“Really?” Liam asked.
She smirked, catching the false innocence in his tone. “Playing dumb doesn’t suit you,” Jackie said. “I don’t care if you’re never going to age. I also don’t care if I age a few more years while I’m making a decision about how we spend our lives together. People probably already think I’m a cougar so a little more time isn’t going to make a huge difference. As for being less killable, that’s just bullshit. We can both die. It’s only a little harder for you.”
“So your decision about whether or not to become a vampire is to not make a decision?” He looked legitimately puzzled now.
“That’s exactly it. I certainly won’t be pressured into it by whoever’s trying to kill you. I also won’t blow up our relationship over it. Someday we’ll have to figure this out but not right now.” She went to his side and gently kissed his cheek. “And if you’re smart you won’t push me.”
He smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Understood.”
“Good. Back to the subject at hand.” She resumed pacing. “If the Left Hand wasn’t successful in killing me or using your undead state to break us up, Danny was the backup plan. We both lived in the same area and worked in the same profession. It was inevitable for us to run into each other sometime. Even before that, dad gave me his business card.”
“What?” Liam snapped, a scowl on his face.
She sighed. “I didn’t tell you. I felt guilty for thinking about an ex while I was with you so I just buried it. Then you brought up the thing about regrets after you nearly burned to death and I realized if I didn’t resolve my feelings about Danny I would never really move forward. He would stay the perfect guy in my mind. I would always wonder what my life might have been like with him. A person can’t live that way. Besides, now I know it wouldn’t work anymore. Jane was the one Danny wanted to marry and she’s not here anymore. I am. And I’m much too busy making my relationship with a vampire work to get married to a man who doesn’t really know me anymore.”
“You know,” he told her, “I’m not sure whether I should be infuriated or reassured. It’s very confusing.”
“Whoever said love was easy was an idiot,” she said. “It also gets more complicated when someone is trying to kill you.” Liam stared at her with an odd smile on his face. Jackie decided it was better to ignore it. “Just to recap, we know the Left Hand has at least one person in the relocation department and definitely one in your office.”
“That seems likely,” he agreed. Suddenly he eased back against the couch and began staring over her shoulder with a thoughtful expression on his face. “Odd.”
“What?” she asked, coming to stand in front of him. “What is it?”
“Something about this… The random deaths, the erratic attempts on our lives and relationship… All the string-pulling reminds me of something,” he said. She could tell he wasn’t really focusing on her even though she was in the center of his field of vision. She didn’t mind as long as he kept talking. “There were stories when I was a fledgling about murders in Russia. Several towns were involved. Over the span of a few months people vanished only to be found dead later, their bodies drained of blood. It wasn’t surprising. With the Fount out of commission - ”
“The Fount?” Jackie asked.
Liam flinched, briefly closing his eyes. “Damn. You’re not supposed to know about that. It’s one of those things we’re very much not supposed to talk about with mortals.”
“Kind of hard to put that cat back in the bag there, Liam,” she pointed out.
“I know. But this isn’t a subject for your friends, Jacquelyn. They must never hear these things. Can you promise me that?” He refused to continue until she eventually nodded her agreement. “Good. The Fount were the first of our kind, although there’s some debate as to how like them we really are. They were dispatched over a millennia ago and it took innumerable battles to finally reassert some semblance of order to our ranks. So when this rumor started about mysterious mass deaths… Well, back then a vampire could massacre a town without repercussion if the mood struck him. The odd thing was that there wasn’t any pattern to the killings. No one, no matter the age or sex, was safe. They were truly random with only those towns in common. It was almost as if the killer was looking for something and even he didn’t know what it was. He only knew where to search. But that’s generally what we vampires refer to as an urban legend.”
“Maybe it’s not,” Jackie murmured to herself, looking down at the floor as she processed what he’d told her. Liam smiled at the thoughtful narrowing of her eyes.
“You’re cute when you’re thinking too hard.”
She shot him a disbelieving look and shook her head. “It’s like what you said. These killings started with random citizens being killed off and now they’ve moved to specifically target the vampire community. It’s like the Left Hand knows where to focus now.”
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” Liam told her, his smile fading. “After he killed those vampires he took out another donor. One of mine, actually. You might remember her, too. She was in the group of girls at my party that confronted you.”
Jackie didn’t try to remember all the faces she’d seen in that gaggle of girls with that mouthy leader. There wasn’t any point and it would only make her focus on the death of someone she hadn’t even known. Liam, however, was clearly not feeling okay about what had happened. She sat next to him on the couch and took his hand. “Hey, it’s not your fault,” she said
“It’s my responsibility to protect these girls and I failed. All I could do was have her body collected before it was exposed on the news.” Liam lifted their joined hands and pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers. “We take care of our own.”
That made her pause. “So there have been more deaths than have been reported in the news.”
“The ones in the news were deaths that slipped through our fingers. VES stays alert in the city for any sort of unusual activity but they can’t be expected to catch every vampire crime in Los Angeles,” he explained. Jackie couldn’t help but think how disappointed Sofie would be when she found out she hadn’t been as in the loop as she’d thought.
