by Renee George
Nan began pacing. “Oh, shoot. I had promised this nice girl from the church choir that I’d give him her phone number.” Throwing up her hands, Nan continued. “She’s a good catch, not like that Anna he dated in medical school. You know my Nathan is a doctor, right?” She smacked Tyr on the arm, much to his chagrin. “Of course, you know. Silly me. I swear I suffer from Old-timer’s disease.”
Tyr readied his excuse to leave the apartment, not able to take much more of Nan’s rhetoric when the door opened. He expected it to be Nathan. It wasn’t. Things were going from bad to worse.
“What the hell, pendejo?” Guillermo followed the question with the complete Spanish dictionary of curse words. Frankly, the display bored Tyr, but Nan, eyes wide and mouth agape, looked genuinely shocked.
“Excuse me, young man!” Her tone went to pure disciplinarian. “Do you kiss your mother with that potty mouth?”
Guillermo bared his fangs at her, causing Nan to nearly fall back onto the couch. “Yes. I did. And just who are you and why are you with this man in Nathan’s apartment?”
“Gui? Tyr?” With everything going on, no one had noticed Nathan’s homecoming. “Oh, my God! Mom?”
“Nathan!” Nan squealed, practically running across the room to her boy as he was starting to back out of the apartment, no doubt in a hasty retreat. She threw her arms around his waist. “Good land, child. I was sick with worry for you.” She looked at the two other men in the room. “Why are you hanging around with actors?”
Tyr looked at both Nathan and Guillermo, who both had gone much paler than normal. He chuckled softly and sat down. “This should be interesting.”
It was bad enough to have Gui and Tyr both at his home at the same time, but his mother? And why did she think they were actors? He supposed it was better than the truth. He could just imagine telling her they were both vampires, one his lover and the other… well, Nathan wasn’t quite sure what to call Tyr. “Mom, what are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? Nathaniel Milton Greer, I don’t give a gosh darn if you are a fancy shmancy doctor, you’re still my son. Why haven’t you returned my calls? One little phone call. Is that too much to ask? After I spent twenty-one hours in labor to bring you into this world, and it t’weren’t the easiest…”
As Nan prattled on, Nathan had the good sense to look ashamed and because of his fresh feeding on Gui, he even managed a blush. The answering machine blinked forty-three missed calls. He hadn’t bothered to check his messages the entire three weeks he’d spent recovering with Guillermo, and he was certain at least forty of the messages were from his mother. “I’m sorry. I should have called.”
“Darn tooting, you should’ve.” She fingered his hair. “You need a haircut. Living in the city is turning you into a hippie. Your daddy would roll over in his grave.”
Nancy Rebekah Greer was the Queen of Guilt. She had a distinct way of making Nathan feel five years old. Nathan glanced at Tyr who simply smirked, and Gui who still looked shocked. He wished like hell that both men would leave, but they weren’t budging.
“Now’s not a good time. I’ve got a night shift tonight at the hospital. Can I call you a cab to take you to your hotel?” Fingers crossed, he hoped she’d gotten a room somewhere.
Nan shrugged. “I’m staying at the Embassy Suites downtown. I was really hoping to visit more tonight.” Her expression softened. “I’ve really missed you, son. You never come home any more.”
“I know. I’m sorry, Mom. We’ll catch up tomorrow evening. I promise. I’ll get my friend Sandra to cover for me.”
Tyr stood up. “Don’t bother with the cab. I’ll take Nan to her hotel.”
Nathan crooked his brow. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
Nan smacked Nathan on the stomach. “Don’t be silly, boy. Tyr and I have become fast friends. He can drop me off.”
“Fast friends, huh?” The vibes he got from Tyr were so different to what he felt when around other people, or other vampires for that matter. There was an implicit unexplainable trust. “Well, drive safe. I wouldn’t be happy if anything happened to my mother.”
Nan piped in. “But before I go, you should properly introduce me to your other friend, don’t you think?”
“Perdon, Señora Greer. I am Guillermo Perez.” Gui bowed to Nan. “It is my honor to meet you.”
“Guillermo? You Italian?”
“Alas, I am Spanish on my father’s side and Mexican on my mother’s.”
