless but women are known to be able to play the game as well. I’ve been reading Cosmo, I know what I’m talking about.”
“Merde, Cosmo? Lily, this is not a game. This is your life and potentially everyone else’s too.”
I don’t think he appreciated the Cosmo comment. I was joking, sheesh.
“Sebastian, I wasn’t serious. But I am serious about using whatever tool I have to get information from him. I will be careful, my love.”
“We aren’t finished talking about this.” He wraps his arms around my waist and slowly but thoroughly nips and kisses his way from behind my ear to my collarbone. “I will revisit this conversation until I can convince you. Until then I will use my body to seduce you into seeing this my way.”
I laugh. “Oh Bast, you should know better than that by now. Turn around is fair play.” He chuckles against my neck and then grazes my skin with his fangs sending shivers down me.
He unzips my dress in one quick movement. I slowly unbutton his shirt and slip it off his shoulders. I begin to rub his nipples and gently pinch them.
“Oh, no fair, cherie. You still have too many clothes on.”
He helps me wiggle out of my dress until I am standing in my lingerie and heels. My necklace sparkles in the firelight.
“If I could take a picture of you right now, I would carry it everywhere. You are so beautiful. Your skin glows in this light. That necklace was made to be worn by you. Your eyes are luminous.”
Sebastian is showing fang. I am so turned on, I want him so bad. I hate arguing with him. I walk slowly to him. He unbuckles his belt and I help him slide his pants off. Soon he is standing in just his silk boxers. They are straining appreciably. I slide them off of him. Then sink to my knees and slowly show how much I want to satisfy him. Sebastian moans and runs his fingers through my hair. I believe I bring him to new heights by his moans and promises to love me forever. When I am done he scoops me up and carries me to the bed. He kisses me for a long time, running his hands up and down my body. He unclasps my bra and begins to tease my breasts while he nips at my neck with his fangs. Slowly he runs his tongue between my breasts and kisses his way over to my nipple. He alternates between licking and grazing it with his fangs. I am squirming all over the bed.
“Be still, ma petite. Feel me.”
He reaches down and pulls my panties off. The things he does to me with his fingers are indecent, but I don’t care. I’m gasping and crying for more when he stops and gently lowers his b
ody on top of mine. I am so ready for him.
“I love you, Lily,” he says as he enters me.
Our love making is frenzied. We are in so many positions I lose count. All I know is that the birds sing, my cue to get ready for bed. We haven’t reached a truce yet. I am stunned that we have passed the night away. I love him so much.
“Stay with me while I sleep?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
“Thank you, I love you, Bast, so much,” I say as I nuzzle his neck.
“As I love you.”
FOUR / LILITH
Sebastian is watching over me when I wake. It is the sweetest time of the day for me. No one has come in to bother us yet. Sigh. I can’t wait until we have our own home. This King thing is only a minor road bump, we’ll get through it. Then we can find Manda and rehabilitate her. If only. But with all the resources between us we will do it. Then a month to ourselves on our honeymoon. We haven’t had that much time together … ever. We need it. I think I might suggest to Sebastian that we honeymoon somewhere else than Italy.
“Good morning, cherie, how are you feeling?”
“Like I could have you for dessert.”
He laughs richly.
“Actually, Bast, I was thinking. What if we honeymooned somewhere else? I don’t think I want to be in Italy any longer than we have to.”
“I have been thinking the same thing, but I didn’t want to ruin it for you. How about we spend a week in Tuscany as planned and then Greece? You didn’t get to see much of it, or Spain?”
“I would love to go to Greece or Spain. You pick, Bast. Anywhere as long as it isn’t with Basilio. He’s very tiring.”
“Like trying to charm a cobra,” Sebastian says quietly. His eyes spark.
I smile to myself. I know that I have to approach Basilio delicately but I am trying to be confident about it otherwise Sebastian will see an opening to keep me away from him.
“Let’s take a shower or bath or whatever they have in the bathroom and let’s take our time. I’m not in any hurry to get downstairs,” I say.
“We have a choice between a shower or a bath, full amenities at Basilio’s.”
“Shower then, long and hot, I want to wash my hair,” I say.
vampires of san francisco 07 - suckers lost and found Page 4
