by Zena Wynn
Reyna became conscious of her nudity—her shirt hadn’t survived their last round of sex—about the same time Tariq tossed her a large t-shirt. “Put this on for now. After we eat, I can gather a crew and we’ll move your clothes and the rest of your possessions in here.”
After a few stunned seconds, Reyna said, “No.”
He arched a quizzical brow. “You want me to move in with you? I can but I think it would make more sense if you stayed here.”
She tried to imagine a vampyr living in the midst of her pride. It boggled the mind. “No, neither. You’re moving too fast for me. Can we just spend time getting to know each other?” While Reyna had learned she’d come to trust Tariq with her body, she didn’t yet trust him with her heart.
Tariq frowned. “I thought you wanted to learn about your Vampalien side?”
How had he managed to come to that conclusion? “Did I say that?”
“No, you thought it. You want to learn about your father’s people. What better way than to be here, surrounded by us?” he asked.
She’d forgotten he could read her mind. The thought of being surrounded by others of his kind made her blood run cold. Tariq may not be the villain her father was, but who’s to say the rest weren’t. No, she couldn’t live here. Nor could she allow Tariq to know the location of her den. If she had to run, she needed a safe haven he couldn’t penetrate.
Tariq’s narrowed-eyed gaze met hers. “I’m reading your thoughts. I won’t let you run. You’re in me now. There’s no place on earth I couldn’t track you if you fled from me. If you want to ease into my world, I’m on board with that. I won’t push for more than you can give but I won’t let you walk away from us. Understood?”
“When are you teaching me to shield my thoughts from you?” she asked, scowling.
“At the rate this relationship is proceeding, maybe never. I need whatever advantage I can get.” He walked over to the intercom to order their food.
Though everything within her wanted to continue their argument, she held her peace while he contacted the kitchen. Reyna couldn’t remember the last time she’d eaten. Lunch on Friday?
“Bernard, send two porterhouse steaks, bake potatoes with all the fixings, and two Caesar salads to my suite as soon as possible. Reyna, how do you want your steak?”
Hungry enough to eat a whole cow, she said, “Seared on the outside, bloody on the inside. Don’t you want a steak, too?”
At first he appeared startled, and then amused. “Bernard, make that three steaks. One medium, the other two medium rare. Did I leave anything out?” he asked Reyna.
“No potato for me. The rest sounds good.” She’d have a hard enough time choking down the salad, though she’d learned to eat food other than meat to keep the humans she worked with from becoming suspicious.
“Scratch the potatoes, Bernard. Just the steaks and salads will suffice, and send up a bottle of bloodwine,” he added, watching Reyna intently.
Ignoring Tariq, she slid the t-shirt over her head and began to straighten the bedroom. “You’ll need a new mattress,” she commented absently as she gathered the wreckage into a pile.
“Leave that. I’ll have a crew come in and clean.”
Rolling her eyes at him, she said, “In my world, you clean up what you mess up. Where are your trash bags?”
“I don’t know. As I said, I have a cleaning crew to handle those minor details.” He watched her for a few more minutes before commenting, “I know what you’re doing. The issue of our living arrangements won’t go away. I want you here with me.”
And people in hell want water, she mused wryly. It didn’t mean they were getting any.
He sighed. “I thought you were going to give our relationship a chance? Relationships require compromise.”
She paused, holding the bundle of scraps in her hands. “So my choices are I move in with you or you come live with me? Where’s your compromise? I told you you’re moving too fast. Unlike you I haven’t spent the last century or so longing for a mate. The Felini don’t mate. We breed.”
“But you’re not just Felini, are you? As much as you might hate to admit it, you’re Vampalien too and we do mate,” he argued. He planted his hands on his hips in an outward manifestation of the irritation she could feel growing inside of him.
“I won’t live here, surrounded by your people,” she said, her voice rising.
“Then I’ll come to you. Makes no difference to me where we live. It would be more convenient to me for us to stay here but I can live anywhere,” he said calmly, as though the more agitated she became the more serene it made him.
