Catarina faltered, her cheeks coloring. She dipped her head so that her long blond hair swung down to hide her face. “I am from the Secundis Domus outside of Tesoro.” She looked up and made brief eye contact with Dominic. “My apologies, my lord. If I may be excused?”
“Si.” When Catarina’s footsteps faded, he turned to Marissa. “Masterfully done. In one small moment, you let her know who you are and you put her in her place.” She’d also defended him, but he didn’t dwell on an aspect he might have only imagined.
Marissa lowered her head slightly. “I apologize. I overstepped my bounds. I am a guest, after all. I spoke without thinking.”
He laughed softly. “You spoke with your heart.” He came a few steps closer and slipped his knuckles beneath her chin to raise her eyes. She was only a few inches shorter than he. “Although I don’t believe you do much without thinking.” He dropped his hand. “There is a time and place for both. Too many let their emotions rule them and end up paying the price, but without emotion, life is a tame existence best left for the weak and infirm.”
“She is young.”
“And you are not?”
“Not…as young as Catarina, no.” She turned away but not before the shadow of some greater emotion crossed her face. When she looked at him again, her smile was slightly disconnected. “I do not mean to keep you from daysleep. I’m sure your staff can direct me to the kitchen and my room.”
What had upset her? He raised a brow. “Are you dismissing me?”
Horror broke the smile. “No. Never. I would never—”
He laughed. “It’s all right, Marissa. I know how Arnaud runs his house, but I don’t stand so much on formality. The only thing I never joke about is my work.” He held his hand out, knowing he’d already touched her more than was proper but not caring. Contact was sorely missing in his life. “Let me show you to the dining room.”
She hesitated, staring at his outstretched hand. “Arnaud runs his house very strictly.” Slowly, she lifted her hand and her fingers coasted over his, teasingly warm but with a delicate friction that spoke to places deep inside him. She raised her gaze to meet his eyes. “This will be something of a holiday, then.”
“Perhaps.” He gathered her hand into his completely and led her down the hall. The heat of her skin recalled summers on the Amalfi coast, but those were memories from another life. He glanced at her. How innocent she was. No more than a possession to Arnaud. And now Dominic must tell her of Arnaud’s plans. He must explain how he’d been commissioned to experiment on her these next few weeks, to gently make clear the dangers of his work, but not now. There would be time enough for that in the evening. Now, as he felt the sun break the horizon, he wanted nothing to do with any of that. He would not give her a reason to fear him, not in this moment.
As they approached the dining room, a servant opened the door. Dominic dropped her hand to let her go ahead of him. “Serve Lady Marissa here.”
“Yes, your lordship.” The servant nodded and left.
In the quiet of the room, she shook her head. “It is wrong to call me Lady Marissa.”
“In my house, I do as I please.” And right now, what he wanted to do was something he knew she would not abide, but lack of sleep made him reckless. He picked up her hand and pressed it to his mouth, inhaling her scent as he kissed her smooth, gilded skin.
She jumped, but not enough to wrench her hand from his grasp. “My lord,” she whispered.
“Do I frighten you?” Her heartbeat had increased the moment he’d touched her. If he had a pulse, it would have done the same. “That is not my desire.”
“Then what”—she swallowed, the delicate lines of her neck flexing—“what is your desire, my lord?”
Not what, but who. But wanting her was dangerous at best. He released her hand and took a step back, his control teetering. “Only company.” He pulled a chair out for her, then sat on the other side of the table. That would give her room to breathe.
She sat very straight. “Catarina does not provide that for you?”
“Catarina is first and foremost a comarré.”
“As am I.”
He shook his head. “You are a comarré second.”
She tensed. “Why would you say—”
“You are a woman first, cara mia.”
Unbelievably, she blushed. The signum on her cheeks blazed against the rising color. “You are a most unusual man.”
He nodded. “You are getting to know me very quickly.”