“Nathan tells me so little about his life up here.” She cocked her head to the right. “Well, at least you took out those phony fangs. They sort of creeped me out when you flashed them earlier. I suppose you actors really throw yourselves into the roles you play. Well, Guillermo, it’s nice to meet you.” She held out her hand to shake.
Gui took Nan’s hand and kissed her fingers. “Enchanting. I can’t believe such a young and beautiful creature is old enough to be Nathaniel’s mother.”
“I started young.” Nan giggled and blushed. “Oh, this one’s a charmer.”
Nathan shook his head. His mom had no idea. “Tomorrow night then, Mom?”
“Okay, baby. I can take a hint.” She kissed his cheek. “I love you.”
Nathan cleared his throat. “Love you, too.”
“Come along, Tyr. I think you should leave the sword though. Prop or not, it’s just plain weird.”
Tyr cast a questioning look to Nathan.
Nathan nodded.
Tyr unbuckled his sword and laid it on the table. He offered an arm to Nan, who took the massive man’s elbow and happily left the apartment with her Viking escort. Even with the door shut, Nathan could hear his mom asking Tyr, as they approached the elevator, if he had a decent car.
“So, amante, you have a mother?”
Nathan rolled his eyes. “You thought I was hatched?” He threw his jacket down on the couch. “What in God’s name were you and Tyr doing at my apartment?”
“I came looking for you. I have no idea what Tyrsgard Madds was doing here. He was chatting with your mother when I arrived.”
Nathan sighed. “Wonderful.”
“Which brings me to my next question. Why is Tyrsgard Madds suddenly calling you master?”
The question struck Nathan as funny. “Man, Gui, jealous much?”
Guillermo chewed his bottom lip, a gesture Nathan found completely sexy. “It is not jealousy, Nathaniel.”
“Bullshit.” Nathan chuckled, turning his back to Guillermo. In a flash, Gui was at his back, holding Nathan’s arms, lips pressed to his neck.
“You let him feed from you.” It wasn’t a question.
The tone of Gui’s voice set Nathan’s hair on edge -- a mixture of anger, passion and desperation. Nathan had never let Guillermo feed from him. He hadn’t let anyone feed from him until Tyr. Fangs pressed against Nathan’s skin.
“Gui?”
“How did it feel to let him take from you, to give of yourself to Tyr?”
“Don’t.”
“Did it make you feel powerful?”
Nathan struggled against Gui. “What game are you playing now?”
The vampire’s grip tightened. He whispered in Nathan’s ear. “Tyrsgard is attractive, no? Min was always very careful about the company he kept. Young… Beautiful… Strong… And Tyrsgard… muy grande, enormous. Min prized the Viking above all his other men. Giving him special little gifts to play with.” He bit off the last words, kissed Nathan’s ear and released him. “Forgive me, Nathaniel. Perhaps I am, as you say, jealous. But you barely know Tyrsgard Madds and you trust him with your own flesh and blood. I have to wonder.”
“I can’t explain it, Gui. I know.” Nathan poked the left side of his chest. “In here. I can trust him.”
Guillermo placed his hand on Nathan’s chest. “In here? You can feel it?” He shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. The only thing caged in here is a dead heart.”
“I just know.” Actually, it was Nathan’s Beast who knew -- Tyr couldn�
��t betray him or disobey him, even if the Viking wanted to. “We’re bonded.”
“I see.” Guillermo dragged his fingertips down Nathan’s arms. “How does this bond work?”
Nathan, cock already hard, closed his eyes. “Every time.”
“Every time? I don’t understand.”
Nathan sighed heavily and opened his eyes, gazing at Guillermo’s intensely delicious face. “Every time you’re near me, touch me, talk to me, I get completely aroused. I forget why I’m happy, angry, sad, whatever. All I can think about is fucking you.”
“You’re avoiding the question.” Guillermo kissed Nathan. “But I like the way you think.”
“I really don’t know how we’re bonded, Gui. I only know that someway, somehow, when I killed Min, his bond to Tyr was transferred to me.” Nathan walked away from Guillermo, took off his shirt and threw it beside his jacket on the couch. “It’s not like I wanted to become anyone’s master.”
