Aidan paralyzes Gab-rizilla before she responds to Helena’s accusation. Her eyes widen in shock. Her movement ceases.
“Why didn’t I see it sooner,” he says. “I was so angry and caught up in my emotions I wasn't seeing her clearly that night at the club.”
“You fucking Djinn. Let Gabrielle loose. Helena, I can’t believe you!” Sebastian roars.
“Sebastian, shut up! Let me think. Why has this been done? Who is she?” Helena wonders out loud. “Aidan, take her gag off but be ready in case she tries to cast.” Aidan complies but Gabrielle hisses, fangs out then she spits in Helena’s face. I roll back and punch her in the face. Man, did that feel good! Terrible for the manicure though, and it hurt like hell. She’s going to have a shiner for a few minutes too. Ha!
“Lily!” Sebastian yells. His eyes flash at me before he turns to Gabrielle. He lowers his voice. “Gabrielle. These are my friends. Tell them you’re not a witch and we’ll leave.” His shoulders hunch and he looks like he wants to tear Aidan’s head off.
“Oh, Sebastian, you bumbling fool. Shut up!” Gabrielle yells. “Red-headed bitch! Your life was easy enough to destroy, wasn’t it?” Her laugh is ugly.
“Gag back on,” Aidan announces. Blessed silence again.
“That’s where you’re wrong. With or without Sebastian, I have a life. I don’t need to resort to stealing other women’s men.” I am snarling, my fangs are out and I feel something more rising in me.
“Her eyes,” Helena warns Aidan. He grabs me in his arms.
“Sebastian, you’ve been placed under a love spell. You have no control over what you’ve been doing,” Helena tells him. Her hand is on his arm. She is working a spell. His face registers disbelief, shock, then horror as the spell is released.
The room is spinning. I step back until my knees touch the couch and I collapse.
Helena paces around Sebastian, chanting until a glimmer emanates from his body and a look of pure agony rises on his face. His eyes search for me.
“Lily,” he chokes. I look away from him. “Aidan would you please release me now? I won’t do anything to cause anyone anymore pain, you have my word.”
Aidan moves his hand and Sebastian takes a stumbling step. He takes another step towards me but I scoot over on the couch moving as far as possible from him and he falters.
“Lily, please…”
“I need some time to sort this out, Sebastian,” I say. “It’s not all the spell. You gave her a foothold when you gave her the once over at court. It bothered me but I blew it off. You had stopped doing that to women since we have been together. You had to have some doubts in there somewhere. Doubts about us, to have gone under so deeply, so quickly” I feel myself putting up a wall to protect my feelings. “I suggest you think about your feelings. I know I will be.”
“Lily… forgive me,” he begs, his face ashen.
The whole room is focused on me. I leave for my room. I need to be alone. I don’t trust myself to be alone with Sebastian. I get that he is sorry. I know that he was under a compelling influence and wasn’t acting of his own volition but the pain is still real and I can’t turn it off. The damage has been done. The trust is gone.
Aidan pops us into my room. He holds me and I shiver. He strokes my back and sits with me, not asking me questions, not expecting me to talk. I turn to him and kiss him. I need his love right now. He looks at me with confusion on his face.
“I thought you would want to be with Sebastian now.”
“I can’t. Please don’t turn away from me too.”
“Never, my love.”
“What are we going to do about Gabrielle?”
“That’s one of the reasons I need to let you go for now. I need to go help deal with her. I imagine we take her to the Queen when we find out where Sebastian met her and why she put the love spell on him in the first place. The Queen can deal with her after that.”
I don’t want him to leave me and I have a vested interest in what happens to the vamp-witch.
Downstairs Sebastian talks quietly to Helena and Julian.
Sebastian searches my face. He must read something in my eyes. Horror flashes across his face. I avoid looking at him. It hurts too much. I still love him and I don’t know what to do about it.
“Gabrielle, I’m going to remove your gag to ask you a few questions. If you start to cast a spell it will go right back on and I will blast you for trying to harm us, do you understand?” Aidan asks her, his accent more pronounced. The cadence of his speech clipped. She nods her head, yes.
