His – their – wealth was a powerful but short-lived aphrodisiac. They had little need to work, save for the challenge their jobs provided them. Money, however, was cold companionship as those who loved it rarely loved anything, or anyone, else.
It had been painful each time and harder on Nico than it had been on him, as Nico had never known any other life than this one. Unlike Julian. It was an experience neither of them wished to repeat.
Rafi’s eyes were still, watchful, waiting as she looked at them. Her gaze moved from one of them to the other.
It gave him hope that she seemed so unimpressed by it all. This next though, was the hard part.
There was no way to sugarcoat what he needed to say. In the past he’d tried euphemisms, had tried to approach it obliquely. None of it had worked.
Julian took a deep breath, looked into her deep blue eyes. And took a leap of faith.
Listening, watching him, seeing the earnestness and the care with which Julian was taking in choosing the right words, Rafi sighed. That wasn’t a good sign. Her heart twisted a little more.
Propositions though weren’t so bad, though. Maybe. Especially personal ones.
First she would hear what it was they had to say. She liked Julian and Nico, too. Perhaps more than she should on such short acquaintance. There had been that instant sense of connection between her and Julian that first night. Something that made her heart yearn and her body ache.
She felt the same about Nico, his diffidence oddly charming.
“All right,” she said, keeping her heart and head still for a moment, seeing the need in Julian’s eyes. “I’m listening. Try me.”
“Rafi,” Julian said bluntly, “we’re vampires.”
There was a long, long, silence as she took it in.
Vampires. Paranormals.
Well, that explained a lot.
She looked at them, considering it.
In her job at one time or another she’d seen it all - the nutcases, the wannabes, the Goths and such. The posers and the real deal. The ones who not only walked the walk but talked the talk. Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters of all kinds, zombies, voodoo, all of it.
There were fakes, of course.
It still surprised her how many people wanted to be paranormal, especially considering the number of paranormals who wanted to be normal. And some who were normal who wanted to be paranormal and yet were unable to make the final commitment to the change. And the ones that did. Not to mention all the paranormals who didn’t want to add to their numbers for whatever reason.
As a result there were parts of the city even cops stayed out of at certain hours or on certain nights, like the full moon. No one spoke of it, it was just understood.
Except for she and Sasha.
Walk into any convenience store or bar past a certain hour on certain days and you couldn’t be sure who or what you’d run into. They’d answered calls in vampire bars where the music was loud, the clientele were Goth, and younger vampires mixed with humans. Sometimes it was hard to tell one from the other. There was a strong aftermarket in ‘fangs’. Some dentists actually specialized in them. It was strange to walk into one of the clubs and watch the couples in the shadowed corners, one feeding from the other, the ecstasy on both their faces astonishingly erotic.
It had felt oddly voyeuristic. And a little exciting.
You quickly learned which were real and which weren’t.
Julian and Nico were very real.
Just the idea of it had her a little hot and damp between the thighs. The mental image of Julian’s mouth poised at her throat now had a new meaning. A meaning that had her pussy aching more than a little. Not that she let it show.
Rafi studied them, her senses on alert. She relied on instinct and it was usually dependable. Very dependable. She was proof positive of it. She’d ventured more than once into that uncharted territory and she was still alive to talk about it.
Vampires. Both of them. Two very attractive, very handsome men.
She wasn’t a complete idiot, she’d done her homework before she met Julian this second time. Just the facts. Enough to assure her that he wasn’t a danger to himself or others. There’d been nothing to alarm her. Not even a rumor he was a vampire. Which meant he was very, very good, and very careful.
Thoughtfully, she took a breath and looked from Julian to Nico, an eyebrow lifted doubtfully. It should be easy enough for them to prove.
With a small shrug and a sigh, Julian smiled a little uncomfortably and let a touch of his hunger show.
There was pain in his eyes. Her heart twisted a little to see it.
Rafi watched as his canine teeth slowly lengthened. No dentist could fake that.
She looked at Nico, who shrugged diffidently and smiled faintly even as his own teeth lengthened.
It was the shrugs and sighs that reassured her. That and the look in their eyes – the obvious pain in Julian’s, the resignation in Nico’s. Neither leaped to devour her. Her instincts were fast enough to have pulled the gun from her purse and shot one or the other of them.
Although, to her surprise, she found it wasn’t such a bad proposition, either, coming from these two very handsome men. In fact, a small thread of warmth went through her at the idea, a trickle of excitement.
She certainly didn’t feel threatened.
If Julian had wanted to harm her, he’d had ample opportunity on their long walk through the deserted streets or they both could have attacked her as she walked in the door.
They hadn’t.
It would have been a lot easier than this.
Whatever it was they wanted must require her consent.
“All right,” she said, slowly, “so, what does this have to do with me?”
Nico looked at her and laughed. “I think we chose well, cousin.”
“Not until you tell me what’s going on,” Rafi said, looking at him sharply. “And what it is you want from me.”
Because it hurt. She’d hoped for, had wanted, more.
Somehow, though, she suspected she knew, had known from the instant she’d heard Nico’s voice and seen him standing at the back of the room. A strange thrill shivered through her.