Guillermo made a noise deep in his throat. “You are not a master.”
“Is that what this is about? Because I’m Tyr’s master?”
“Relax, mi amante. You do not know Tyrsgard. He cannot be trusted and you are not strong enough to control him.” Guillermo threw up his hands, frustration edging his voice. “You can barely control yourself.”
“You know what? I can’t be around you right now.” Nathan wanted to say more, like how he’d bested Guillermo earlier in the evening, but he wasn’t certain if he had actually gotten the upper hand on the master vampire, or if he’d just gotten lucky. “Besides, I need to get ready for work and you have a club to run.” Nathan stalked back to his bedroom, leaving Guillermo alone.
Chapter 3
“Come with me, chica,” Gui ordered Nadine as he strolled to the back of the club with predatory grace.
Nadine perked with attention, following the sullen vampire with undisguised curiosity. Guillermo gestured with a nod, his eyes on the open door behind her. Nadine nudged the door shut with her heel. The yellow latex bodysuit she wore squeaked when she crossed her arms. “This must be serious.”
Gui’s full lips pressed together as he nodded curtly to Nadine. “Siéntese.”
Without a fuss, she took a seat. Guillermo fidgeted with a pen at his desk and there was one thing Nadine knew for sure. Guillermo doesn’t usually fidget. Of course, she thought his behavior over the last couple of months had been odd. Nathan. Something had gone wrong. Again. Nadine grew tired of the constant drama between the two male vampires, and longed for the days when she didn’t have to compete for Gui’s affection.
Why did I make Nathan a vampire? She could have killed him that night -- had even planned on just killing him, but when the moment came, she’d turned him instead. When Nathan came inside her, she had felt alive, more alive than she had in years. In that moment, she’d wanted to possess him -- make Nathan hers and hers alone.
Gui riffled through some paperwork on his desk, every once in a while glancing in Nadine’s direction. Normally she would have had some snappy quip, but Nadine started to worry that maybe he was pissed off at her and she didn’t want to make things worse by being a smart ass.
Stupid plan. Turning Nathan had been a bad idea. Nadine knew vampires had no real loyalties or ties to the one who turned them -- more myths perpetuated by Bram Stoker. Hell, new vampires had even been known to kill their creators shortly after being made.
But that moment of orgasm drove all rational thought from her mind and she did it, infected him, then ripped out his throat so his human soul could leave and a vampire soul could enter. Or something like that. Gui had explained the process to her, but she wasn’t certain if any vampire truly knew what happened to facilitate the change. What made her the angriest was that everyone thought she hated Nathan because she was jealous. It was partly true, she had to admit, but it wasn’t the whole reason. She hated Nathan because he made Guillermo weak.
Guillermo stopped fussing about and looked at Nadine. “I need you to follow someone for me.”
Relief flooded Nadine. At least she wasn’t the one in trouble. “Who?”
“Tyrsgard Madds.”
“Who the fuck is Tyrsgard Madds?”
“He is…” Gui shook his head, “… was Min’s enforcer, his right-hand man.”
A light bulb went off in Nadine’s head. “You mean that great big hulking son-of-a-bitch?”
“Indelicate, chica. But sí, yes, that would be him.”
“Is he threatening us? Wants revenge, or something?”
“Something like that, but less overt. I want to know where he goes, who he talks to, and his actions. I want his waking hours, all of them, accounted for.” Guillermo clicked his tongue in disgust. “Madds is up to something and I want to know what it is.”
Nadine shrugged. “You got it, Gui.” She stood, straightened her back, and sauntered in her sexiest, hip-swinging walk, stopping just short of his chair. She slid her ass onto his desk and stroked his hair. Guillermo leaned his head into her palm, allowing the caress. Nadine loved the feel of his skin, smooth without a bump or blemish, and baby soft.
“Where’s Nathan tonight?” Nadine’s nipples went rigid under the latex and her pussy creamed and twitched in anticipation.
Gui went stiff under Nadine’s touch. “Work.”
“You’re very edgy tonight, Gui. Let me help you relax.” She moved behind him and slid her arms down the front of Guillermo’s shirt. Nadine purred in his ear, “I’ve missed you.”