“Good girl.” He removes the gag with a wave of his hand and she immediately starts to yell at us.
“How dare you gag me? You loathsome creature. I will have retribution. Just wait!”
Aidan waves his hand and the gag returns. “Too bad you can’t play nice. Sebastian, where did you meet her?”
Sebastian barely raises his head or his voice. “I met her at court and then she came into the club with a bottle of special vintage from the Queen as a peace offering for not letting me go to court with Lily. We shared a glass and that’s the last thing I remember doing of my volition. She mentioned that she is a friend of Celine’s, but I must have already been under her spell.”
“Now we know her motivation. Celine is proving to be a pesky little bitch,” Helena says. “Aidan, will you take this vampire-witch scum to the Queen and explain what she has done?”
The implications begin to dawn. Gabrielle’s face sets in a harsh mask.
“With pleasure. I’ll be right back.”
After Aidan and the bitch leave I finally look at Sebastian. My blood boils. I have one question.
“How long, Sebastian? How long? Since we saw her at court? How long have you been playing me?” I scream and jump at him with my fangs out and nails drawn. Julian pulls me back. Sebastian just sits there frozen. He doesn’t move or try to defend himself. When Julian pulls me away Sebastian’s eyes drop.
I throw myself onto the couch and try to calm down.
Aidan pops back twenty minutes later.
“She was a fiery one.”
“I knew you should have taken me with you,” I growl.
“No, my love, that would have been a hornet’s nest I would not have survived. She kicked and clawed, spit and tried to bite me every chance she could. I finally had to sit on her. When we got to the Queen’s she started up all over again, even in the Queen’s presence.” He grins. “So I bound her and left her.”
“Stop calling her ‘your love’,” Sebastian growls. He glares up at Aidan from under hooded eyes. His look stony and challenging. I return his glare.
“What did the Queen do?” Helena asks, ignoring Sebastian.
“She banished her from court for two years and put her in jail for a year. Gabrielle was so shocked she didn’t know what to do with herself. She started yelling at the Queen. Then the Queen banished her from court for life,” Aidan says meeting Sebastian’s eyes, egging him on.
“Merde!” Sebastian says. “What a fucking mess.”
“One you created,” Aidan says to Sebastian.
“I can’t say I’m sorry. She deserved it,” I say.
“Fuck off, Aidan,” Sebastian says.
“I had to placate the Queen. I gave her a ruby necklace to match the earrings I gave her on my first visit. That seemed to settle her down some.”
“Unfortunately, Lilith has two enemies for life, Gabrielle and Celine. I don’t know what to expect in a year when they get out of jail,” Aidan says.
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
“We will, together,” Aidan says.
I take his hand.
Sebastian looks at me longingly and I meet his eyes for a moment. I see pain, confusion and regret. I don’t want to see it.
I am busy packing when Aidan comes in. He throws himself across the bed next to my garment bag, sending my shoes flying. I give him a dirty look. My babies don’t suffer too much. I dust them off and put them b
ack on the bed.
“Are you almost packed, lover?”
“Yes, almost. I’m having a difficult time deciding what to wear. I will be at court, yet I know she is going to want to see me jumping around like a performing dog. I’d like to wear some of Hannah’s leather pants and ass kicking boots, but I think that would cause a scene.”
“Whatever you wear, you'll be beautiful.”
I walk over to him and run my fingers through his soft wild sun-bleached air. He leans his face into my hand. I lick his bottom lip.
“Now get off my clothes before I have to spank you!”
“Hmmm… that’s supposed to be a threat?”
“Aidan… I mean it!”
“Okay, okay. I’m moving.” He rises and pulls my hips into his. He moves his tongue across my lips. We kiss until I am late in packing. I have to rush to be ready in time. I’m wearing a blue-grey silk, sleeveless Isabella Tonchi design. It will be comfortable in Louisiana. I love fashion, but I’m also practical. I finish with Prada pumps that look great. Aidan studies me. I know he is caught between admiring me and wishing I would put more clothes on.
