For Richer (Vampire Assassin League Book 24)

by Jackie Ivie

  Her eyebrows rose and fell several times. That move was confusing. They hadn’t covered that in the language books. Other parts of her shifted. He struggled not to move his glance back to her chest. It was difficult to concentrate. The pulse noise rose to a buzzing sound, akin to a thousand bees.

  “I won’t even toss in what a spectacular lover you are. Nope. That is our secret. But – where was I? Oh yes. You. Are darling. Definitely dream-worthy. You’ve got tall, dark, and handsome covered, with a huge emphasis on the latter. You’re immensely handsome. Then I have to add in intelligence. Education. And I find you hidden away in some unknown ancient city, filled with all kinds of riches. I think the gold on the walls here would finance a small country. So. Let’s add that all up. Yep. Beyond imagining. This entire experience has gone past scientific reasoning and right into fantasy-land. And that means I am definitely dreaming.”

  He couldn’t help it. He grinned again. Her heart did another stutter. As did his.

  “That smile of yours should be criminal.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it really takes you over the top. Oh. What am I saying? You are already there.”

  She looked away from him and blew a sigh that brushed stray hairs from her face. It also raised her breasts. Mikhal’s response was immediate and instinctive. He stirred. Tightened his belly to stop it, but that was useless. She felt it. The elevated color on her cheeks evidenced it.

  “We should probably get dressed,” she informed him.

  “I never undressed.”

  “Oh. Right. Good one. Then I hope you have more clothing available than open-sided kilts. Because I will get arrested. And I hate to quibble here, but that skirt should be illegal on you, too.”

  “Truly?”

  “Yep.”

  She looked back down at him. His entire body lurched upward. It was impossible to deny. She rose with it, and the bed continued to bounce afterward. Oh! Mating was such a pleasure! She must feel it, too. Her slight stammer was more evidence. Even if she did argue.

  “I don’t, uh...suppose you have anything with a little more structure available?”

  “Structure?”

  “Seams. You know. Like...a dress, maybe? Or another skirt-thing I can wear like one?”

  “Every chest in here has articles for you. I had them crafted. Woven. Sewn. Just for you.”

  She tipped her head slightly. “For me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I have been expecting you...for some time.”

  “Weird dream, Becky. Truly weird. I’m almost afraid to ask.”

  “What?”

  “Why were you expecting me?”

  “Because you are my mate. My only.”

  “Oh. No. I thought I just heard the word mate.”

  “You did. And you are.”

  “Oh. Buggers. Hang on just a minute there.”

  “To what?”

  “Very funny. Again. Look. Mikhal. Um. I think you’re amazing. I could find it very easy to fall in love with you, okay? But—.”

  “You are my mate, Becky. My yaan. I recognized you the moment we touched.”

  “This is getting complicated. Okay? And no dream is supposed to be that...unless it becomes a nightmare. And that would really suck.”

  “It is not complicated. We are mates. You are the only woman for me. And I am the only man for you.”

  She looked skeptical. He almost laughed. It was very difficult to keep his expression completely sober. She was so beloved. And so very amusing as she tried to argue indisputable fact.

  “Look. Mikhal. As much as I want to stay here with you and debate finer points of relationships, I probably should be going.”

  “Going?”

  “You know. Back to reality...if I can figure out where it is hiding.”

  The ringing sound of an incoming VAL message sounded. He heard it, since he had vampiric hearing ability. He watched as she jerked up and turned her head, too. As if she could hear it. And then she spoke, making it a certainty.

  “What in the heck is that?”

  “I have an incoming message. Emergency status. I must answer it.”

  “Right. What ancient, heretofore undiscovered archeological site doesn’t come with a phone? I mean, really?”

  “Are you being sarcastic?”

  “Me? Sarcastic? Oh no. Never. But before you run off... and this dream evaporates...um. Is there any chance I can get a peek at the khipu you have on display?”

  Mikhal frowned. “Khipu?”

  “You have one on display right past the Chavin pot. And the...really interesting Moche pots.”