“You can’t live in my den, you daft vampyr. My pride would eat you alive,” she shouted.
“They can try,” he said grimly.
The buzzer sounded, breaking off any retort she might have made. Tariq started for the door, paused, and then backtracked and grabbed her by the arm. “In case you get any ideas about teleporting out of here.”
He towed her with him. As they cleared the bedroom, the first thing she noticed was the lack of furnishings. “Why don’t you have any furniture?”
“I’m remodeling,” he said shortly. “You’re just in time to help.”
Reyna scoffed but was woman enough to admit the idea appealed, even if she had no intention of sharing this space with him. Not at the present time, anyway.
Tariq did something complicated with the security system and opened the door, motioning the server inside. The young vampyr rolled in a serving cart covered with a white table cloth. On it sat several silver platter serving dishes with lids. A bottle of wine sat in a bucket of ice in the center of the cart. Behind him were two more vampyrs carrying a folding table and chairs.
Reyna imagined she wouldn’t have found better in a five-star restaurant. Not that she’d ever been to make any comparisons. In the beginning it had been Jorlan’s job to entice customers. Once their company took off, the demand had been greater than the supply. Now it was the potential clients doing the wooing.
She ignored the interested gazes the young males slid her way as they set up the eating area.
“Will there be anything else?” he asked formally.
“That will be all, Clifton. We’ll serve ourselves. Give Master Bernard my compliments and appreciation for a job well done and in such a timely manner,” Tariq told the vampyr as he ushered them out the door.
“Yes, Master,” Clifton said. With a bow to her and a nod to Tariq, they turned and left.
The smell of the bloody meat made Reyna’s mouth water. Her stomach emitted a sharp protest at its currently empty state. She stepped forward and lifted the cover of the closest dish. “This looks fantastic.”
“You could eat like this every day,” he reminded her.
Reyna was too busy slicing into her steak to respond. She consumed the first one while standing. Only then did she slow down enough to allow Tariq to transfer their plates to the bar.
Studying her, he said, “You must have been really hungry.”
“I haven’t eaten since lunch on Friday,” she said, digging into the second steak. Absently Reyna wondered if she’d need a third to satisfy the bottomless pit her stomach had become.
“No wonder you passed out,” he said sharply. “Teleporting requires a lot of energy. I imagine shifting does as well. You need to take better care of yourself.”
Reyna chewed, swallowed, and as she cut off another piece of steak, told him succinctly, “I’ve been a bit busy, what with experiencing my first change and dodging a certain vampyr…” She shot him a heavy look. “Food wasn’t on my list of priorities.”
He muttered under his breath about females not having the sense the Ancient One gave an Earth’s goose but didn’t pursue the topic. When she set down her silverware, he asked, “Aren’t you going to eat the salad?”
She examined it. Inside, her cat turned up its nose. Reyna frowned. “I don’t think so,” she said slowly. She hadn’t eaten since the appearance of her feline self. I
t appeared as though some dietary changes would have to be made. As Reyna considered, she realized Jorlan and the other members of her pride were strict carnivores.
Thinking of Jorlan, she needed to contact him and let him know she was all right. She’d left the den around six, with the intention of being gone no more than an hour or two at the most. What time was it?
“A little after five a.m. Today is Monday.” Tariq answered her unspoken question.
Reyna gaped, stunned she’d been here so long. Jorlan must be frantic.
“Doubtful, as he’s the one who sent you to me. If he knows anything about the vampyr, he must have suspected the outcome,” Tariq said.
“Quit reading my mind,” Reyna said, but there was no heat in her words. She was getting used to it. “I need to go. I have a conference call at six and still need to go home and dress.”
His hand whipped out lightning fast to capture her wrist. “About our living arrangements…?”
“What about them?” she asked, being deliberately obtuse.
