A Vampire's Hunger

by Carla Susan Smith

  And he also couldn’t kill us if he took too much. Might turn us into drooling vegetables, but death was off the table.

  “By the time Gabriel arrived,” I continued, “he was able to supplement what Aleksei had already taken from me and help accelerate the healing process.” I paused to make sure she understood me. I also decided it was best if I didn’t tell her about the whole feeling my boob part. Hopefully the big guy would have enough sense to also omit that particular detail. “I guess it also explains why he didn’t even get woozy drinking all these cocktails.”

  She laughed. It was a small chuckle, but more than enough. “So if you didn’t tell him I was coming”—she wiped her eyes, smudging what was left of her makeup—“why do you think he’s expecting me?”

  I wasn’t going to tell her about how I’d awoken on the couch to the sound of Aleksei vacuuming. Or the fact that he’d put clean sheets on the bed or spent all night airing out the room in an effort to dispel my scent. He wasn’t going to be able to get rid of it completely—it was my apartment, after all—but thankfully Anasztaizia didn’t possess a vampire’s heightened sense of smell. As long as the bed linens were fresh, or smelled only of Aleksei, there wouldn’t be a problem. And the fresh-cut bouquets of roses, sweet peas, and stephanotis would help.

  “Just a feeling,” I replied. “There’s another bathroom down the hall. Why don’t you go freshen up?” She patted my hand and grabbed the large tote she’d brought with her and disappeared. Behind me, Tomas continued to put away groceries. I watched him for a few minutes before asking, “How long are you expecting Aleksei and Anasztaizia to be here?” I knew the big guy could eat, but even so it looked like Tomas was planning to feed an army battalion.

  “I’m not sure, but this is probably the safest place for Aleksei right now, and once he’s reestablished his bond with Anasztaizia—”

  “She’ll be safe here too.”

  I wished I felt as confident about it as Gabriel’s sentinel did. I explained to Tomas how Gabriel had been able to cross my threshold without an invitation, something that I was still mildly resentful about. The idea that my lover had bought the entire apartment building was amusing enough to make Tomas grin.

  “Ah, but Gabriel is an Original,” he explained. “The first time Aleksei came to the penthouse he needed to be invited in.”

  As if I didn’t have enough on my plate trying to keep up with regular vampire rules, now there existed a different playbook for the Originals.

  “So that means Petrov couldn’t get in, but Kartel could?”

  The humor disappeared from Tomas’s face. “That would be correct.”

  “And you’re hoping what? Kartel doesn’t know about this place?”

  “I’m hoping Petrov doesn’t know. Where Aleksei is concerned, Kartel isn’t the one who’s been carrying a grudge for three hundred years.”

  “Yeah, I would’ve thought he’d have gotten over it by now.”

  With my fridge containing more than a six-pack of imported beer, and cupboards now stocked to bursting, Tomas picked up one of the liquor bottles from the counter, sniffed the neck warily, and made a disgusted snorting sound. I didn’t need to know what language he was muttering to understand the sentiment.

  Taking the bottle of advocaat from his hand, I poured a measured amount into a clean glass. “How brave are you, Tomas?”

  He rose to the challenge with an expression that begged me to do my worst, watching as I added chocolate liqueur and Bailey’s Irish Cream to the same glass. I have to say the shudder as he downed the contents of the glass was one of the most dramatic and spectacular body spasms I’d ever seen.

  “I’m almost too afraid to ask, lass, but what in the name of God and all that’s holy was that?”

  I grinned. “Now you can tell all your friends I made you Lick Out a Sheep.”

  * * *

  Obviously, staying at the apartment was out of the question for me. By my reckoning, it was going to take Aleksei a grand total of thirty seconds before reestablishing his bond with Anasztaizia—a process that would involve sex and feeding on what could possibly be a scale of biblical proportions. I certainly had no intention of being a fifth wheel, even though there was a good chance that I was so tired, I’d sleep through the event. Besides, Aleksei and I needed a breather from each other. Our relationship had changed, but in what way was still up for grabs. Whatever. We’d deal with it.