  “Ah. Yes. That one. It interests you?”

  “I’ve been looking for one in such pristine condition. That’s what brought me here in the first place. Of course it interests me!”

  “I have more.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I have a library full of them.”

  “Oh. No way.”

  “Yes. Would you like to see them?”

  “Oh. Hell yes. There is a slight problem with that, however. Even if I was dressed.”

  “What?”

  “Your cats. You know? Shadow and Play. Or whatever the other name was.”

  “Kaiya.”

  “Yeah. Those two. They don’t seem to like me.”

  “They will not have an issue with that now. You carry my scent.”

  She grimaced. “Oh. Right. Add in that no dream sequence is complete without a shower scene. I don’t suppose you have one?”

  “A shower?”

  “And flushing toilet? I mean, normally I would need to use it by now. Anyone would. But I’m in dreamland. And that’s a certain plus.”

  “I have a shower.”

  “Good. And you can take me to it? Oh. What am I thinking? I should just pinch myself and awaken.”

  She sighed. Her breasts bounced. His canines started tingling. His groin reacted again. He lurched higher. The bed bounced worse than before. He groaned. And the VAL message line started ringing again.

  “Yaan? I must go. I have to answer that. But please. I will take you to the shower. I need you to stay there.”

  “So now I am a prisoner? Is that it?”

  “No.”

  “Then I can leave? Like...back to the States?”

  “Only if you take me with you.”

  She laughed. “Oh. That will be the day. My neighbors would faint.”

  “They would not see me. I will stay hidden.”

  “Are you nuts? It’s impossible not to see you. Hidden? You? I’ll need pepper spray to keep women off you.”

  “Why?”

  “Why? Yeah. You have been hidden away too long, my man. Way too long. But, this does have promise. Do you have a passport?”

  He shook his head.

  “Well. Great. It probably takes a year to get one down here.”

  “I will not need a passport.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have a private jet in a hangar near Moyobamba.”

  “Oh. Of course you do. I mean, first phones and then a private jet? Makes perfect sense.”

  “You are being sarcastic now.”

  “Whatever would give you that idea?”

  He didn’t know whether to believe her, since she said it so strangely.

  “Look. Mikhal. Let’s just go with this, okay? Take me to your shower. I’ll try not to wake up. You go and answer that awful-sounding call. Then, you can take me to see your library full of khipus. And...that’s a wrap. Oh. Wait. I have to fish something to wear out of a trunk first.”

  “A wrap?”

  “You know. The next planned event. Uh oh. Your call ended.”

  “I will call them back.”

  “And I have to tell you something. Because taking you home with me has some serious merit. And - now that I think of it - I can’t wait to see you in a tux. Oh. Baby.”

  This time she lurched against him. Mikhal watched as her eyes wen
t semi-closed and her tongue came out to lick her lower lip. That’s when he decided the Vampire Assassin League call could just wait.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Mikhal slid into a chair. Pressed his personal four digit code onto the keypad of the laptop. Watched a flat screen on the wall as the call connected. And Nigel was almost screaming when he answered.

  “Oh, shit! I’ve got him, Sir! Michael! Where the hell have you been?”

  “Uh...” He’d just found his mate. Surely Nigel wasn’t serious?

  “Never mind! You have two 4-D Teams bearing down on you. We have about ten minutes before your little mountain retreat becomes an earthquake disaster area.”

  “What? Why?” Mikhal was on his feet, staring at the monitor.

  “Because my boss has to make me learn the hard way.”

  “What?”

  “A newly mated vampire is fairly useless. He tried to tell me. I should have listened! Argh!”

  “Now, wait a—.”

  “No time! It’s a long story. I’ll explain later. You got tagged somehow with a super-sophisticated tracker device. They’ve been zeroing in on you since the hit at Cuzco.”

  “Machu Picchu,” Mikhal corrected.

  “Whatever! Look. Locate that tracker. Kill it. Call me back. You have eight minutes, eleven seconds.”