Tariq studied her. She could feel him measuring her determination. “I’ll let you go if you promise to spend the week with me.”
“I have a company to run,” she reminded him.
He arched a brow. “As do I. Several, in fact. Come to me when your work day is finished.”
She hesitated, an instinctive no on her lips.
“Or I can shadow you wherever you go.” When she glared at him, he added, “It’s a compromise. We’ll spend our time together getting to know each other. I’ll introduce you to a few of my people and answer all your questions about your Vampalien heritage. In return, you can introduce me to Jorlan and show me your world.”
It was a reasonable request. Why was she still resistant? Fear, pure and simple. Time to squash it like a nasty bug. “Agreed. Would you like to see my lair?”
His eyes lit up and pure pleasure shown from them. “I’d like that very much.”
Later that morning, Tariq sat with Alvaro in his office. “Tell me more about the Felini. I need to understand my Heart’s Blood. She came to me last night but with the intention of blowing me off. Why is she so resistant to the idea of a relationship?”
Everyone in the clutch was aware of Reyna’s appearance in the club last night, and that she’d spent the night with him.
“I take it there’s still trouble in paradise?” Alvaro asked, amused.
Tariq ran a hand through his hair, knowing it was a sign of his frustration. “After much persuasion on my part, she agreed to give a relationship between us a chance. However, a part of her is holding back. She refuses to move in with me or let me live with her. She says I’m moving too fast.”
To him, it was inconceivable. Vampaliens waited their whole lives to find their Heart’s Bloods. Once a match was made, there was no hesitation on the part of either party. They were only too glad to do whatever it took to merge their lives together.
“You’re thinking like a Vampalien. Your Heart’s Blood is a different species altogether,” Alvaro reminded him.
Tariq resisted the urge to inform him Reyna was part Vampalien. One, he didn’t think his Heart’s Blood would appreciate him making her unique heritage known. Two, he wasn’t one hundred percent convinced Alvaro was Reyna’s father. Or if Alvaro was her father, that she would welcome the news he was alive. There was a story there. One he couldn’t wait for her to reveal it.
“As I told you before, the Felini are more like their Earth’s animal counterpart in terms of mating. When the female goes into heat, she chooses the strongest male to breed her. The females do the child rearing while the male provides provision and protection. From what I gathered, Felini children know who their fathers are but the fathers aren’t a part of the parenting equation,” Alzavo said.
Frowning, Tariq shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“To you or me, no, it doesn’t. However, that’s their culture. How old is your Heart’s Blood?” Alvaro asked.
Again, mindful of Reyna’s secrets, Tariq said, “Relatively young.”
“If she was born here on earth, she may not be as tradition bound as the older ones. She’d have seen how human society lives. However, humans aren’t much of a recommendation. Half their family units dissolve into divorce. Your blood mate may be unfamiliar with the concept of mated pairs. She’s not a vampyr, born to expect such a union. Nor a human hoping against the odds to make such a union work.” Alvaro leaned comfortably in his chair, watching Tariq with keen interest.
Tariq mulled over his words. “How did you convince your Heart’s Blood to join with you? Or did you just claim her?”
Vampalien males had been known to take first and ask permission later. On their home world, it was expected that as soon as a male recognized his Heart’s Blood, he’d initiate the bonding ritual. Their women knew and approved of the practice. After all, there was only one Heart’s Blood and if somehow the male made a mistake, his venom glands wouldn’t swell and release the toxin.
Alvaro winced. “She was young. Not a juvenile by Felini standards but barely legal by Earth’s. Her father was their group’s Prime Leader. While we were getting them settled, we put them up in suitable housing. Isabella was fascinated with humans and Vampaliens. While she’d known other species existed, we were the first she’d come in contact with. She hadn’t yet been poisoned by the racial bigotry of the others. We fell in love. Due to her young age, I was hesitant to claim her.” He smiled. “She persuaded me otherwise.”
Tariq asked the obvious, though from Alvaro’s expression he had an inkling. “How?”
