“The only ill effect I’m suffering right now is starvation.”
“Did you work up an appetite?” His smile was both wicked and charming all at once.
“Do you want to come down with me? I can cover the windows if I need to.”
He looked out at the dark blue/gray sky and said, “I should be fine.”
Dracula put back on the long robe with its blood red lining and lounged in the chair beside my writing desk while I got dressed. I found another pair of comfortable pajamas. Seeing as how it was going to storm all day, I didn’t see the point in wearing anything else. I wasn’t planning to go out. Watching him sit at the desk prompted a memory from the night before also.
“You weren’t on my communicator last night, were you?”
“Yes.” His answer surprised me. “I hope you do not mind?”
“No, not really. But, what were you doing?”
“I did something I had not done in a long time, I reported to the commander.”
It took a minute for his words to sink in. “You called my father? Why? He would have recognized the inside of my bedroom! What did you talk about?”
“Calm yourself, my angel, I thought of these things. I told him who I was and we discussed my circumstances briefly. Then I told him you had been sedated since you were so upset by Alfred’s behavior, and I had just put you to bed. We discussed at some length how Alfred reacted so violently to anyone who was not strictly human.”
“What did he say?”
“Alfred is undergoing psychiatric evaluation as we speak.”
“Shit.” I sat down on the bed, feeling sick. “He doesn’t know about Alfred’s orders, does he?”
“I left that out. But, you have to admit, with H.A.V.O.C. now in effect, we are not just hunting werewolves anymore. Now, we are all expected to get along and Alfred’s attitude does not exactly agree with that policy.”
“We?”
“Yes, that is another thing we talked about. You see, I know why you were hired to find me. Call them, whoever your contact is and let them know I will be speaking to the council on their behalf. I have known for some time that they were tired of living in hiding.”
“Then why didn’t you do anything about it?”
“You just helped to lift me from a two hundred year funk last night. At the time they brought this to me before, I did not care. Before last night, I simply wanted my long life to end.”
“And now?”
“Now, Jacob is arranging for me to speak to the council. Apparently your uncle is Aldan Medwin, and Jacob believes he would be most interested in hearing what I have to say.”
“Anything else?” I asked numbly.
“Yes.” He paused. “I have asked to be reinstated.”
“You want to hunt again?”
“Actually, if you will have me, I would like to be the first member of your H.A.V.O.C. team.”
“Vlad, I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, the fact that you call me by first name says a lot.”
He was right. Even though he said I could call him Vlad, I’d kind of warmed up to the idea of referring to him as Dracula. After all, that was one of the names he had used in the past. If truth be told, I believe the idea of Dracula simply appealed to me. I really was attracted to tall, dark, and creepy, no matter how much I might have denied it.
“I just can’t believe you called my father.”
He held his arms out to me, and like an obedient child I went to him. “After Alfred returning the way he did, I knew your father would be worried.”
“Why would that concern you?”
“Because I would not want him to think I meant to hurt you. It is no secret how the commander feels about his daughter. Anyone who protects you instantly puts themselves in his good graces.”
“You manipulative son of a bitch.” I couldn’t resist smiling when I said this.
“That is not why I protected you, however, that is the reason I called Jacob before dawn.” He looked at me then and seemed unsure how to proceed. “He thanked me for my help, and asked that I keep an eye on you.”
“Why would he ask you to keep an eye on me? No one has heard from you in years. How does he know he can trust you?”
“I placed the call from your bedroom. What choice did he have?”
Dracula reached out his long fingered hand and touched the poem on the desk.
“I am familiar with your work,” he said. “This is beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you always write poetry after a night like we shared?”
His smile did things to my heart that it had no right to do.
“I wouldn’t know, nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”
On our way out of the bedroom he leaned close to me and said, “I have arranged a time for Alfred to come back and collect his things. I know this is painful, but it must be done.”
I had to hold onto the railing at the mention of Alfred moving out, but I managed to make it downstairs. I would make a point to not be there when he came. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see Alfred again, I just didn’t think I could take the pain.
We entered the kitchen to find a very disheveled looking Luther clutching a coffee mug between his hands and propping heavily on the table.
“Well, how was it?” he asked perversely. “Hmm? You guys have a good time? You know, I hear it’s rare to find a guy who can go all night.”
“Do you have a point, Luther?”
“Must you always have sex when I’m in the next room?” he burst out. “Oh, and I found your stash of cigars,” he added.
“You don’t smoke,” I said, laughing.
“After listening to that all night, I do. Son of a bitch.” He turned to Dracula who seemed to be enjoying the conversation. “What exactly did you do to her?”
“Nothing that will cause permanent damage,” he replied, smiling wickedly. Luther looked at my throat and Dracula added, “The bite marks will heal in a couple of days.”
“I’m afraid I might be gay,” Luther said to me suddenly. “Because I was this close to running up there and asking him to bite me last night.” He made a gesture with his hand as he said this and I snickered.
“Any time you are ready,” Dracula said as he opened his arms wide.
Luther gave a sort of horrified yell and left the room.