  The phone went dead. Mikhal stared at it a second longer and then his mind worked. That argumentative woman. The ex-Missus Bruno Master. She’d been accompanied by a bodyguard who had been wearing jungle camouflage! Mikhal should have recognized it immediately. It was Hunter attire.

  The sting on his hip!

  Mikhal spun the waistband of his long-cloth kilt, back-to-front. Lifted it. There was a little black metallic dot embedded in the material. The size of a small spider. He ripped it out. Toyed with running back for his knife, and then just stuck it in his mouth and bit it. A slight zap of electricity stung his tongue. An odd taste accompanied it. He hadn’t known new metals had a strange taste. He spit the piece into his palm. Couldn’t feel anything. Was it dead? He couldn’t tell but he knew one way to find out. He used his second four-digit code to call Nigel back. The kid answered before the first ring sounded.

  “Michael?”

  “Is it dead?”

  “Signal stopped four seconds ago. Good job. I got it handled, Sir! Calling off 4-D Blue and Green! Disaster averted!”

  Nigel called it to someone. Mikhal assumed it was Akron.

  “I shouldn’t call them off? But the signal’s dead!”

  Mikhal’s back tightened.

  “Oh. Roger that.”

  “What did he say?”

  “We have another incoming call. He’s going to take it.”

  “Nigel! What did he say about my home?”

  “Oh. I’ll call you back.”

  The line went dead. Mikhal yelled at it. And then he started pacing. He’d never been so aware of time. For him, time had been an immutable fact. It kept passing. Even when he wasn’t in it. But now? Each second was an excruciatingly bit of existence. What had been eight minute eleven seconds was down to six minutes twenty-one seconds before Nigel rang him back. Mikhal smacked the connect button the moment it lit up.

  “Nigel?”

  “Hey. Michael. Long time. How’s it hanging?”

  “Where are the 4-D Teams?” Mikhal rarely resorted to threatening tones. His answer carried the frustration and anger he was attempting to control. His voice sent such a shockwave through his room that one of his newest, razor-thin monitors cracked.

  “Oh. Them. Diverted them to your hangar at the hidden airfield near Moyobamba. You know. The one we designed to look like a bunch of drug runners used to use it? Just in case it’s spotted.”

  “Am I safe?”

  “I don’t know. You tell me.”

  “How much time do I have?”

  “For what?” Nigel asked.

  “The 4-D Teams arrival!”

  “Oh. That. No. Sorry, man. They’re on hold. I was going to avert them completely, but the old man gave me some advice I actually listened to. He thinks just because the signal shut down that doesn’t mean Hunters didn’t already triangulate it down to a small area. They might have a very good idea of where to search. In that event, we’ll have associates in the area if needed. Yes, Sir!” Nigel must have turned from the receiver to speak to Akron again. Good thing, for he was almost shouting. “Yes, Sir. You did just hear me say I listened to your advice. Yeah. Right. It’s a watermark occasion. You have a journal? Very funny.” Nigel came back on the line. “Our boss is developing a very interesting sense of humor lately. Just in case you’re wondering what that was about, Mike.”

  “Mike?” Mikhal asked.

  “I am sorry, man. So sorry. This is my fault. I should have used the Brazilian! Geez. I should have recognized the name the moment the call came in! I am so stupid!”

  “What name?” Mikhal asked.

  “When my great-great-great-whatever-grandfather first started the cotton mill that funds these knot-heads, he had silent partners.”

  “Who?”

  “Masters. That was the name of one of his partners. You know, the people fronting the pounds of sterling to fund the venture in the first place. Back in the eighteenth century.”

  “When?” Mikhal asked again. He was even more confused now.

  “I would never have thought they’d set us up like this. I mean, if you pay for a hit, doesn’t that make them just as guilty? Actually, I think in a court of law they’d be guiltier. Wouldn’t you?”

  “I do not know what you are talking about,” Mikhal informed him.

  “Oh. Really? I’ll start over. I’m a Beethan. You know. From the family that funds the Hunters. I was the heir.”

  “You are a Beethan?”

  “Yeah. And the guy running the place? Chester? He’s my kid.”