  I yawned. Passing out while cocktail sampling did not equate to beneficial, restful sleep, and raising my arm over my head told me I could also benefit from a shower.

  “I don’t think I should be driving,” I told Tomas, imagining the scenario in my head if I was pulled over by a state trooper.

  Have you had anything to drink this evening, miss?

  No officer, not this particular evening, but that’s only because I’m still pretty wasted from the past two days.

  Uh-huh, and just what have you had to drink?

  Oh, lemme see . . . there was a Paralyzer, a Four Horsemen, a Redheaded Slut, a Leg Spreader, a Naughty Angel, an Adios Motherfucker, a Jamaican Ten Speed, and a Melon Ball.

  I see . . . anything else?

  Give me a moment. I’m sure I’ll remember the rest.

  I’m not quite sure what would have happened next in my little scenario, but I figured both the cop and I would have been pretty much in agreement that there was a good chance I’d melt his breathalyzer if I blew into it. Handing Tomas my car keys was a no-brainer.

  I don’t know why, but for some weird reason I assumed he would take me back to the hotel I’d lied about staying in. I hadn’t checked out, so presumably the room was still being charged to my credit card. I managed to stumble only once on our way to the car, and I was asleep before Tomas had backed out of the parking space. I didn’t open my eyes again until we were in a different garage, one that housed Gabriel’s car collection.

  “Why did you bring me here?” I asked, fumbling with the door latch.

  Tomas gave me an odd look. “Where else should I have taken you, lass?”

  “Back to the hotel. I haven’t checked out yet.”

  “Actually, you have,” he informed me, “and do you really believe he’d let me take another breath if I put you back amongst strangers?”

  “Not your decision to make.”

  “Not yours either.”

  Awww shit!

  “What makes you think I’m going to be better off upstairs?” I muttered sourly. “Have you managed to convince him I’m not lying?”

  Part of me was hoping Tomas would say no because the idea that Gabriel would accept the word of his sentinel over mine was . . . was . . . I didn’t know what it was, except not what I wanted to hear.

  “I don’t know,” Tomas said, getting out of the car and closing the door. I quickly did the same. Having Gabriel open my door for me was one thing; having Tomas do it felt weird. “I haven’t spoken to him.”

  The admission surprised me. I was certain Gabriel would have vented his frustration to his sentinel. Placing his hand on my elbow, Tomas steered me across the parking substructure to the elevator. The sound of our shoes striking the concrete was a hollow ring.

  “He’s all right, isn’t he?” I had no idea how much giving blood to both Aleksei and me had taken out of him, but the need for his sarcophagus’s restorative powers had been evident. Of course, that was before he blew up at me.

  Tomas pushed the button on the wall. It went from orange to green, indicating the elevator was on its way. “As far as I know, yes, he’s all right.”

  As far as he knew? What did that mean? It wasn’t like Tomas to be so ambiguous.

  A soft ping heralded the elevator’s arrival, and a moment later a familiar mechanical swoosh accompanied the opening of the doors. Tomas’s hand moved from my elbow to the small of my back as he gently pushed me inside the steel box.

  “Wait!” I started, seeing he was still standing on the garage side. “Aren’t you coming up with me?”
>
  He shook his head. “Some conversations, lass, need to be kept private. This is one of them.”

  A lump filled my throat as I watched the elevator doors whisper closed.

  Chapter 12

  The door to the penthouse was open, as if someone knew I wouldn’t have my key on me. I stepped through, closing it behind me, and stared at the open space of the living room. Something was different. None of the furniture was missing or had been replaced, as best as I could tell, but something wasn’t quite right. It wasn’t until I took my second sweep around the room that I noticed it. How I didn’t see it right away I can only blame on the hangover effect of too many cocktails.

  Gabriel’s sword was buried in the wall.

  I couldn’t even begin to imagine the rage that had given his arm the strength to do such a thing. Surely this was about more than me and a stupid necklace? I walked over to the wall, seeing the spiderweb of cracks running top and bottom from the point of impact. I ran my forefinger across the inch or so of visible blade before working my way along the hilt and handle, and yes, there it was. I curled my fingers around the grip, almost laughing out loud when they failed to meet. I’d need two hands to hold this wicked baby.