Servants entered with her dinner and a goblet of blood for him. He took it from the extended tray. It was warm. “This isn’t from the reserves?”
The servant tucked the tray under his arm. “Catarina thought you might want something fresher, my lord.”
With a nod, Dominic dismissed his staff with a wave.
Marissa spoke when they’d left. “She wishes to make amends.”
He lifted the glass. “Perhaps, but I rarely drink from her vein. She is only doing what is required of her.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it abruptly, only to take a bite of the meal before her instead.
“You want to know why that is?” He shrugged. “I am often busy and do not wish to be disturbed or pulled from my work, and she…does not complain that we have so little interaction. It is odd, perhaps, but it suits.”
She nodded and set her fork down. “It suits you not to have as much power as you could?” She lifted her hands and stroked the inside of one wrist. “I’ve never known a vampire who didn’t care whether or not he sank his teeth into the soft flesh of the comarré he owned. You are a rare creature, Lord Falconetti, to give up both power and pleasure.”
He stared at her, the embers of his desire rekindled by her words and fanned by what was clearly a challenge. She was not the innocent he’d thought. No, indeed. She must know what her words were doing to him. But for what purpose? Did she think she could take Catarina’s place? That Arnaud would give her up? Was this the kind of trouble she’d caused to make her house declare her unreturnable? If so, he was not opposed to it. He smiled, lids lowered, while a thousand questions filled his head. “Are you playing a game with me, Marissa?”
She looked genuinely shocked. “Game? No, I swear I am not.” She pushed her chair back and dropped her napkin beside her plate. “I am tired and I have once again let my mouth get the best of me. If you’ll excuse me, I should retire.”
A small burst of speed and he was at her side, blocking her way. “You’re right. There is little to be gained from giving up power and pleasure, as you so eloquently put it. I shall turn over a new leaf this very moment.”
She held very still. “I should leave you to it, then.” She pointed lamely past him. “If you would be so kind as to let me by.”
Now it was his turn to see what she was made of. To call her bluff in this delicate, delicious dance they engaged in. “Your freedom for a kiss.”
“Freedom? For a…a kiss?” For a brief moment, she looked shaken. Then, with the lift of her chin, her confidence returned and she laughed. “You’re teasing me again, aren’t you?” She lifted her hand toward his shoulder as if to push him aside but stopped before touching him.
He moved forward, forcing the contact. “No, cara mia, I do not tease.” When she didn’t take her hand away, he leaned in, lowered his voice, and repeated his words. “Your freedom for a kiss.”
Chapter Four
Marissa inhaled, trying to buy time. Instead she succeeded only in breathing in Dominic’s dark spicy scent and further discombobulating herself. He’d said the word freedom. Was that the sign she’d asked for? Nothing about him meshed with anything she’d come to expect from a vampire. “I belong to another. And what you ask is against comarré rules. You know that.”
“And I don’t care. As I told you, my house, my rules.” Suddenly, he backed out of her path and held his hands up. “I do not wish to make you uncomfortable and I see that I have. Go to bed, Marissa. We have much ahead of us tomo
rrow evening.” He turned to go.
“Wait.” Why she’d said that, she didn’t know, but she wasn’t ready for him to leave her. Not yet. Not with her emotions a jumbled mess and the possibility of escape so close. Liar. Escape was the last thing on her mind.
“Si?” He faced her, his eyes flecked with silver and his body tensed. There was no question he felt something, too, just…what?
She didn’t know how to ask him to explain what he was doing, not without sounding foolish, so she changed the subject. “What time should I be ready for you?”
His eyes flashed completely silver, then went back to mossy green. “As soon as the sun sets, come to my laboratory. A servant can direct you.”
But that wasn’t really the question she wanted answered. She found her tongue. “What exactly is Arnaud paying you to do to me?”
Dominic hesitated.
“I have the right to know.”
“Si, you do.” He sighed. “I did not wish to discuss this now, but I will not withhold the truth from you, either. He wishes me to alter your blood.”