“I still think that your urban legend is connected to what’s happening now. Think about it. One week I’m supposed to die and the next I just need to be dating someone else. That’s weird to me.” She looked at him suspiciously as he raked his gaze over her in that old, familiar way. She’d known he had mercurial moods but he was being a hell of a lot more honest about them now. Probably had to do with how long they’d been apart and the subject matter. “Liam, focus.”
“I am focusing.” He leaned close to press a kiss to the side of her throat. “It’s easier to kill a vampire without bonds to their mortals.” She jerked back to look him in the eye.
“What?”
“Think about it, Jacquelyn. You found me in the dirt and brought me back from the edge of death. Did you think any normal donor would have done that?” He pulled her into his arms and continued to lavish attention on her neck. “You are part of me and, without a drop of blood passed from my body to yours, you made me part of you. We’re bound by blood and your willpower. If I were trying to destroy a rival, I’d want such a woman dead. She would be impossible to predict.”
Jackie closed her eyes when he put his hands under her shirt. Stroking her fingers through his soft hair, she realized how badly she’d missed his touch. This was an addiction she would never be able to shake. Willpower? What willpower? She had no such thing in relation to Liam.
“Wait,” she murmured as he began to undress her. “Wait, Liam, how did he know? How did he know that’s what I would be before I even became it?”
“Later,” he muttered into the hollow of her throat, undoing the button of her riding britches.
“There’s a psycho on the streets of Los Angeles,” she said, although she was unbuttoning his shirt at the same time. “We ha
ve to do something about that.”
“We do. We absolutely do,” he agreed, stripping out of his shirt. Jackie’s stomach clenched at the sight of his eternally lovely chest. Whatever they absolutely had to do suddenly slipped her mind.
“Later,” she decided and pulled him down with her onto the couch. Liam tugged her shirt off over her head then smiled at her sensible bra. Expensive lingerie had ceased to hold any appeal for him. He might change his mind, however, if he ever got Jacquelyn into any. Liam lost that train of thought when she tugged his mouth down to hers.
There was a heat to the joining that would always remain. Mortal or immortal the passion stayed. Unfortunately he had to get off of her to remove her boots and she had to bite back a whimper when the weight of his body left her. He gripped her leather boots, tugging them off in a move far smoother than she’d ever been able to manage. Generally she had to wrench the damn things off with a boot pull.
“You’re distracted,” Liam noted, sitting down by her feet so he could pull off her socks. “I’m not boring you, am I?” Jackie shook her head.
“No, nothing like that. I was thinking about what you were doing and…” She trailed off as he leaned forward, gripped the waist of her riding pants and slowly peeled off the material that fit to her body like a second skin. Jackie gulped as he cast them aside and kneeled between her legs. She was definitely not distracted now.
Liam peppered her stomach with kisses, taking the time to lave his tongue over her scar. As he dipped his tongue down into her navel he brushed a thumb over the crotch of her panties. She let out a long hiss of breath as the pleasure hit her system, heating her body and tightening all the right muscles. Gripping his shoulders, Jackie tugged him up so she could press hungry kisses against his mouth. He chuckled, flicking his tongue against hers before pulling away. “Patience.”
In one smooth motion he undid her bra and shoved it out of the way so he could take a nipple into his mouth. Her back arched and she clutched at his hair. She wasn’t interested in patience. She was just interested in him. “I love you, Liam. But we’re doing this my way.”
With a few determined shoves she had him on his back on the couch. Jackie ran her hands over his firm chest until she got down to his pants where the evidence that he didn’t want to be patient either was more than clear. She pulled his pants down and quickly tugged off her panties before straddling him. The smile she aimed his way might have stopped his heart if he wasn’t immortal. “I’ll be patient next time, okay?” Jackie lowered her body onto him and bit her lip at the sensation of being filled by the only man for her. He caressed her hips as she set the rhythm. The expression on her face, as though she’d found something invaluable, in combination with the fact that she’d begun to rock quickly against his body wrenched a low growl from his throat. She shuddered and he dipped one of his hands between their bodies to touch the bundle of nerves hiding in her wet folds. Jackie’s nails scraped along his chest as she bucked in response. He had to hold her still so he could work his fingers against her the way she needed. She leaned down to press a kiss to his mouth and the scent of her blood rushing beneath her skin turned his eyes black.
“I love you,” he whispered before plunging his fangs into her skin. She clung to his shoulders as he continued to thrust into her. Jackie treasured every second before she spiraled away into insensibility. The words he’d spoken rested in her heart.
“I love you, too.”
*
Izzy stared at the antique chessboard set up on her coffee table. She wore a peach camisole and matching lounge pants, despite the fact that it was early evening. Usually she would be out on the town with friends or at least entertaining a date. Instead she curled up on her couch, playing chess with herself. It wasn’t something she’d done since she was in college and a total social reject. She wasn’t doing it now because she’d lapsed back into that role, either. She was doing it because she liked the idea of rediscovering those lost facets of her personality.
