by Anya Bast
Daria said her greetings to Brandon then snagged a bottle of lotion and began applying it to her long, bare legs. Alejandro sat across from her and watched with avid interest as she moved, occasionally giving him flashes of her naked sex, unbeknownst to her.
Yes, Daria had surely been put in the universe just to make him crazy. That had to be it.
“On the other side of the compound, there’s some interesting things happening,” Brandon began.
Alejandro dragged his attention away from Daria, with effort, and focused on their partner.
“Guards coming and going on the road leading past the beekeeping field. They were there yesterday and again today. This afternoon”—he paused dramatically—“they marched a group of veil-addicted humans right past us.”
“A group?” Alejandro asked. Now Brandon had his full attention. “Where were they going?”
“It has been nearly impossible for me to slip the leash of the foreman over there, so I don’t know, but I think we should check it out.”
“Tonight,” said Daria. She’d paused, rapt and attentive to Brandon, lotion pooled in one hand.
“Not if it’s a full moon,” answered Alejandro. “They don’t have the moon phases here on any kind of a schedule, so we don’t know what it will be tonight. If it’s a full moon, we can’t go. Too much light, too great a risk we’ll be caught.”
She nodded. “Fine. You’re right. The first night there’s no full moon then.”
“There’s a party at the Alhambra Building tonight,” added Brandon. “We should definitely be making an appearance there. We need to mingle with the natives as much as possible.”
Daria nodded. “Jia Ying told me about it today. I was getting ready to go over there. Sounds like Sante might even make an appearance. It’s the event of the week and the whole commune is abuzz.” She finished with the lotion as she spoke. “Dress in dark colors. If there’s no full moon, we can head over toward the beekeeping fields from the party.”
Brandon nodded and headed out the door. “See you over there.”
Alejandro sat in the chair and glowered as Daria stood with her back to him and dropped her towel to dress. His gaze skated over her curves, centering on her lovely heart-shaped ass.
“Do you have to do that?” His voice sounded like gravel.
“Do what?” She pulled on a pair of white cotton panties, bending over just enough to give him a glimpse of sweetness. She cast an irritated glance at him. “Are you going to get dressed? I want to get over there.”
No, clearly she had no idea. He moved lightning fast and without conscious thought. Alejandro had her on her back with her thighs spread in a moment. She let out a surprised yelp and fought him, but he’d gotten the better of her. He easily pinned her deadly arms to the mattress, so she couldn’t hurt him.
“Eres lo mas lindo que he visto. Te deseo, querida.”
Daria struggled against him. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“I said you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I want you, Daria,” he drawled, his accent thicker from his anger and arousal. “But if you are not going to fuck me, then do not tease me with your nude body.”
She blinked, looking surprised. “But you’ve seen me many times, Alejandro. You’ve touched me. I put my skin to yours every night when I take your blood. What does it matter that I drop my towel in front of you once in a while to change my clothes?”
“I want to touch you more than you allow me. Don’t you understand? Don’t you see how much I desire you?” He nudged the soft, vulnerable flesh between her thighs with his hard cock. “You are making me absolutely insane with sexual need. Every night I must endure your body against mine intimately, yet I can’t make love to you the way I want to. I cannot take any more additional teasing, Daria. Not one moment more.”
Her blue eyes were wide and her breath came in labored little gasps. “I’m sorry, Alejandro. I didn’t know.”
The scent of her arousal teased his nose, made every muscle in his body tense. The press of her bare breasts against his chest didn’t help either.
“I know you want me. I do not know why you fight me, but, you, Daria, are an excellent fighter. You have a will like I have never seen in all my life. You are winning this fight.” With effort he released her arms and rolled off the bed. “You are winning this stupid fight between us, but we are both losing the war.”
With that said, he turned and left the room to head over to the party.
The words rang through her mind as Daria watched Alejandro from across the room, a death grip on her drink. The fight was obviously over sex, but what was the war?