“I like him,” Dracula laughed. “Do you suppose I should explain to him that enjoying the bite of a vampire has nothing to do with sexual preference?”
“No,” I said. “He’ll figure it out.”
Luther came back in after a few minutes and informed me, “I cleaned the entire downstairs portion of the house last night.”
When I gave him a questioning look he elaborated. “Because I couldn’t sleep, obviously. I even cleaned up where you were sick in Alfred’s room.”
I was suddenly embarrassed. “Luther, you didn’t have to do that. I’m sorry I left such a mess.”
“Marco called me last night after you saw him in the woods. He warned me that because of the trauma of Alfred’s reaction to everything, you might not be in your right mind.”
“So, you expected me to calm the beast by attacking you last night?”
“Not really, but Marco thought you might.”
“And he sent you back knowing this?” I raised one eyebrow with the question.
“He knew I would be able to resist,” Luther responded with a shrug.
Dracula’s deep, throaty laughter floated over us from where he stood in the doorway. It was a knowledgeable, masculine laugh and it made the muscles in my stomach clench with excitement.
“Do not be so confident,” he taunted. “Had I wanted to, I do not believe even I could withstand the power of The Seducer.”
“Bastard,” Luther mumbled. “I should never have let you check on her.”
“She would have killed you last night,” Dracula answered. “As it is, I was nearly drained dry.”
&nbs
p; I could feel myself blushing and knew I must look as red as the dark lining of his robe.
Luther rolled his eyes and said, “Did you even talk, or did you just immediately jump her when you opened the door?”
“Actually, we did talk,” I said trying to lighten the mood.
“About what?” Luther asked sarcastically while Dracula raised an eyebrow as if to say, “We did?”
“Yes. We had a lengthy discussion about his … whip appeal,” I said with a smile.
Dracula burst out laughing and Luther mumbled, “Goddamnit.” But, he was smiling. After that, Luther and I cooked breakfast while Dracula informed me Alfred would be there at around four thirty. I decided that would be a good time for me to visit Kat and see how she was holding up. Elijah’s sister Mary had recently moved to town and Kat was in the process of showing her the ropes. Mary had just finished her degree in interior design and would be helping Kat run the shop as well as freeing up some time for Kat to work on her new project next door, “The Pussykat Café.”
It took me a while, but I finally found my favorite pair of jeans. They were old and the knees were worn, but I liked them.
“Press be damned,” I said to myself as I put on my favorite t-shirt which read, “Pour some sugar on me.” The shirt was navy blue and it came to the waist of my low cut jeans, preventing me from exposing my scars in public. Still, I didn’t want any more pictures like the one Lola had taken to end up in the papers, so I added a short black blazer to the ensemble. The temperature was only going to reach into the fifties, so I put on a pair of boots to match the jacket. It was definitely not a day for sandals.
I had finally purchased a cell phone after becoming addicted to talking with Alek so often. I slipped the thin phone into my coat pocket and went back downstairs. There I found Dracula patiently explaining to Luther, “You are not gay.”
“Are you sure?” Luther asked anxiously.
“If you have to ask yourself the question, I really would not worry about it. Besides, enjoying the bite of a vampire has nothing to do with sexual preference. You think that room full of Jamaicans was all homosexual?”
I walked over to where they sat on opposite ends of the sofa. Dracula was draped in all his casual elegance over the golden throw on one end, while Luther clutched a pillow to his chest looking afraid at the other.
“As much as I would love to hear the rest of this fascinating conversation, I’m going to visit Kat. You have my number?” I asked Dracula.
“I will call you when he is finished,” he said.
I kissed Luther on the forehead and whispered to Dracula loud enough Luther could hear, that he was not to molest him while I was gone. Dracula laughed, but Luther didn’t seem to get the joke.
Chapter Fifteen
The drive into town wasn’t as bad as I had expected, but walking past Alfred’s Hummer to get to my car had nearly done me in. It was a cool drizzly afternoon. I was worried about what Marco had said about pack members being hurt, but didn’t think I should call him. There was no telling what he was in the middle of and having to deal with me might only hinder him. I would wait for him to call me.
As I parked in front of Kat’s shop I realized I had forgotten to cover the bite mark on my neck. I definitely did not want that in the news. I pulled the blazer more tightly around my throat and stepped out of the car.
The bell above the door chimed, letting Kat know someone was in her shop.
“Can I help you?” a sweet voice called from the back.
A young woman in her early twenties stepped from behind the counter. She was about my height with long blond hair and green eyes. I knew she must be Mary.
“That’s Lilith,” Kat yelled from the door to her office. “She can help herself.”
Kat approached me with a smile which faded the closer she got.
“What’s wrong?”
We went in the back to her office and I told Kat everything that had happened. She seemed more shocked than I had been. “I can’t believe that Alfred would …”
“Me either,” I agreed.
“He always seemed to adore you!” Kat had begun to pace the room as she tried to rationalize things out loud. When she sat back down she looked at me and I cracked.
“I was really happy,” I cried as she leaned in to hug me.
Kat held me and stroked my hair, not seeming to care that I was getting the front of her shirt wet. Have I mentioned how much I love her?
