He stayed close by her side until late afternoon. Then, he went in search of Steven and asked him to go to Delia’s apartment. Herres figured Callie would be there, getting ready for her night work at the club. There was an intercom by the front entrance, therefore, he could buzz the female lycan and ask to be let in. Steven should tell Callie there was a slight improvement in her roommate’s health, and also ask her to pack a bag with some of Delia’s clothes.
The vampyre went back to sitting beside the bed, telling her once more, how much she meant to him.
* * * *
Something interrupted the nothingness in which Delia lay. There was a mild sensation of warmth, and later, a faint murmuring. The sound comforted her, but she couldn’t understand the words. She felt sad when there was silence once more, but didn’t know why. Why did everything seem to be muffled and somewhat vague? It hadn’t bothered her in the beginning; she was content to accept the nothingness. Yet now she needed some clarity about what she felt and could hear. The necessity grew stronger and she finally became fully aware.
Delia opened her eyes and saw Mrs. Perty sitting on a chair. She was busy doing some knitting that held her attention. Why was she in the apartment? The humangel looked beyond the woman and recognized her surroundings. She wasn’t at home, but was in the bedroom that belonged to Herres, and she was in his bed. How could this be? The last thing she remembered was…what? With an audible “Oh!” she recalled a man doing something unbelievably painful to her.
“Are you awake, Miss Hariel?” Mrs. Perty leaned forward and looked at her.
“I think I am, but why…am I here? I feel so…weak and my mind is…confused. What…happened to me?”
“I don’t know all the details, but a vampyre took almost all of your life-force essence and you were close to death. Master Herres brought you here and gave you a large amount of his essence in order to save you.”
“Is he…here now? I should…thank him.”
“No, he went out to get more life force essence to give to you.”
“Why would he…do that? I…was unkind…to him.”
“Master Herres cares about you even though you’ve made him very sad. He should be at home, resting. He’s weak from giving you so much of his essence.”
“I’ve hurt…him. He…shouldn’t…be…” Delia couldn’t focus on what she attempted to say, and drifted back into unawareness.
The next time she awoke was when she became aware of the warm, tingling sensation filling her. It was stronger than when they’d made love, but felt nurturing rather than sensual. She knew Herres must be giving her more of his essence. He shouldn’t be doing this because he was weak. She needed to tell him to stop.
Delia opened her eyes and it was dark. She could vaguely see someone leaning over her. It must be Herres and she could feel the pressure of his hand on her chest.
She tried to push his hand away and said, “Please stop what you’re doing.”
“Oh, you’re awake, Delia.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not taking your essence; it was someone else who did that.”
“I know, but it’s making…you weak.”
“I’m fine. Just let me finish.”
The warm tingles continued for a few moments, and then they ceased. Herres held her close and kissed her brow.
“I’ve been so worried, my little Delia, you were close to death. Now, I believe you will recover. How do you feel?”
“I’m very weak, but must…be getting stronger because I’m aware of…what is happening. You shouldn’t…be giving me…your essence.”
“Relax and don’t think about it. I’m a tough old vampyre who is determined to help you get better. Also, my servants gave me some of their essence for you, and I’ve taken more from someone else, so I’m not weak. Go back to sleep.”
Delia wanted to argue, but he massaged her back and she gradually relaxed and drifted away.
She woke up again, to find Herres asleep beside her. Daylight filtered through the closed drapes, and while staring at his face, she realized how much she had missed seeing it. Before meeting him, she’d known little about vampyres and none of it was good. Over the years, she’d heard about various individuals being attacked by them, and some had died. Yet he was different, having rescued her, and then showing affection and kindness. Could he be cruel and demanding like others of his kind? In the beginning, he’d treated her in a manner that was scary, but her attraction to him was present right from the start.
Her mind moved on to the one who’d taken almost all of her life-force essence. Unlike Herres, he was extremely handsome, but he’d caused harm to the point of nearly killing her. She remembered what he’d said. It was something about her influencing Herres against the vampyre principles. That made no sense because she didn’t know anything about vampyre principles. He’d mentioned something else, too. Delia thought for a moment, and then remembered. The vampyre wanted revenge because Herres had turned someone he cared about against him. She had no idea what that meant and would have to ask Herres, presuming he should know.
Now, Delia wondered how long she’d been in the vampyre’s home. It was her day off when she was attacked, so was this the next day? If it was, she should be working at the bookstore. Mr. Branly would be angry because she wasn’t there. Maybe Callie knew about the attack and would let him know why her roommate was absent. There were so many questions she wanted answered, yet Herres was asleep. Delia closed her eyes and tried to relax, but it was of no use. She decided she would attempt to get out of the bed.
To sit up and move to the edge of the bed was easy. Then, she noticed that she was undressed, wearing only her bra and panties. The rest of her clothes must be somewhere in this bedroom, so she’d get dressed once she was up. Delia placed her bare feet on the carpet and attempted to stand when a strong hand pulled her back down into the bed.
“What are doing?”
“I’m getting up. Why?”