“Alter it? Isn’t it good enough the way it is?” The thought of undergoing such a thing doubled her with fear and hatred for Arnaud. She was truly nothing to him but a possession.
“He wants your blood to make him impervious to sunlight.”
“That’s impossible. And if you somehow accomplish it, you will relegate every other comarré to the same procedure.” She ground her teeth as her anger grew. “That pompous fool, he wants too much, thinks too little—” The realization that she’d just spoken her thoughts aloud stopped her abruptly. Her strength drained from her. She collapsed back into her chair. “Please, I beg you, forget I said those things.”
Dominic pulled out the chair next to hers and sat. His knees brushed hers. “Arnaud is everything you said and worse. I am sorry for what I must do, but I have no choice.”
She frowned. “Of course you have a choice. Refuse his money.”
“He isn’t paying me. He has forced my hand by obtaining information about me that, if revealed, would ruin me.”
She stared at him. Why would Dominic willingly share such facts with her? “He’s blackmailing you?”
“Si.” He smiled weakly. “And now you are wondering what I have done.”
Her mind raced. “No, I—”
“It’s all right. I would be wondering myself. I can assure you, I did nothing that wasn’t wanted, nothing that caused anyone trouble. But it was enough that should Arnaud wish it, he could destroy me.”
He seemed so genuine she couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. But he was still a vampire and she’d known enough of them to know they couldn’t be trusted, no matter what her instincts said about him. “So you will destroy me instead.”
“Marissa, I give you my word, I will do nothing to harm you.”
Without thinking, she snorted softly. “Your word?”
He rested one arm over the back of the chair. “Because I am a vampire, my word is no good?”
“Would you trust a vampire if you were me?”
His smile spread slowly. “Excellent point. How do I convince you otherwise?”
She didn’t return his smile. “Find another way to give Arnaud what he wants.”
“I intend to, but I am an alchemist, not a magician.”
“Then how can I trust you? I can’t.” She stood and started past him. She’d find her room on her own. If she even stayed the night. Running seemed more and more like her only way out.
His fingers wrapped around her arm. “Sit.” The gravity in his voice hadn’t been present before. “I will tell you the crimes Arnaud holds over my head.”
She went back to her seat. “You would do that?”
“It will earn your trust, no?”
“Why do you care if I trust you?”
His brows furrowed. “You ask much of me. So much explaining.” He shook his head. “I do not wish to spend four weeks with an angry woman. And I like the”—he waved his hand between them as he seemingly searched for words—“the easiness of speaking to you. Catarina does not want conversation with me. Or much else, for that matter.”
“Why is she like that with you?” A comarré was supposed to provide companionship if her patron desired it.
“Aren’t most comarré that way? Keeping to themselves when possible? I just assumed it was your way.”
“Not if their patron wishes otherwise. If you don’t drink from the vein, how does Catarina maintain her youthfulness and her stamina? You know the bite works both ways.”
“I said I rarely drink from the vein, not never.”
“I see.” She nodded, wondering if Dominic had done something to Catarina or if Catarina just didn’t appreciate the patron she had in Dominic.
“I like drinking from the vein very much.” His gaze flickered over her throat. “Do not mistake that.”
She leaned back, raising her chin enough to give him a little more to stare at. “So, these crimes of yours. What are they?”
He rested his face against his hand and stared directly into her eyes. “I am a killer.”
“You’re a vampire. That comes with the position.”
He inched closer and planted his elbows on his knees. The twinkle in his eye was unmistakably devilish. “Si, but I kill other vampires.”
She straightened. “You’re caedo?” The word was rarely spoken aloud, but all knew and understood the role of the caedo. Even vampires needed assassins once in a while.
A barking laugh answered her. “Mamma mia, no! But I am honored you think me that dangerous.”
“Then explain.” She felt far too comfortable around him, despite what he’d just confessed. Or perhaps because of it. A vampire who killed other vampires? Exactly just how different was he from the rest of the nobility?
