by C. M. Steele
I followed him thinking about the last time they harassed me. Interesting, he came alone. I wonder where his mistress is.
“Dr. Lombardi, please take a seat.” I did just that, giving him what he wanted—control. He took the seat across from me but kept his body open like he was preparing to pounce on me with questions and accusations. I welcomed it.
“So, I wanted to ask you about your associate, Dr. Johannsen. No one has seen him.” It took them long enough to ask about him.
“Yes, well you and me both. I haven’t spoken to him since right before the explosion,” I remarked. Technically Leonora was the one who spoke with him, but it didn’t matter.
I wonder if this fucker killed him in the process. “Why is that?” I mentally laughed, ignoring the fact that he thought I set up the explosions.
“I don’t know. He wasn’t there, and I couldn’t get a hold of him afterward.”
“Maybe he’s the one who bombed your home,” he suggested even though I knew he didn’t believe that theory.
“Perhaps. I don’t know. Are there any other questions you have for me? You’ve dragged me away from my family in Italy to be here.”
“Yes, about that. How long are you planning to stay there?”
“It depends on how long it takes to find the person who is attacking me.” I wasn’t lying about that. As soon as I found Stavros this would all be over.
“We’re working on it, but you haven’t been very cooperative,” he informed me with an accusing stare, his fingers tapping on the table. I tried to stay calm, but his inner thoughts had a very negative tone to them.
“I haven’t been cooperative? I just came all the way across the damn ocean for a meeting that could have happened over the phone. I told you about those enemies that were already arrested. I don’t think there’s anything else to add. I have a lot to do while I’m in town. If that’s all you needed, I’ll be going.”
This fucker thinks he can just leave he’s got another thing coming. I’m going to get his smug ass on something. It’s not right that someone like him continues to get away with shady things. His thoughts were tempting me to lose my calm temperament.
I make to stand up, but he said, “Not so fast, I have a few more questions.”
“Okay, get on with it, please.” I needed to get a hold of my temper or I might rip this guy’s head off.
“While going through your property after the fire, we found an arsenal of swords and blades. Care to tell us about that?” This guy was up to no good. With swords like that there must be a bunch of dead bodies hiding around somewhere. Maybe that’s why the missus isn’t with him. She probably tried to leave, and he butchered her.
Now, I was seething. Talking about my mate like that was despicable and I wanted to drain him dry. He was lucky that this place was loaded with cameras. “They are a part of my collection. Is it a crime to collect old weapons?”
“No, but you had more than that. Sets of armor were in the home as well,” he accused, scooting his seat closer and leaning in as if the pressure would break me.
I shrugged, rolled my eyes, then sat back in my seat. He was lucky that I didn’t hunt humans, or he’d be on the menu. “Again, I like those types of things. I wonder if you collected my things. I’d love to have them back.”
“Most of them are being held in our evidence,” he admitted with a smirk.
“Most? They shouldn’t be in your evidence room at all. They weren’t part of the bomb, so they have no relevance and don’t belong in your custody. In fact, they were in a very different location away from the bomb.”
“Yes, but we wanted to look into if you have ties to mobsters. We have every right to explore the entire house. That included the secret room.” This bastard needed to learn I’m the law and chill with the attitude.
I laughed thinking that he hated me more than necessary, but if he wanted to be an asshole then so would I. “Oh, so since I’m Italian you presume that I have ties to gangsters? Interesting.”
He threw his hands up, leaning back against the chair. “I didn’t mean it that way. We have mobsters in the area and well, getting on their bad side has been known to cause real blowups. Of course, we could never prove it was them, but it’s the nature of their business.”
“I don’t have any affiliation with mobsters that I’m aware of.” As far as I knew that was the truth. The bad guys I knew were a thousand times worse.
“May I retrieve my weapons?” I asked him.
“Yes, you’ll have to sign an affidavit and have a safe space for them.” Some of them you won’t be getting back. He mentally laughed. Some may have fallen off the evidence truck. Shit, this guy was something else. If he came after me at all, dug any deeper into my life, he was going to be discovered with missing evidence even if it wasn’t him who let them fall off.
“Don’t worry, I’ll have them transported back to Italy,” I informed him.
“Is that where you’ll be living.” He had to be guilty. Fleeing the country.
“For the time being. It’s my family’s ancestral home, and it’s being renovated with modern technology, so I may just live there instead of rebuilding here.”
He nodded his head before standing up and walking to the door. “Very well. Follow me to the evidence room. The items are wrapped for protection. Some of the blades are very sharp.”
“I’ve restored some of them.” I stood up and let him take the lead down to the evidence room. The place seemed to calm down, but outside the skies continued to rain down heavily.
“They are very nice even with the explosion. The room they were in had been well protected.” He had to be doing something illegal.
“Thank you, Detective Norton,” I answered, refusing to talk any more than I had to. I was annoyed. I had a much large arsenal and a personal blacksmith at my disposal. My weapons could easily be acquired. Besides, I didn’t cherish things that were old because they were old, but because they were well crafted. It is still the one trade where you can get quality without worrying about factory line builds.
They had a room specifically holding all the weapons they’d confiscated. I saw only twenty-five of my weapons here. There were nearly a hundred of different varieties. Most of them wouldn’t have been destroyed by the fire.
“So for a room that was well protected, these were all the ones you could attain?”
“Considering everything else was charred, I’d say you were lucky to get these,” he said with an intimidating tone. Well, intimidating to anyone but my kind. As if somehow, I would be bothered.
“Okay. Well, is there something I can use to wheel these all off to my rental car?” I asked. My patience had been at an end. I wanted my Nora. Spending time with this guy had been less than ideal, painful actually. I nearly bit my tongue several times, literally.