  Mikhal snorted. “He does not resemble you.”

  “I know. But he has a kid. His name is Paul Henry. College age. Real stud. He is my grandson. And that kid is a chip off the old block. Handsome. Smart. Looks just like me.”

  “You have a grandson? I—. That is—. Well...I—”

  “I believe the word you are looking for is unbelievable, Mikhal.” Akron’s voice inserted into the conversation. Akron sounded very amused. Nigel might be right. Their leader was definitely exhibiting a sense of humor. “And it’s about to get a bit more unbelievable, too. How are we doing on the explanation, Nigel?”

  “About done.”

  “And Mikhal understands?”

  “I didn’t understand a thing,” Mikhal informed them.

  “Ah. Just as I suspected.”

  “Now, come on. I just told you what happened,” Nigel said.

  “Forgive him, Mikhal. Nigel is having the same lapses of concentration that newly mated vampires exhibit, and it’s about to get worse.”

  “There can’t be a worse to this,” Nigel replied.

  “That was Takeshi on the line. He wants you to be the godfather. How much time do we have left on this call, Nigel?”

  “What did you just say?” Nigel asked.

  “That was Takeshi. He and Christine have news. How much time do we have left?”

  “Takki?”

  “We have a time limit on calls, Nigel. Never mind. I’ll end it. We’ll call you back, Mikhal.”

  The line went dead. Mikhal sat back in the chair, leaned back, although he hadn’t put his long panel skirt back in place correctly. The leather seat was cool against his thigh and ass. Leather had a temperature? That was a new experience, too. He couldn’t wait to experience more of them now that everything was fine. His home safe. His mate in the shower. And they wanted to waste time with explanations? Did he really care? The incoming line lit up again. Mikhal looked at it for a moment before pressing it.

  “Ah. Hello again, Mikhal.”

  “Akron,” Mikhal replied.

  “I’m afraid Nigel has just had a shock. He is very entertaining when that happe
ns. He has a tendency to faint.”

  “I do not, Sir!” Nigel replied.

  “Well, you do an excellent impression of it, then. My compliments.”

  Akron was laughing. Mikhal stared at the monitor. He couldn’t see anything except a desk, a shadowed alcove beneath a set of steps, and an open laptop. Nobody saw the leader of the Vampire Assassin League, but they could certainly hear him.

  “All right. I give. Fine. I had a slight consciousness lapse. But...come on. Why are you so calm?”

  “Lots and lots of years under my belt. With experience.”

  “We’ve had VAL babies before?”

  “I’ve been a living undead for centuries. That does help with shock.”

  “A living undead? Now, there’s a conundrum.”

  Good thing Nigel was answering. Mikhal’s mind kept wandering. He had a shower. He’d designed it. It was rock-walled. Open on one side. The water from the top was designed to resemble a rain shower. He should probably have upgraded his hot water heater since the ‘50’s, but it hadn’t been a problem. It still worked. And he hadn’t cared. Water was water. It hadn’t had a temperature he could feel.

  Until now.

  Becky was in that shower. Right now. Naked. Steam would be filling the enclosure. Water running along her breasts...

  She had such beautiful breasts!

  Words interfered with his thoughts. Mikhal frowned at the monitor, seriously considering ending the call. Akron was speaking.

  “...beneficial.”

  “How can having a mate, but choosing to let her go be beneficial?”

  “Vampires don’t faint, Nigel. You need a functioning circulatory system for that. You have that. Everything you now have and feel is because of her.”

  “Oh. Right. Some benefit.”

  “Have you...checked on her lately?”

  “Nope. I am learning to accept things. For the moment, anyway. Just as you advised. And it helps to put my mind on other matters. Like...I’m going to be a godfather! This is so rad! Do they know if it’s a boy or girl yet?”

  “We are not using medical science, Nigel. Imagine the potential for disaster. Christine’s blood work alone would cause the CDC to be called in.”

  “Right. As long as they have proper care. Do they need anything?”

  “Oh. They have your number, Nigel. No worries there. Mikhal? You still with us?”