Once I managed to calm down several minutes later she asked, “So what was it like?”
“Having my heart torn out?” I said sarcastically. “It sucked.”
“No stupid, being with Dracula,” she asked, smiling. “Perverted minds want to know, so give it up. It will make you feel better.”
“It already did,” I confessed with a wicked grin. “This is going to sound insane, but he touched a part of me I didn’t realize was there.”
“Ooo, that sounds kinky.”
I laughed softly. “It was, but it was more than that. He accepted me. I saw it in his eyes. He didn’t care what I was, only that I was me. He asked for the beast and wasn’t afraid when he saw it.”
I got a little misty when I admitted, “He didn’t even mind my scars.” I wiped involuntary tears as they fell down my face. “I don’t know what to say. It was savage. I clawed him till he bled. I choked him, he bit me, and yet it was the most intimate experience I’ve ever had.”
Kat was right, telling her about my night with Dracula drastically improved my mood.
“Oh, Kat,” I sighed. “I just can’t put it into words.”
“Well, you’ve done a pretty good job, not telling me about it. I’d hate to hear you describe it accurately,” she joked. “You bitch, you goddamned bitch.” She laughed.
“I love you too,” I teased.
“You know,” she remarked thoughtfully, “after dating a werewolf, I just don’t think I can go back to normal men.”
I laughed, but then she asked, “What will you do about Marco?”
That was a question I was both dreading and ready to be finished with. I wanted to talk to Marco. Then at least I would know and could move on with my life.
“I don’t know. I’m hoping he will be more understanding than Alfred.”
“Maybe so,” Kat said comfortingly. “He’s a good man. Besides, he should know as well as anyone what the beast is capable of.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“So, Dracula is cool with everything?” she asked.
“Yeah, he understood that I have feelings for Marco. He seems fine. I just hope I haven’t ruined everything.”
Kat smiled sadly as she said, “I think it’ll take more than that to change the way Marco looks at you.”
Before I could respond the phone vibrated in my pocket and I jumped while Kat yelled, “Shit!”
“It’s Alek,” I said as I read the caller ID. “Shit, I forgot to call him back.”
“Hello.”
The signal was terrible. In the two minutes we tried to communicate I understood four words, “I’m on my way.”
“He’s coming here,” I told Kat frantically. “I’d better go.”
“If he’s hot will you call me?” she asked. I gave her a scathing look and she said with a smirk, “You’re on a roll. I just want to know if the wizard is hot, that’s all.”
“You’re scandalous.” I laughed as I ran to the door.
Fortunately, no one was on the street to see me leave in such a hurry. I’m not sure how, but I knew Alek would beat me to the house. The rain became harder as I reached the long gravel driveway. I pulled up in front of the house to find a 1999 Harley Fatboy parked beside my steps. Then I saw him, a tall thin man in a long leather overcoat. He was standing at my front door, soaking wet from the rain he had driven through, looking exactly like the kind of man my mother warned me about. The fact that he would drive through the pouring rain to show up at my door was touching to say the least.
He
looked good for his age, late thirties to early forties maybe, though I knew he was much older. The fine lines around his eyes seemed to lend him a certain dignity that a younger version of himself might not have possessed. His eyes were brown, but not ordinary brown, more like a pale honeyed tea. He had the look of wisdom that a wizard should have, a look that says they know well the power they can wield, and it is not an easy burden. As I approached the door, I recognized him instantly as the man with kind eyes I had sketched after a dream last summer.
He had thick, dark blond hair, graying around the temples and worn slightly longer than was fashionable. Long enough to be tucked behind the ears, and stick out above his collar. His eyebrows, like his hair were thick, though slightly darker. They seemed to highlight the pale brown of his eyes. He had a long, almost aquiline nose which cast a slight shadow over his lips. His lips though far from thin, and not large enough to be considered full, remained in a perpetual pout. His perfect posture seemed to lend his tall, slender frame a dignity his tousled hair could not distract from. The fine lines around his eyes and mouth enhanced his charismatic features. His face, like his long leather coat, had an appealing, lived in look that matched his voice so very well. No matter the subject his voice held a quality which said, “There is nothing you can do or say that I haven’t done before.” Though Alek was much older than me, I found it difficult to see him as an old man.
“Lilith, I presume,” he said with a smile.
“Alek.” I sighed as I threw my arms around him. “You didn’t have to come.”
“Of course not, but I couldn’t leave you like this.”
“Aren’t you missing shining armor or something?” I asked.
“It would rust in this weather,” he said silkily. “Now tell me, what have I missed?”
I told Alek everything that happened just before and after our last conversation. Neither of us seemed to care that we were standing on the front porch, still soaking wet. The events of the past day and night fell from my lips so fast it’s a miracle he didn’t tell me to slow down. I trusted him and wanted his opinion. Though I felt a bit guilty for leaving him hanging, I was glad he had come. Alek and I had become nearly as close as I was to Kat, and it did me good to see him.
Lilith Mercury, Werewolf Hunter Series (Boxed Set, Books 1-3) Page 63