“Lily, I love that dress. It looks great on you!” Helena says walking into my room.
“Thanks, Helena. It’s new. I thought it would work well in the hotter climate.”
“It’s perfect for New Orleans. You better hurry, though. Do you have everything?”
“I think so.”
“I can get her anything she has forgotten, Helena. Stop fussing,” Aidan says. He is in a linen suit that is gorgeous on him. I have never seen him in something so light and elegant. He usually wears jeans or Armani. We go downstairs to say goodbye.
Sebastian sits quietly in the corner of a sofa, with his cup of tea and watches me. Part of me wants to take him into my arms and tell him everything is going to be okay. The other part of me is so angry I want to rub his nose in the pain.
Liam and Andrew come in holding hands. They each give me a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I’ve got my cell phone. I’ll call. Come on Aidan, let’s do this,” I say grimly.
We join hands and the last thing I see is a flash of panic on Sebastian’s face, and then we greet goon one and goon two outside of the Queen’s residence.
“Aidan and Lilith Goodwill. The Queen is expecting us,” I announce.
“Right this way,” goon one says. He leads us into a striking foyer with high glass windows located directly across from a grand staircase like something Scarlett O’Hara would walk down. We enter a small sitting room off the foyer, decorated in blues. Not as nice as our parlor at home but nice all the same. A young human girl, different from last month, comes in with a serving tray of cherry wine. I take a crystal glass, careful not to touch the silver tray.
It’s fifteen minutes before a vampire in a navy blue Chanel business suit approaches and introduces herself.
“I’m Kathryn, the Queen’s personal assistant.” She straightens her suit jacket. “I’ll show you to your rooms and then the Queen would like to greet you.”
We follow her up the plantation stairway to the east wing of the house. They’ve given us adjacent rooms. We drop my suitcases off and return to present ourselves to the Queen.
The Queen is back in what I think of as her office. It’s the only room I’ve seen that is ultra-modern. The only other time I had been here she used this room for business too. Zoe sits behind her big desk on the phone, when we walk in.
When she finishes and turns her attentions to us, we bow.
“Lily, Aidan, I’m so glad to see you again. How are you feeling, Lily?” She’s much more formal this time. I wonder why and if this bodes well.
“Fine, your Majesty. I don’t think I will show any effects until the moon comes out, this evening.”
“Excellent. Then why don’t you and Aidan amuse yourselves in the city and I will finish my business. I’m trying to clear my agenda so I can observe you the next few days as much as possible.”
“Thank you, your Majesty. We’ll be back just before sundown.” I feel resentment. One woman is able to make us behave like performing dogs. Well, maybe not Aidan. He acts as he wants. We keep our bow until she leaves the room. This trained dog is beginning to feel a little wild.
Aidan takes my hand and rubs his thumb over my fingers. The air is thick with moisture and the heat is bearing down on us like the moss hanging from the trees.
We tour Saint Louis Cemetery No. 1, admiring the beautiful stonework and trying to imagine the lives of those entombed here. Then we wander through the French Quarter listening to jazz. I shop, of course and Aidan carries my bags. We talk. Aidan flirts shamelessly, stealing kisses whenever he can and calling me every flattering thing he’s heard in thousands of years. He sounds like the perfect Southern Gentleman. People smile at us like we are a cute couple. This just gives Aidan more fuel. It feels nice not to worry about Sebastian for a while. It seems like there has been a dark cloud over Aidan, Sebastian and me. For now, it’s gone.
The sun is setting and we are far from the Queen so Aidan pulls me into an alley and puts his arms around me. He bends his head down and steals one last kiss before he pops us back to the Queen’s mansion. I don’t get a chance to catch my breath in my room, before he’s kissing me again. He deposits my bags on the bed.
He nuzzles my hair, inhaling my scent while running his hands up and down my arms. I do the same, sucking in his scent of cinnamon and sunshine. My body loves being pressed against his warmth. He runs his fingers through my hair and I lean into him. There is a knock at the door and we pull apart. His eyes are burning with intent. He kisses me quickly again and goes to get the door. It is the Queen’s assistant. Kathryn of the blue Chanel.