Around her tittered Jia Ying and some of her friends. Jia Ying had taken Daria under her wing and introduced her to many people at the Shining Way. The older Chosen was friendly and good-natured, and everyone seemed to like her.
Daria had never been good at having friendships with women, especially not since Julia had died. She was used to dealing with men in her line of work and related to them better than she did to women, but she would do her best to fit in here. Valerie would be good at female friendships.
On the surface the Shining Way was a lot like an exclusive resort for the Chosen. It was an idealistic place in the minds of most and the people around her now had no idea anything illegal was going on here, of that Daria was sure. Sante obviously didn’t broadcast his darker operations at large.
“Look at that one,” said Marissa, a young, attractive succubare, pointing in Alejandro’s direction. “I never noticed him before. I think I need to go and introduce myself.”
Jia Ying laughed and caught Marissa’s arm before she could get far. “His name is Alejandro and he’s spoken for, so if you don’t want Valerie to tear you from limb to limb, stay here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but you must be used to it by now,” answered Marissa with an apologetic smile. “How do you keep the women off him? He’s gorgeous. Or maybe you two have an open relationship,” she finished hopefully.
A flicker of unwelcome jealousy ran through her. The thought flashed—Alejandro is mine. No one else is allowed to covet him. But, of course, he wasn’t hers. Not only that, she didn’t want him to be hers. That was only some stupid, irrational feeling born from their current close work relationship.
Jia Ying hit her friend’s shoulder. “Dumb question. You can smell Valerie on Alejandro, and Alejandro on Valerie. It’s very obvious they’re mated and they’re only with each other. No other scents. Back off, Marissa.”
Just then the far doors opened and a group of Chosen entered. A hush fell over the crowd, followed by an excited murmur that flowed like a wave to where Daria stood.
Christopher Sante had arrived.
14
ALEJANDRO turned and met her eyes meaningfully for a moment before slamming back the rest of his drink. Brandon was nowhere to be seen.
“Wow, the whole board of directors showed tonight,” said Marissa, going up on her tiptoes to see over the crowd. Her long brown hair dipped into her drink as she moved from side to side in order to see better.
Daria was tall enough to easily see the small pocket of Chosen making their way through the crowd. “Do you know who they all are? The board of directors, I mean?”
Jia Ying replied, “Max Ortega, Sophia Helete, Carlos Hernadez, Eleanor Matthews, and Jillian O’Bryan.”
Everyone who knew about the illegal activities at the Shining Way.
Daria said her good-byes and made her way over to Alejandro.
“He’s coming in this direction,” he said, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her up against his side. She snuggled against him like she belonged there, or at least that’s how she hoped it looked.
Indeed, Sante did appear to be making a straight line for them through the throng, stopping occasionally to greet someone or shake a hand like a freaking intergalactic politician. Seemed everyone wanted a piece of the owner of the Shining Way, yet no one was overly pushy. That might h
ave something to do with the handful of badass Chosen bodyguards that Daria could see trailing the members of Sante’s inner circle. Honestly, it was like waiting at court to be addressed by the king, and it made Daria’s skin try to get up and walk away without her.
Sante spotted them in the crowd and did a double take. “Alejandro?” He walked toward them.
Daria pasted a smile on her face, even forced it all the way up to her eyes. Damn, she was a good actress.
When Sante reached them, Alejandro shook his hand, but, smiling, Sante pulled him forward into an embrace and slapped him on the back. “It’s been a long time.”
“Too long, tio,” Alejandro replied, grinning.
“I knew you’d recently joined us here at the Shining Way. I confess I was looking for you this evening.” Sante wore a huge smile. He turned to her. “This must be Valerie?”
Daria extended her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Sante. I’ve heard so much about you. Really, it’s an honor.”
“Call me Christopher,” he answered. “You have shared the blood donors employed here at the Shining Way, that makes us family.”
Oh, puke.
“This place is amazing. I feel so privileged to be here. I do feel like I’ve come home . . . to family.”