Jackie and Liam had fallen in love. Jackie had an adopted daughter, great friends and a full time job. So what if Danny caused a little trouble? Liam wouldn’t put up with it. Jackie’s life was beautifully complete. Izzy’s was pathetically empty. She couldn’t hold down a boyfriend, even though things seemed to be going well with her current one, and her job entailed either lifting her wrist or tilting her neck to one side. It had all seemed deliciously simple and a little bit thrilling at the start. She had always been a hedonist. It was just in her nature. The problem with that argument now, though, was that Liam was a hedonist, too. Falling in love hadn’t changed that aspect. He was just more responsible and perhaps more sensitive.
She knew that love had made him a better person. Izzy wanted that for herself. She wanted more depth than she could have with her life the way it was. She wanted to keep dating Simon, who saw her as a person with interesting things to say. She didn’t want to keep going for the men who were only interested in having a good time for a couple weeks. Maybe she could try a real job. She’d loved math in school and with her savings it wouldn’t be hard to finally get her college degree. Then she wouldn’t have to depend on Jackie to add more dimensions to her life. She would have done it herself. Maybe she’d even fall in love for the first time in her life.
As she reached to move her white queen forward, a knock sounded at the door. Izzy let out a sigh. It had to be one of her friends. The doorman wouldn’t have let them up otherwise. She’d really hoped for an uninterrupted evening of introspection. Surely the L.A. nightlife could spare her for that long. She looked through the peephole and her eyes widened with surprise. Izzy swung open the door to see Eve Walsch standing in the hall.
“Eve? What are you doing here?”
Eve adopted a hurt expression. “Thanks for the welcome, Izzy. I’m so glad I came over to talk to you about what’s been bothering me at work. Really, I feel the love.”
Izzy winced. She and Eve had gotten close since they’d talked at Liam’s party. She’d often worried to Eve about Jackie’s relationship. It would be wrong of her to just kick her out because she’d wanted an evening alone.
“Sorry, I was just surprised. Come on in.” She stepped back to allow her entrance. Then she closed the door, holding back a sigh. The chessboard would have to wait. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Well, first, you should know I have a side job. It’s nothing that interferes with my secretarial work. Actually, the two jobs compliment each other very well.” Eve took a seat on Izzy’s couch, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. “The problem is my boss has been really stressing over this deal.”
“What kind of deal?” she asked, a little annoyed by the vagueness.
“Let’s call it real estate.” For some reason, Eve looked very amused with herself. “Anyway, he’s an inch away from closing the deal when the wild card he thought he’d dealt with at long last suddenly pops back up. This wild card is a real pain in my boss’s ass. He knew she’d be trouble from the beginning. He’s got a gift for prediction. So he’s threatened her, tried to kill her, worked at ruining her personal relationships and finally he tried bribery. Who wouldn’t cave if they were suddenly given everything they’d always dreamed of? Well, this woman wouldn’t. She basically spit in his face.”
“Eve, who are you talking about?” Izzy whispered, alarms going off in her head. Eve gave her an amused glance.
“Jackie Chase, silly. Who else? My boss wants Liam O’Connor dead and Jackie is making it difficult. So he’s decided to change tactics. Maybe if one of her friends turns up dead she’ll finally get the hint that she doesn’t belong in this game.”
Izzy ran for the door. Eve just rolled her eyes, pulled the small handgun out of her jacket pocket and fired twice into the young woman’s back before she even got her front door open.
Izzy dropped, the pain intense as the bullets ripped through her skin and internal organs. Her face slammed against the floor and
her eyes began to water. The strength of the pain was so great she could hardly breathe. Her calls for help were pathetic gasps.
“I wish it didn’t have to be you. Sadly, I’m not really in a position to argue with my boss. He’s very old, Izzy. Really very old. They called him the Left Hand to the Fount for a reason.” She stared down at Izzy as she began to cough, blood staining her lips. “He’s going to reward me. I’ll have more money than even my great great grandchildren will know what to do with and that’s always been a dream of mine. So again, sorry. It’s not fair to you. I just hope Jackie doesn’t make us kill her little girl.” Eve delicately stepped over Izzy’s writhing body, opened the door and slipped out.
The silence of her apartment was resounding. She had wanted her walls to be soundproof and they’d certainly done their job. Not a single person in her building would have heard the shots. Izzy spit out more blood then forced herself to crawl. Numbness washed over her body but she wasn’t done yet. The phone was on the coffee table. She stared at it, willing herself toward her only hope of making her final minutes count for something. When she lifted her arm to grasp it, the numbness faded as an explosion of agony surged along her back. She shrieked and only just managed to latch onto the phone before she fell back on the floor. Jackie’s cell was on speed dial, saving precious time. Izzy knew she had to be bleeding internally by the way she was spitting out blood every few seconds. The phone rang.
“Hey, this is Jackie Chase. I’m not by my cell right now…” Izzy closed her eyes on a sob. She had so wanted the last thing she heard to be a real person.
“Jackie,” she rasped. “It’s me. S-Sarah… don’t let… Sarah.” Izzy started coughing harder but she was aware that the pain had gotten dimmer. The world, in fact, had dimmed altogether. She let her head fall on the floor as she was suddenly struck by exhaustion. The phone lay by her mouth as she released a soft breath.
Animal Instinct Page 29