That was a secret fantasy, one she’d never told to anyone.
There was some fear too. She was used to that in her line of work, though.
What surprised her was the rush of anticipation that went through her at the idea.
She reached into her bag, withdrew her badge and weapon and laid both on the table.
“You should know I’m a cop,” she said.
Julian shook his head, his dark eyes fixed on her.
“You knew,” she said.
He shrugged without apology. “I’m a wealthy man, Rafita. I checked up on you.”
In his position she could have, would have, done the same and had.
“It’s nothing like that, Rafi,” Julian said. “It’s simple, really. Neither of us particularly cares to announce we’re vampires. It’s no one’s business but our own. And, despite the ‘tolerance’ we enjoy these days, there are still misconceptions. Even so, so have become…aware.”
He stared into the wine in his glass, swirled it. “It’s also become a bit more dangerous. Acceptance hasn’t come from all. Some still hate us for what we are. The easiest way to find us is through those from whom we feed. It’s difficult these days, dangerous even, to find someone who is…willing. Many think they would be until the moment arrives. Fewer women than you’d think would actually consider it. We can compel…but to force another’s will? That makes us no better than men who drug women’s drinks, it’s no better than rape.”
For centuries he’d fought such men, he wouldn’t become one.
She watched Julian’s jaw tighten, his dark gaze harden. She wouldn’t care to get on his wrong side, not on that issue.
“It’s also not as…satisfying, and, for what we want, useless. How would we ever know if you cared for us for ourselves? That is, if you ever
forgave us for the doing of it.”
Given that she was a cop, it was unlikely she would. It was a relief to know how adamant he was about it, though.
But the idea that he wanted what was between them to matter…
She took a breath.
That was a different thing entirely. For a moment, she wasn’t a cop, she was a woman and breathless.
“What we want is a companion. Someone who’s easy to get along with, whose company we enjoy. Caring is important. We want a someone we feel something for, a friend, and with luck, much more. If you agree, you’d come here to live with us. You’d want for nothing. If you like, we could even try it for a time, to see if you like the arrangement.”
We.
Both of them. It took a minute for that to sink in.
A shiver went through her.
Once more that very private fantasy whispered in the back of her mind, sending a shimmer of heat through her. She’d never dreamed it was possible.
She looked at him, at them, getting an inkling of what he – they – wanted.
Her throat tightened a little, Julian’s reserve revealing. That hadn’t been her impression of him. From the first, she’d sensed he was a strong, proud man.
“I wanted to speak to you about it now,” Julian said, “before emotions become too involved and someone is hurt.”
His own emotions as well as Nico’s and Rafi’s.
There had been so much promise in their evening together. Even now, after so short a time the thought of losing her pained him. He remembered the feel of her mouth beneath his, her lush, limber body pressed against his. How much worse would it hurt, though, if he waited until emotions were more deeply involved? Theirs as well as hers.
Hunger didn’t help.
He’d scented her earlier arousal as Nico teased her verbally, heard her heartbeat increase through his enhanced senses. She wanted them, too. Not just him, but Nico as well. That was important.
Unconsciously, Julian licked his lips, ran his tongue over his teeth. He took a breath and forced his hunger back. He wasn’t some ravening beast, he was a vampire, the oldest among those here in this city. That had meaning among his kind. His hunger didn’t – wouldn’t – rule him. If necessary, he and they could subsist on the blood of animals and had. But it was subsistence…at most, a barren existence. Craving moved within him, but he was the master, not the servant.
Walking toward them, Nico added, “Julian has a theory.”
“And that theory is?” Rafi prompted, watching both of them carefully.
Julian fought back the esurience the faint scent the flash of her fear raised, bowing his head in the struggle, his jaw tight.
On some level Rafi knew they were both predators and responded according to her nature. Adrenaline surged, prepared her to fight or flee. Knowing it would be the former, not the latter.
Julian looked to Nico, who also struggled with his hunger.
This was the part of what he was, they were, that Julian hated, this dependence. He’d watched the centuries pass with fascination and wonder, had known and loved many and been loved by some few. As had Nico – his beloved cousin, his friend – the one who’d stood by him all these years.
Something had been missing, always. A companion, a lover. A true mate. Someone who accepted them both for who and what they were. It was too much to expect, but still, Julian wanted it. As did Nico.
“Fear…can be like a spice,” Julian said. “But pleasure is so much more so. It’s… intoxicating… richer…far more satisfying. Fear is as empty as a wine bottle once it’s drunk. Pleasure is so much more.”
Just the thought was enough to trigger his need. Hunger burned in him.
Forcing it back, Julian took a breath. “We can visit women in their sleep, they welcome us then, but it’s…unsatisfying. There are others…the homeless, but…”
He sighed.
“There are the drugs, the alcohol, which fills the blood of those desperate people. The diseases many carry have no effect on our kind, but the blood we take does have an effect on them. Even worse, though, to prey on those so helpless, so lost…”
Julian met Rafita’s eyes, his expression grim. “It’s not the same.”