“The Felini species as a whole are very sensuous. Touch, both sexual and non-sexual, is essential to their well-being. To put it simply, Isabella seduced me.” Alvaro fell silent, obviously lost in memories of times gone by.
“I wanted to go to her father immediately and make my claim known. She begged me not to, stating he wouldn’t be pleased. Isabella asked me to keep our relationship secret just a little while longer. Said she would tell him when the time was right.” Alvaro looked at Tariq, his face grim. “You know we don’t function well when separated from our blood mates.”
Tariq nodded his agreement.
“Given her age, inexperience, and obvious fear, I tried to be patient. The strain took its toll and I only lasted a month before I issued an ultimatum—either she told her father or I would. I wanted Isabella with me and frankly, I was too old to find enjoyment in sneaking around. I should have followed my instincts and simply seized her. The Felini pride was too small to be a threat. I could have taken Isabella and let her father think she was the price of my assistance. However, I allowed Isabella to do things her way. It was the last time I saw her alive,” Alvaro said, a haunted look in his eyes.
Tariq sat quietly, comparing what little he’d learned from Reyna of her parents to the story he’d just been told. She’d clearly stated her father was dead and her mother was alive. Alvaro believed his Heart’s Blood to be dead. The bond didn’t lie. If she were alive, Alvaro would know. Perhaps he’d been wrong.
“Have there been any other Felini/Vampalien matings to your knowledge?” he asked.
“Hmm?” Alvaro said, snapping out of the daze into which he’d fallen. “Oh, none of which I’m aware. As you can imagine, my clutch and the Felini are on hostile terms. We’d already signed over the land and given them the information they needed to survive here on earth. After Isabella’s death, we cut off all contact with them.”
“Her father killed her?” Tariq asked, unable to imagine such a thing.
Alvaro took a deep steadying breath. “Did it himself or gave the order. Who knows? Once I saw her mangled body, I was in no condition to ask any questions. It was in that first moment of paralyzing shock when they attacked. I barely escaped with my life.”
Tariq tried to picture the scene in his mind. Alvaro was one of their greatest warriors. He descended from one of the seven ruling families on Vampa
lien. In short, High Lord Alvaro was Vampalien royalty. To be taken so completely off guard, it was a wonder he’d survived. Many mated pairs embraced death when they lost the other half of their heart rather than go on alone. Perhaps Alvaro managed because the bond was new. Or maybe his will to live was stronger than his grief. It was not a question Tariq would ask.
“Tariq,” Alvaro said seriously, commanding his attention. “Protect your blood mate. I don’t know if Isabella’s father and his cronies are still alive, but if they are they won’t be pleased about another Vampalien-Felini mating. Your Heart’s Blood’s life may be in jeopardy. Don’t make the mistake I did.”
A fear so intense it bordered upon panic shot through Tariq’s veins before he managed to squash it. He remembered Reyna stating she’d been thrown out of her pride at an early age. It had been this Jorlan’s idea she come to him. “I’ll keep an eye out but I don’t think there’s cause to worry. Reyna mentioned she’d left her pride at a young age. She and her protector, a male she calls Jorlan, came east and settled in my territory. She believes Jorlan chose this city for a reason. He’s the one who convinced her to come to me.”
“Jorlan,” Alvaro murmured. “The name sounds familiar.”
“Do you know him?” Tariq asked with deep interest.
“Isabella had a cousin with whom she was particularly close. They were both on the ship that crashed in New Mexico. If I remember correctly, he was a few years younger than her. Their fathers were brothers. Like Isabella, Jorlan was interested in all things foreign.” Alvaro shook his head. “Could be the same guy or not. Jorlan may be a common name among their species.”
Now, more than ever, Tariq wanted the full story of Reyna’s parentage. There were too many coincidences. However, he kept circling around one pertinent fact—Alvaro’s Heart’s Blood was dead. The bond didn’t lie, but could it be fooled?