  I sighed and turned away. I had no idea what had propelled Gabriel to this particular act of mayhem. I was too tired, my brain too fuddled, to even try and come up with a remotely plausible explanation. For now, I would accept that I had a massive celestial weapon embedded in the wall. Eat your heart out, Architectural Digest. I held my breath and listened. Nothing but silence. A glance at the sky through the sliding-glass patio doors said it was almost night. I had no doubt that if Gabriel was still in his sarcophagus, he would be surfacing soon. The image of the large bed we shared suddenly filled my head, only I wasn’t thinking about sex. All I wanted right now was to sleep. I made my way to the master bedroom. Still no sign of my vampire lover. I peeked into the walk-in closet just to see if the door to the hidden chamber at the far end was open or closed. It remained closed. He was still submerged. Perhaps setting Aleksei back on the path to a full recovery and the subsequent uproar with me had taken more out of him than I’d realized.

  I turned my head and caught a whiff of myself. Ugh! No way was I getting into bed smelling like this. Twenty minutes and one vigorous scrubbing with a washcloth later, I was glowing pink and smelling of honeysuckle and ginger. I crawled beneath the big poufy duvet. The last thought on my mind as I headed for la-la land was how much I was beginning to dislike sleeping alone.

  At some point in the night, I rolled over and felt Gabriel’s arms wrap around me. His scent was intoxicating, and the feel of his hair whispering across my skin was like silk. His mouth and hands teased me, suckling and stroking my body to the point that I was nothing more than a pool of wanton desire, drenched in my own need for him.

  I was supposed to be angry with him, and I should have turned away. Refused to allow his tongue to slide seductively into my mouth. Ignored the urge to glide my own between his fangs. I should have silenced my lustful moans as he palmed my breasts and brought my nipples to hard points by blowing lightly across them. I should have suppressed the involuntary gasp from between my lips as his fangs scraped along the side of my neck and over my collarbone.

  I should have . . . but I didn’t.

  Even when I felt his hand slip between my thighs, his fingers dipping inside me, I responded to him with a measure of lust beyond my control. Unable to deny him, I opened myself up and begged him to fill me. He entered me with strong, steady thrusts, and it took little encouragement for my body to match his rhythm. And right at the point when I was standing at the edge of the abyss, when the promise of untold pleasure was within my grasp and the soft click of descending fangs told me Gabriel was a heartbeat away from puncturing my vein, I gripped his hips with my knees and went completely still.

  Confusion filled his eyes as he snapped back his head and stared down at me. Carefully I untangled my fingers from the hair at the nape of his neck and took his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. His mouth was open, his breathing ragged, and his fangs were longer than I had ever seen them.

  “I didn’t . . . lie . . . to you,” I told him.

  Gabriel continued to stare at me, his locked elbows keeping him suspended above me. A sheen of perspiration covered his chest and abdomen with an almost unearthly glow. For a moment, I thought he was going to contradict me, and then I saw his eyes change. Confusion was replaced by awareness and perception. I slid my hands down his neck and across his shoulders, moving to his waist as he dropped his head to my neck. His lips brushed against the outer edge of my ear, and he hesitated for only a moment before murmuring, “I know.”

  And I felt the sweet sting as he punctured my neck, bringing me to a climax that threatened to break me in two.

  * * *

  Several hours later, I stumbled into the kitchen, looking for coffee, and found Gabriel taking inventory at the bar. He had his phone to his ear, deep in conversation with someone. If I had to guess, I would say it was probably Tomas.

  “. . . no, what? . . . yeah, I checked there, too . . . no, I don’t see any . . . I don’t think it’s something we’ve ever had . . . yeah, I can ask, but don’t hold your breath . . . why? She can be stubborn, that’s why.” He chuckled as he ended his call, coming into the kitchen and taking the mug I had poured for him from my hand.

  “Anything I can do?” I said, pointing to his phone and indicating I’d overheard part of his conversation.