“There are those among us who grow weary of eternity. Those who lack the will to face the sun. I provide a gentler alternative. No pain, just one last, final daysleep.”
“But it’s still breaking the rule all vampires live by.”
“Thou shall not kill your brethren.” He nodded. “With this information, Arnaud could cause me to become anathema. Or worse.”
“So you either do what he tells you to do—”
“At your expense,” Dominic interjected.
“Or lose everything.”
He nodded. “Now you understand my dilemma.”
“I do. And I thank you for sharing it with me. I will not betray that trust. And I believe that you are worthy of trusting as well.” She canted her head at him. “You are unlike any vampire I have ever known.”
He smiled broadly. “Imagine what you’ll think of me in a few more days.” He stood and held out his hand to her. “It’s late. I’ve kept you up too long. I’ll show you to your room.”
She took his hand and let him help her up, but then pointed to the untouched goblet of blood, now congealed. “I’m afraid I’ve ruined your dinner. Catarina will not be pleased.”
“Catarina will never know.” He pushed both chairs in before offering her his arm.
She looped her arm through the crook of his elbow, every moment becoming more surreal. “Are you like this with all your guests?”
“Like what?” he asked as they headed down the hall.
“So…accommodating.”
“I never have guests, but if I did and they were as beautiful and charming as you, I guess I would be.”
“There you go again.” She tried not to focus on the way his hip subtly brushed hers, how the breadth of his body accentuated the slenderness of hers. How being this close amplified how very male he was. “Being accommodating.”
He stopped and the first thought was that he would try to kiss her again and how this time she might not refuse him. “Your room.”
“What?” She blinked, trying to parse out what he’d said.
He released her arm and opened the door before them. “Your room. If anything isn’t to your liking, please let me know
.”
She didn’t take her gaze from his face. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
“Until this evening, then.” And with that, he was gone.
Chapter Five
“Sciocco,” Dominic muttered to himself as he entered his suite. He’d been a fool in more ways than one this morning. He’d let Marissa’s beauty and intelligence sway him into revealing far more than was prudent. He’d let his desires get the best of him. He’d been without willing companionship for so long that the smallest encouragement from her and he’d become a blathering loon with the libido of a schoolboy.
He’d even been so distracted he’d ignored an entire goblet of blood. Now he would face the coming night hungry. And that meant he’d be even more vulnerable to Marissa’s charms.
He threw his suit jacket onto a chair. His valet rushed forward to retrieve it. Dominic waved the man off. “Leave it until this evening. I wish to be alone.”
“Yes, my lord.” The man ducked out.
Impatient with the buttons of his shirt, Dominic tore it off and added it to the pile. The rest of his clothes followed. He tugged on a pair of silk pajama pants, then headed for his bed. He stopped as he passed a floor-length mirror. The gold backing meant he’d see whatever face he wished, human or vampire. Tonight, both sides had betrayed him.
He stared at his reflection, scowling. “You chose this life. And now one woman makes you question it? A woman who belongs to another? A woman who could be your undoing? She would laugh if she knew your thoughts.” Or would she? Marissa made it plain her life with Arnaud was less than ideal. He growled at his image. “Travel and lack of blood has muddled your brain.”
He stalked to the bed, got under the linens, and stared into the silk canopy draped from its four posters. How was he going to appease Arnaud without hurting Marissa? Nothing he’d done in the past gave him any answers. Even alchemy had its limitations.
His choices in this were narrow. Do as Arnaud commanded, or spare Marissa. Both had consequences. If Dominic succeeded in this task for Arnaud, the man would never leave him alone. Nor would any other vampire who heard of it. Spending his life turning vampires into daywalkers held no appeal. He knew his kind could be monsters. He still had familia in the world, generations removed, but blood was blood. He felt duty bound to protect them from what he’d become as much as he felt duty bound to protect Marissa from harm.
Forbidden Blood: A House of Comarré Novella Page 2