“No you’re not. You have to rest and build up your life-force essence. If you start moving around, you’ll collapse.” Herres grasped her arms and drew her close. “Stay in bed with me, sweet Delia.”
She knew that struggling against him would be useless. Even though he’d given her plenty of his essence, she was sure his vampyre strength wasn’t depleted. It also felt so good to be held in close proximity to him. His musk and indefinable scent was reminding Delia of his fantastic lovemaking. She wasn’t turned on, but remembered how wonderful she’d felt sharing sex with him. Well, that was until she’d been overcome by guilt. Now, it seemed foolish and maybe a little pious. It was amazing that he wanted to have anything to do with her.
“How is the tough old vampyre? Mrs. Perty said you’ve given me lots of your life-force essence and it has made you weak. Why would you do that? I insulted you and yet you’ve rescued me once again.”
“I’m fine and it was Callie who rescued you, not me. If she hadn’t come into your apartment at that moment, he would have drained you completely and you’d be dead.”
“I don’t know what happened. All I remember is the dreadful pain as he took my essence, and then everything went black. Do you know who he was?”
“Was he extremely handsome with deep chestnut-colored hair?”
“Yes.”
“As I suspected, it was a vampyre named Jadic. He’s a member of the Vampyre Council and frequently has verbal battles with me over our original principles and guidelines.”
“He said something about me influencing you in a way that was contrary to vampyre principles.”
“Yes, he thinks you’re making me act more like an angel and less like a vampyre. At the last meeting he tried to introduce a measure that would prohibit vampyres from being sexually active with, or taking essence from, people like you. He’d discovered from one of my gardeners that I was interested in you. I suppose he thought that if the Council accepted his measure, he would gain an advantage over me.”
“Did he
succeed?”
“No, the older members wouldn’t tolerate his suggestion.”
“He also told me you’d turned someone against him, and he was in my apartment to take revenge. Do you know what that means?”
For a moment, Herres was silent. Did he understand its meaning?
“I allowed my feelings to dominate my actions. That is something I’ve tried to curb over the centuries, but you were involved and I was angry. I used my power on Craig, the gardener, and learned he was the one who informed Jadic about you. Apparently, they were involved in a sexual relationship, so I directed Craig to have nothing more to do with Jadic because he’d lied to him. I said the lies were about me and that Jadic also didn’t care for Craig, he only wanted to take all of his essence, and then turn him into a vampire.”
“What lies had he told Craig about you?”
“Jadic said he was my good friend.”
Now, Delia could understand why Jadic attacked her. Herres used his vampyre power to hit back at the other council member, and the latter took revenge by harming her. He was either someone who couldn’t bear to lose, or he had genuine feelings for Craig. This was a sticky situation. Both vampyres did wrong and she doubted either would want to make amends. It was now time to find out whether Jadic was right when he said she could influence Herres. If she could prove the vampyre did care about the human gardener, would Herres be willing to use his power to remove what he’d told Craig? Or if Jadic couldn’t tolerate losing, would she be able to accept what both vampyres did?
Delia announced, “We need to talk.”
Chapter Fourteen
He didn’t want to talk. To hold Delia and help her recover was all that mattered at this time. Her life-force essence appeared to be replenishing, and he would give her more when, and if, she needed it.
“We can talk later today or tomorrow. I don’t want you to tax yourself in any way. If you do, you might become unconscious again and that would be alarming.”
“I’m okay, although weaker than I should be, but my inner angel has healing abilities. We must talk about what you did to your gardener, and what Jadic did to me. I’m sure taking my essence was his angry reaction to you taking control of Craig. Now, do you think he was upset because you seemed to be winning the dispute between you, or is he genuinely attracted to your gardener?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care. Jadic harmed you and if you had died, I would kill him. I’ve been without you these past two weeks and that has made me realize how much you mean to me.”
Did she believe him?
“I’ve also come to a conclusion about you, but we can discuss that later. At the moment, I’m anxious to find out what really motivated Jadic. Tell me what you think was his reason for taking my essence?”
“I haven’t thought about it, but since you’re asking, I suppose he didn’t want me to have an advantage over him. Jadic acts as though he wants to be the winner of every argument.”
“So you don’t think there could be the slightest possibility Craig is important to him?”
“Maybe he was important because Jadic planned to take his essence sooner or later. Other than that, I can’t imagine anyone being important to him.”
“But wouldn’t he have already taken his essence if that’s all he wanted?” Why did her inner angel have to be so logical?
“I suppose he would have, but I don’t care. Close your eyes and go back to sleep.”
“Will you make me if I don’t?” Delia giggled, and then stroked his shoulder. “I’m probably being prompted by my inner angel; she can be a pain at times. Let me ask you a different question. If Jadic came to my apartment and used his power to convince me you were only interested in taking my life-force essence and that I should have nothing to do with you, how would you feel?”
“I’d be furious. How could we ever have a relationship?”
“And if you knew he cared about your gardener, wouldn’t you want to get back at Jadic by harming Craig?”