“The Queen wondered if you were back yet and if you were hungry.”
“Yes and yes.”
“We have arranged several young men for you to feed on. All fresh and willing.”
“I usually have to hunt. This will be a treat. Aidan, you’ll help right?”
“Does he bespell your donors?”
“No,” I say shortly, my temper is getting shorter, but I realize she expects an answer. “I get into a bloodlust and he needs to make sure I stop. It’s rather embarrassing.”
“Nonsense, your situation is unique and very interesting,” she says, her smile says she’s finding the performance entertaining already.
“I’m happy you see it that way. I’m still getting used to it,” I say dryly.
In the meantime we have made our way down to one of the main receiving rooms. Six bare-chested men are waiting, all colors of hair and assorted heights. All fine looking. All that fresh warm blood—the smell is making me crazy with desire. I take Aidan’s hand and squeeze. He can tell my wolf is rising and holds my arm.
“Is this bothering you all ready? I’ll get the Queen right away.”
Kathryn leaves to get Queen Zoe. Before long Zoe and Kathryn run back in. If there is anything a vampire understands it’s bloodlust.
“Lily, don’t torture yourself. Eat, dear.”
I don’t have to be told twice. I should have changed, but I’ve been distracted.
“Aidan, change my clothes to a tee shirt and jeans please, I don’t want to ruin my dress.”
He zaps my clothes quickly while still managing to keep hold of my arm. The men in the room gape at him. One backs away from me. Kathryn hisses at him, stopping him in his tracks. I don’t want frightened food, the adrenaline makes it taste funny, so I try to make light.
“It’s all right. He does it all the time,” I joke. “He’s magick, but he’s on the good side.”
This seems to ease their fear a little.
I step up to the first gentleman with Aidan at my side and the donor tilts his head. I dive headlong. Oh God, it tastes good. I am still sucking when that annoying jinni pulls me off him. I don’t want to let go and start to hiss at him. He quickly substitutes another man. I bite into the new donor immediately. I think my toes actually c
url. But I’m so hungry. I want so much more and Aidan pulls me away again. He’s coaxes me.
“Lilith, love, we have another one for you.”
I hear that and let go. I bite the next one and suck for all that it is worth.
“This must be really difficult to stop her when you have to hunt.” I hear the Queen say.
“It took me and Sebastian to monitor her. She is getting quite strong. One more time, Lilith, one more, darling.”
I move to the next man. I’m finally getting enough blood. I’m not fighting Aidan as much. When he pulls me away I don’t hiss but my fangs are still out. He grins at me.
“Do you want more, my love?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
He laughs, so does the Queen. I decide to have one more hunka hunka burning love since they offer themselves so willingly. I don’t eat as much from him as I have from the rest. I finally feel full. I look down at my shirt and it is a mess. Aidan obligingly changes it for me and provides a wet wash cloth to clean my face off.
“Thanks, Aidan.”
“Anything, love.”
When I’m done with the wash cloth he gets rid of it. Kathryn hasn’t seen Aidan do magick before and is fascinated by it. Aidan enjoys showing off.
“Lily, your eyes are so beautiful,” the Queen says, for once losing the “all’s business” affect she’s presented. She looks wondrously at me.
“Ooooh, silver and so big,” Kathryn gasps.
“Yes, your Majesty, they will stay this way until the moon phase is over.”
“How are you feeling now?” the Queen asks.
“Full, a little restless. Like I want a shower,” I reply.
“We can accommodate the shower. Now if I’m right, the rest of your changes won’t take effect until tomorrow?”
“That’s correct, your Majesty.”
“Why don’t you and Aidan retire for the evening or stroll in the gardens. I have more work to do. I will see you in the afternoon after your rest time. Please feel free to roam about as you will. Anything you need the staff will get for you.”
“Thank you, your Majesty, and goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Lily, Aidan.”
Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) Page 22