Rafi was very aware of Nico crossing behind her.
His steps slowed. Once more he stopped to breathe in her scent, his face close enough to brush her hair. A small thrill rushed through her. She looked from one to the other of them, seeing the tension in them, seeing their fangs drop. She was all too aware that they were predators right now and struggling with it.
Running wouldn’t help. Running would make her prey. And there was no need. Some fear was there, but she controlled it as she looked at them, knowing they wouldn’t harm her unless she triggered their hunting instincts. It was hardly the first time she’d faced down a hungry predator.
And they were both very hungry.
“You’re starving,” she said, incredulously.
With a sigh and a shrug, Julian nodded. “Not completely by any long stretch, but close enough to make the need uncomfortable.”
She looked at Nico, whose levity had vanished.
He nodded as well.
“And the theory?” she asked, more than a little curious.
She found herself trying not to think of the sensation of Julian’s body against hers when he’d kissed her or when his mouth had brushed over her throat. Heat moved through her nonetheless.
He’d loosened his tie and taken off his suit jacket to toss it carelessly over the back of a chair. It was easy to see now what the jacket had hidden. The pressed white cotton shirt couldn’t hide the power in his chest, in his body.
The thought of that strong body pressed against hers, of his mouth closing over her throat, his teeth sinking into her…piercing her…
A shocking jolt of heat raced through her, arrowing to her core.
With an effort, she tried not to look at Nico. Tried not to think of his long. lean body against her, too.
As attracted as she was to Julian, she felt a different, equal, but very strong attraction to Nico. A fantasy she’d carried around for years. Only here she didn’t have to deny it, or refuse to act on it, unless that was what she chose. Her deepest, darkest fantasies might be coming true. It seemed as if her body had turned electric as raw energy coursed through her.
“Pleasure is infinitely more satisfying than fear,” Julian continued, his deep voice dropping seductively. “Better than adoration or other less…savory…excitements. Love, affection, those emotions make everything richer.”
Keeping still, Rafi looked from one man to another, a thrill going through her at the implications of what was being said.
“The difficulty for us,” Julian said, his eyes lowered, “is that while we enjoy the experience, we can’t have both. We can feed but the moment we do…”
“We can’t fuck,” Nico said, bluntly. “The blood goes one place or another. It can’t come in and go south at the same time.”
Rafi blinked. She let out a long, slow breath. That was a dilemma.
“What about the whole ‘changing into a vampire’ thing?” she asked, half curiously, surprised to find she was more than considering it. Her pulse beat heavily.
Julian swung around to look at her in disbelief.
She was thinking about it or she wouldn’t have asked. And she hadn’t run.
Yet.
Perhaps there was still hope.
He didn’t dare allow himself so much.
“A myth,” he said, “although thanks to the movies some still believe it and hunt us because of it. It takes more than one bite, it’s complex. Vampire hunters, though, have a much easier job of it today, with the help of the internet. There have been threats. Rumors among our people. Yet another reason why it’s better and safer for us to have a single source. They can’t find us as easily.”
He sighed.
It had become an increasing problem with the resurgence of fundamentalism around the globe.
Over the centuries he’d found such things went in cycles. Unfortunately, that didn’t make those periods any less dangerous. There had been a woman recently among those they’d tried who’d had second thoughts come morning. Yet another who suddenly discovered once he’d fed that she still believed the myths. Julian was increasingly unwilling as time went by to take such chances with either Nico’s life or his own.
In the end though, none of it mattered. The truth was they were lonely. They wanted someone to share their lives.
It ached in him as he knew it ached in Nico.
Once they’d tried to separate, but found they’d missed each other’s companionship too greatly.
A solitary vampire was also vulnerable – another lesson the centuries had taught them.
Julian glanced at Nico, remembering the small, newly orphaned boy who’d been put into his care so many centuries before. Something the teenaged Julian had taken very seriously. Both Nico’s parents – Nico’s mother had been Julian’s mother’s sister – had been slaughtered in one of the many conflicts that had ravaged their homeland.
Nico had tried so hard to be brave. He’d been so young.
Times had been harsh even among the lesser nobility and so Julian had had to share his food and bed with the younger boy. Not that he’d minded much. The younger Nico had hero-worshiped his older cousin, very flattering to a fourteen-year-old taking up his first real sword.
When it had come time for Julian to choose a squire there had never been any question who it would be.
In all the years since, Nico had stood at his back, as Julian had stood at his.
With a gesture, Julian said, “The bit about drinking a vampire’s blood to make the change? That works, just not immediately. It simply…preserves you…until you die truly.”
So it had been for both of them when they’d changed. He and Nico had been brought over by their Queen, now many centuries dead, slaughtered when the castle had been finally overrun by their enemies. She’d died fighting. If not in appearance, in many other ways Rafi reminded Julian of his first Lady. She, too, was a warrior.
“Oddly,” he said, “it’s much like AIDS, a virus in the blood, spread by saliva and ejaculation.”
That had been one of the advantages of the new reality, of modern science.
Blood Bound Page 4