  “I think you’ve already done it.” Gabriel smirked. “Tomas wants to make sure it isn’t repeated.”

  “What?”

  “Whatever you made for him with advocaat. He was asking me to check to make sure we didn’t have a bottle stashed away in the bar.” His arched brow asked the question his mouth did not, so I told him how the cocktail was made. He also shuddered in a dramatic fashion.

  “Lick Out a Sheep? Honestly?”

  “Hey, I didn’t come up with the name, and if you want to blame anyone, blame Aleksei.”

  “I see—he asked you to play the Tea Game, didn’t he?”

  “You know about that?”

  Gabriel flushed. “I taught it to him.”

  “You guys watched Downton Abbey?”

  “Upstairs, Downstairs,” he said with a shake of his head. “So, how far did he get?”

  “With what?” The question had any number of possible meanings. All of them somewhat unnerving.

  “The bartender book.”

  “He needs an updated version,” I muttered.

  “Well, if it meant he wasn’t going to sleep with you, it was worth it.”

  “Was that really a concern for you?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Not with Aleksei.”

  A less secure girl might have wondered if there was some hidden meaning in his reply. Perhaps a question of her own fidelity being raised. But the dull ache between my legs served as a reminder that my faithfulness was not the issue. We both knew whose actions were of concern. I stirred a spoonful of sugar into my mug. As we were alone, with no distractions, it seemed like as good a time as any to talk about . . . things.

  “I’m so sorry, Gabriel, this is all my fault. If I hadn’t badgered you into giving your protection to Laycee’s baby, then none of this—”

  My insistence that he ease my best friend’s fears had brought us to this point. If I hadn’t been so quick to agree, if I’d taken the time to understand just what I was asking Gabriel to do, then neither of us would be standing at the edge of the abyss facing the very real possibility of being separated from one another. He came and took me in his arms, the soft pressure of his lips preventing me from saying anything else. I felt slightly dizzy when his mouth released me.

  “First of all, you have never badgered me into doing anything I didn’t want to do,” he said. “Had I known how afraid Laycee was, how deep the scar within her runs because of what she witnessed, I would have made the offer myself.”
>
  “Would you?” I didn’t try to hide my disappointment. “Even knowing how the debt is to be repaid, you would have still offered?”

  “So you know about that, do you?”

  I nodded and carefully extricated myself from his arms. “It’s why the demon gave me the opals. He said I had already consented to your infidelity, which meant our relationship is pretty much over.” I could feel the tears pricking my eyelids, and I made an effort to steady my voice. “It doesn’t matter how much time I originally bargained for. Twenty-five years from now, you’ll have to sleep with Laycee’s daughter. He told me Jenna’s virginity was the price for your protection. Blood for blood.”

  “Well, he’s not wrong.”

  In that moment I realized that was exactly what I’d been hoping. That somehow the demon had made a mistake and Gabriel would laugh and tell me to stop being silly. There was no way he was going to be unfaithful to me, no matter what the circumstances.

  “But you still would have offered?” I repeated stubbornly.

  “Yes, because usually there is some leeway in exactly how this type of debt is paid.”

  “But not this time, huh?” I murmured.

  “The terms, including responsibility of payment, must be specified before the agreement is made,” he confirmed.

  “And I didn’t allow for any such terms.”

  It was true. I went ahead and agreed to pay whatever was owed so that my lover would give his protection to my best friend’s child, and now my recklessness meant I was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to me. This time I didn’t try to stop the tears. Enveloping me in his arms again, Gabriel began to rock me as he stroked my hair and made soft shushing noises.

  “It’s all my fault,” I sobbed against his chest. “If I had just used my head and thought things through—”

  “Stop!” With his finger beneath my chin, Gabriel made me look up at him. “Do you think your impulsive behavior is something I’m not aware of? It’s part of what makes you who you are, Rowan. It’s why I didn’t hesitate to send Aleksei to you. I knew you wouldn’t waste time questioning the implications of what had to be done. Aleksei was dying, and you were the only one who could help him. You didn’t question whether you should, you simply did.”