“Indeed, that’s why I created the Shining Way in the first place,” Sante continued, “so we could have a place apart from the humans. Somewhere all our own, a community.”
She increased the dazzle of her smile. “I appreciate you allowing me in . . . Christopher.”
“I’m glad you’re both here.” He turned back to Alejandro. “How many years has it been? Five?”
“It’s been seven years,” answered Alejandro.
“Longer than I thought, then. I’d heard you were Chosen by Lucinda Valentini. You didn’t win the luck of the draw with that one.”
“You’re telling me, my friend.”
“A lot has happened since our days at the ABI.”
“I left that life behind me after my Choosing. It never really suited me the first time around, and now that I’m living the life of the Chosen,” Alejandro paused and added meaningfully, “I don’t look back.”
A slow smile spread across Sante’s lips as the unspoken message registered loudly. I have new allegiances now and understand the loyalty the Chosen have to their blood kin. I forgive you for the past.
Alejandro tightened his grip around her waist, knowing how she must feel. Daria didn’t flinch, didn’t allow her smile to waver for even a moment as the memory of the past—Julia’s death—flickered through Sante’s eyes, accompanied by a slow smile of understanding. Her stomach roiled. The truth had glimmered behind his gaze for a moment, quickly covered by a dark lie.
Even though she wanted to lunge at Sante, close her hands around his throat, and squeeze, she didn’t move a muscle.
Sante nodded, a warm, speculative look in his eye. “I appreciate that.”
“I just want to create a new life for myself here with Valerie.”
Actually, I want to rip his heart out for hurting you.
The comment, uttered on a pathway Alejandro had opened with her, made her hand tighten on her cup. She didn’t respond, but she could see that Alejandro trembled subtly in otherwise well-concealed rage. His protectiveness warmed her.
And Daria understood. It was hard to stand there and smile into the man’s face when all they both wanted was his throat crushing between their fingers.
They’d both done jobs like this a million times, but this one was personal.
Sante turned his attention back to Daria. “Have I met you before, Valerie? You seem familiar to me.”
Her heart stopped, then thudded a little faster than normal. She fought to calm herself, knowing that the older vamp might be able to hear the increase in her heart rate, might be able to scent the startled thrill of fear on her skin. “I don’t believe we have ever met, but it’s possible. Ever spent any time in New Chicago? That’s where I spent most of my life.”
Sante studied her for a moment with an intensity that made apprehension curl through her stomach. Her surgery had been complete. There should be no way Sante could recognize her. Her own mother hadn’t recognized her when Daria had called on the commview after the procedure.
Finally, Sante nodded and glanced at Alejandro. “I have. We will have to explore our possible mutual connections more thoroughly sometime soon.” Sante moved to leave them. “Enjoy the evening.”
Once they’d exchanged parting words and Sante had moved on, Alejandro and Daria shared one short look as the rest of his party flowed behind him like a wedding train.
Daria opened a pathway. I have to get out of here for a minute.
Go on back to the room. There’s nothing left to do here.
She handed her empty glass to him and slipped from the grasp of the crowd with a relieved sigh.
Once out of the building, she glanced up at the sky and cursed. Full moon. Tonight there would be no foray to the other side of the compound. Silvery light lit the grounds almost like daylight, bleaching the color from everything around her. She drew a deep, shaky breath, trying to get her nerves under control from seeing Sante after so many years.
Movement caught her gaze and she turned her head to see a woman walking down a pathway at the end of the building. Tall, thin, long brown hair, nose a bit larger than what might be considered classically attractive.
Ari Templeton.
Daria took off, racing after the woman as she turned a corner, her heart pounding in her chest. She skidded around the corner of the building to find . . . no one. Daria scanned the area, looking for a side door into the Alhambra Building or somewhere she could have gone, but there was nothing.
“What the hell?”