“I probably would do something like that.” Now, he could see the point she wanted to make. “So you think Jadic tried to kill you in order to hurt me? I’d ruined his budding affair with Craig and he wanted to punish me.”
“I think it’s a strong possibility, but I won’t know unless I can speak to Jadic. He could—”
“He’s never coming anywhere near you again. I’m certain he’d attempt to finish what he’d started. Don’t give a moment’s thought to him, no matter why he hurt you.”
“Maybe he’ll try to kill me again, sometime soon anyway. You won’t be at my side every minute of every day. I believe the only way to settle this matter is to find out why he took my essence. If it was to get the upper hand, we can tell him he succeeded. That should satisfy him. If it was because you’ve ruined his relationship with Craig, I think you should use your power to wipe away what you compelled your gardener to believe, and also apologize to Jadic.”
Herres emitted a bitter laugh. “Oh yes, I can see me apologizing to Jadic. Your angel and my demon will never agree on that. Forget it, Delia. You need to rest and so do I.”
“Take time to think about what I’ve said. Otherwise, I might remain under threat from Jadic.”
“What I should do is summon him here and kill him. That would settle this matter. Yes, that’s a better idea. As a senior member of the Council I have to be obeyed by the junior members, so I’ll demand he comes to my home. Let’s rest for a while.”
“I can see I’ll have to find some way of persuading you to do what I’ve suggested.”
He attempted to make her smile by replying, “Perhaps demon delight might change my mind, or possibly a day of non-stop sex could cause me to give your suggestion some consideration.”
“Tell your inner demon to go to sleep; he has a one-track mind.”
“First, tell me what conclusion you have come to about me.”
“Go to sleep, Herres.”
They slept for several hours and it was early afternoon before Delia woke up and felt well-rested. She knew her weakness was gone, which meant there was no need for her to remain in bed. Herres was sound asleep and she didn’t want to disturb him. He’d put himself at risk by giving her so much of his life-force essence. This was another reason why Delia could no longer consider what she’d shared with him as anything about which to be ashamed. He was a vampyre who, unlike others of his kind, cared deeply about her, even to the point of risking his own life. She couldn’t imagine living without Herres and she’d begun to realize she loved him.
Very carefully, Delia got up and looked around the bedroom for her clothes. On a chair she saw a bag that was hers, and on opening it, she found a supply of clothes, underwear, slippers, and her purse. Somehow, Herres must have obtained these items from her apartment. She took a change of clothes, underwear, and slippers into the bathroom and showered. Feeling even better now, she got dressed and went back into the bedroom. Herres was sitting undressed on the side of the bed.
She stared at his gorgeous chest and wanted to caress the sculpted muscles, but that could lead to them having sex instead of addressing the Jadic issue. Delia grasped her hands in front of her in order to stop them from touching Herres.
He stood up and questioned, “Should you be showering and moving around?”
“I feel good and even better after taking a shower. I must have replaced my lost life-force essence.”
“Well, don’t overdo. You were very close to death.”
“I know and I have you to thank for keeping me alive. Without your essence, I’m sure I wouldn’t have recovered.”
“If Callie hadn’t found me in Lori’s, you would be dead. You must thank her when you go home, or when she visits you here if you’re willing to stay with me.” He stroked her damp hair and added, “Will you stay?”
“Can we discuss that later? Right now I’m wondering if you’ve given any more thought to what I said about Jadic. Have you?”
“My feelings about him haven’t chan
ged, but his reason for hurting you is obviously important to you. Therefore, I’ll summon him here to explain why he did it. I’ll do whatever it takes to please you.”
“Thank you, Herres. It’s important to me because I believe it’s the only way to settle the matter in a manner that is beneficial to all of us. Jadic did wrong, and so did you, but that doesn’t mean you both are evil. The making of mistakes is a very human trait, and apparently vampyres make them, too.”
Herres grinned. “That was your inner angel speaking and this vampyre needs her to approve of him, so I’ll use the voicer and call the one who relays messages to council members.” He walked over to the side table where one of the voicers was kept, picked up the receiver and told someone to give his order to Jadic. The young vampyre must meet with him that afternoon.
“I’ll take a shower, and then we can wait for Jadic in the study.” Herres chose some clean clothes from the wardrobe and went into the bathroom. Delia waited for him while brushing her hair and applying a little lip gloss. She was grateful someone had put her purse in the other bag. Not looking a mess would be important while she confronted Jadic.
When Herres was ready, they went downstairs and into the study. He insisted that Delia sit in the armchair while he went in search of Steven and Mrs. Perty. A few minutes later, Herres returned with Steven, who then lit a fire in the hearth.
“Mrs. Perty will bring us coffee. Do you want something to eat? I’m certain your human side must be hungry.”
“I’m fine. Sometimes I go for days without needing food, but maybe a sandwich would help my recovery.”
Herres drew another chair close to the fireplace and sat down. He looked at Delia and assured, “I won’t leave you alone with Jadic. He wouldn’t dare do anything to you with me here.”
Vampyre Rescuer Page 10