He patted her arms. “Not tonight, chica. I’ve a lot on my mind.”
“That never stopped you before.” Which wasn’t exactly true. Guillermo hadn’t been “in the mood” to be with her since Nathan. She sighed, knowing a losing battle when she saw one. “Well, I might as well get started on this Madds guy. Where do I find him?”
“Nathan’s apartment.”
“What?” For some reason, Nadine wanted to cry. She was that pissed. “Is this some kind of joke? Tell me, did Nathan get a new boyfriend, so all of a sudden I’m on babysitting duty for your lover?” She spat out the word “lover” like it was curse. Nadine didn’t have time to react as Guillermo swiftly stood and threw her down on top of the desk.
“You think I would act out of jealousy? Is that it, Nadine? You think I am as petty and small as you are?”
She shook under the strength of his grip, her face going cold with fear. “I… I… no, no.” Nadine turned her head to avoid his piercing stare. “Yes,” she sobbed. “Kill me if you’re going to kill me, but yes.”
Guillermo released her. “I’m sorry, chica. That’s the second time tonight I’ve been accused of being jealous. I don’t like it.”
Even if it’s true. “Why Nathan Greer? What makes him so special?” To the point of obsession.
“I love him.”
Those three words shot like a stake through Nadine. She got up from the desk and tried to stand, but her legs gave way beneath her.
“It’s not the only reason I want the Viking followed. He hates me as much as I hate him and I will not let Nathan be used as a pawn in our war.”
Nadine nodded, still unable to speak. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Guillermo loved Nathan, and for the first time, Nadine could hear it in the quiet desperation of his voice.
“I can’t lose him. I need you to protect him, as you would protect me, chica. I trust you to do this.”
When words finally managed to find their way to Nadine’s mouth, she simply said, “With my life.” She didn’t have to like the job, but she would never betray Guillermo. Ever.
* * *
Nadine dressed in black for the occasion. She’d been doing surveillance and security for Guillermo for over forty years and with practice and the growing pace of technology, she’d grown proficient at her job. She’d managed to place mini-cameras, along with mini-audio equipment in all the rooms of Nathan’s apartment in a short ten minutes, not daring to linger any longer, in case Tyrsgard Madds or Nathan showed up unexpec
tedly. Strategically, the equipment was powerful enough that she only needed two audio devices, with ranges of seven hundred feet each. The video equipment had to be positioned in each room, in a lamp in the living room, the smoke detector in the kitchen, steam vent in the bathroom, and the radio alarm clock in the bedroom -- a tidy set up.
She uploaded the video and audio software to her laptop and perched herself at a table in the vacant apartment above Nathan’s and tuned in. All the equipment checked out. It was fully operational.
The large Viking vampire arrived first. He walked into every room, one by one, lingering near the areas where Nadine had spent the most time. Can he smell me? He made no attempt to search at any great lengths. Instead he stopped in front of a full length mirror in the bedroom and began to remove his clothing, item by item. Nadine zoomed the camera in for a closer look. First he took his shirt off slowly, undoing one button at a time. Nadine gasped as he exposed his powerful upper body. He undid the braid in his hair, allowing the long blond locks to spill over his broad shoulders.
“My, my, he’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
Madds watched his reflection, blue eyes half-closed as if in deliberate seduction. His hands traveled to his nipples, squeezing them tightly between thumb and forefinger until they were red and fully erect.
His black slacks went next as Tyr pushed them to the floor, his hair dragging the carpet. He froze for a moment, palms on the ground, lips nearly touching his knees.
“And flexible.”
Stand up. Nadine’s clit twitched and her pussy swelled and slicked as she waited in anticipation. I want to see you. All of you.
He did, flipping his hair back in a fluidly dreamy motion. Nadine’s mouth formed an “O” as the Viking’s solid cock stood hard and firm.
“Oh shit. That sucker’s at least eleven inches, if not bigger.” She unzipped her tight body-hugging vinyl suit and peeled it off until the only thing she wore were silver nipple rings connected with a chain and a lacy black thong. “That’s enough to make a virgin run home to momma.” Luckily, Nadine was no virgin, far from it, and she liked her men big.