She stood, staring down the pathway. Maybe she was losing it. Maybe there hadn’t really been a woman at all. Perhaps she’d hallucinated the whole thing. She sniffed the air, trying to parse out the various scents with her new super-duper Chosen sniffer, but couldn’t isolate the single scent of a person who’d recently walked through the air. Nothing. A creepy chill entered her bones, making her shiver.
Or maybe she was chasing a ghost.
It couldn’t have been Ari Templeton she’d seen. She had to have been mistaken.
Unable to fall asleep while she questioned her sanity, she welcomed the comfort of his scent and the silken solidity of his form beside her. Alejandro had stayed at the party until the morning hours, and she wondered what had kept him there.
The thought of Marissa flashed through her mind, accompanied by an unwelcome dose of jealousy. Stupid, since she really didn’t care what—or who—Alejandro did. This assignment was getting to her. She was starting to believe her cover.
All the same, she inhaled deeply, searching for any hint of another woman on him. She got nothing, of course. The crowd surrounding them in the Alhambra Building masked just about everything, though she could detect the scent of herself on his skin—like a mark of ownership. It comforted her and, in turn, disturbed her.
Tomorrow she would tell Alejandro she saw a ghost . . . or something. Tonight she wanted to stay where she was. Perhaps now that he was here, she might be able to go to sleep.
He twined his arms around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. A groan rumbled from him, vibrating through her. The low, sexy sound, so much like the noises he made when aroused, raised goose bumps along her arms.
Slowly, relaxation finally settled over her limbs, chasing away the last of the thoughts that crowded her mind. Sleep teased her, drawing her under a little at a time until her eyelids drifted closed.
The sound of the door opening jerked her from her lazy almost-sleep. Daria and Alejandro both came aware and sat up with lightning-fast reflexes.
“Easy,” said Sante as he came through the door. Two guards trailed him.
Alejandro sleepily pushed a hand through his hair, trying to look relaxed, but his body felt taut as a bowstring beside her. �
��Easy? What the fuck, Sante? It’s three in the morning.” He careened off into a stream of mutterings in Spanish.
Sante stood at the end of the bed. “We’ve had a complaint about you.”
Daria shifted uneasily on the mattress. “About what?”
Sante motioned in his guards, and then ordered them to close the door. “Someone thinks you aren’t really a mated couple.”
“That’s ridiculous,” answered Alejandro. “You can see us right here in bed together.”
“Yes.” Sante paused. “But sleeping side by side is easy. Look”—he spread his hands—“I believe you’re really mated, but you and I have a history, brother. Because of that history, I can’t be too careful. You know what I mean?”
“What the hell do you want from us,” asked Daria angrily. “How can we give you proof? I’m not much of an exhibitionist, so if you want to watch us have sex I’m afraid you’re out of luck.” Rage burned in her veins, but that was okay. Valerie would be pissed to have her sleep interrupted and her relationship questioned. It was natural.
“I’m no voyeur. Sex means nothing. Any two people can have sex and make it look like they mean it. I want to watch Alejandro take your blood.”
Alejandro made a frustrated sound. “You know that feeding between a mated pair is almost always sexual. It can’t help be anything but. So what was that part about you not being a voyeur again?”
Daria broke in and asked, “How does watching him take my blood prove a damn thing?”
Sante favored her with a slow smile, white teeth gleaming like wolf’s fangs in the semi-light. “I have lived a long time, beautiful Valerie. I have been Chosen for four hundred years. When I watch a mated couple share blood, believe me, I can tell truth from fiction.”
Beside her Alejandro went still. No sound broke the silence in the room for several long moments. Then Alejandro’s voice flicked like the end of a lash. “I’m sick of being tested, Sante. Carlos tested us as soon as we arrived and it engendered ill will. Now this. When does it end?”
“Tonight. It ends tonight.” Sante leaned against the wall across from the bed. “Prove your matedness to me now and I promise no more tests. I must make sure you’re not lying to me, Alejandro. I have let you both in too close to my heart to take risks. I am fully within my rights to demand this.”