“Sure, let me call someone to help. You’ll need to sign off on these.” This big motherfucker can take that shit out himself. He doesn’t pay my people to do the heavy lifting.
I spent the next thirty minutes filling out release forms, then I loaded my weapons into the back. As soon as I was out of sight and in a remote location. I teleported the weapons back to the castle. Once they were secure in the dungeon storage, which survived the attack, I teleported back to Washington to return the car. As soon as I dropped the keys in the nighttime lock box, I walked off into the distance away from the cameras and disappeared into the night.
Chapter 9
Leonora
I entered Thor’s bedroom, needing to check in on him. Falcon would be pissed if he knew I was in here, so I had to hurry before he came back from Seattle. He warned me that until we knew more about Thor that he didn’t want me alone with him. I felt in my heart that he wouldn’t hurt me. After all, he had been so kind to me since we got him from the village.
Thor had improved over the past two days with his pulse finally regulating to a steady one hundred and thirty beats per minute. For the time being, he remained in a coma, his body to
o weak to wake up. Or so we believed. His vitals were strong, but he hadn’t woken up yet. I questioned if I should bring my little Speranza into the room and perhaps she could work her magic on him again.
“How are you feeling, Thor?” I asked the unresponsive man resting. He looked healthy and strong and yet, not. He was about the same size as Draco and Falcon, but with dark blonde shaggy hair.
“We’re going to make sure you’re well,” I promised, hearing a growl come from behind me. Oops, I was in trouble. I could sense Falcon seething with jealousy. He slid his arm around me tightening it around my waist and pressing his cock against my ass.
“Calm yourself, Falcon,” I murmured. Thor didn’t come off as a threat to me and sure as hell didn’t while he was in a coma.
“You’re mine, Nora.” I spun around in his arm and looked up at my overly silly husband. “It’s my job to protect you and it would be nice if you let me do that.”
“Dang, Falcon. The man is in a coma, how the hell is he going to hurt me?”
“What if he woke up and you were unaware?”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes at him. He acted like I was fragile. Yet the way he gripped my ass, I wasn’t too fragile for the beast inside him.
We teleported to our bedroom and onto the bed. He leaned over me, his cock pressed against my core, sending shivers through my body. I wanted my king more than my next breath, but the beast was out of control.
“That wasn’t very nice of you, Falcon,” I scold him as he runs his nose over me from head to toe, taking in my scent. Damn, I created a beast and he was about to show me how much of an animal he was.
He shook his head at me with arrogance. “No, maybe not, but I don’t care. You’re mine.” The growl in his throat told me that he was dead serious. He attacked my neck, kissing and nipping at my pulse. I moaned, arching my back for more.
“Oh, Falcon, what am I going to do with you?” I playfully asked, shaking my head at his ridiculous behavior. I loved it, but it was unnecessary. I wouldn’t be going anywhere, ever.
“You’re going to make me come several times, my sweet delicious mate. It’s more than time,” he whispered as he pressed his lips to my ear, my hips tipping up to feel his bulge on me again. He darted his hips out of the way. I sneered at him, ready to bite him if he didn’t let me come. My body ached for release.
“I’m close to coming right now, Falcon,” I told him.
“That you will be, but if you touch my cock, I’ll come right now.” He grabbed my blouse, tearing it from my body with one swift pull. I shivered with instant desire. His rough movements sent my body into overdrive. My breasts were full of milk for our little girl and Falcon’s eyes went directly to them. Lust shone in his eyes. They were that blue that told me I was going to get fucked so hard. He grabbed the material between the cups and yanked them down. His mouth wrapped around my nipple, sucking my milk from me. I clenched my pussy, the pull feeling so different and wonderful with the pleasure moving down my spine. He lifted his head with a broad smile; his lips covered with my milk. Falcon runs his tongue along his lip with a devilish look in his eyes. “Mine,” he grunted, tearing his shirt off. I stared at his chest, wanting to run my tongue over it.
I thrust my body forward, pushing him backward onto our large bed toward the foot of it. Pressing my hands on his shoulders, I stopped his movements and made my way down his body. Stopping at his pecs, licking and sucking on his nipples. He groaned, throwing his hands above his head and onto the footboard, trying to let me control this. As far as I was concerned, he was coming more than once. I wanted him down my throat first, then he could claim my pussy all over again.
I tugged on his belt, removing it quickly, then ran my hands up and down his chest. He shivered, sweat starting to build up with the heated anticipation. Pulling his cock out of his pants, I saw the beads of cum, and I lustfully licked it off. He groaned hard, his length pulsing in my hands. I smiled then took him down my throat. Sucking until his back arched off the bed. He grasped my hair, taking control as I mouthed his cock. With my mouth full, I let him hear my thoughts. Fuck my mouth, my King.
He growled, then started fucking my throat hard and fast, coming in one long release. I pulled off then leaned back with a self-satisfied smile on my face.
He shook his head. “That was perfect, but I’m not done, my Queen.”
He hurriedly stripped me bare, revealing all of me. A wave of anxiety came over me. This was more nerve-wracking than the first time. I didn’t know what it would be like. Would it feel the same? Would he enjoy it as much? He growled against my pussy, bringing my hips up, lifting my ass off the bed, and running his tongue along my slit.
“Wow,” I moaned out, grasping onto the sheets for support as my body immediately comes apart, coming on his face. He licks every drop of my release then plunges forward, claiming all over again. Another orgasm rips through me harder and more intense than the first. I felt him lift me up and flip me onto him, riding his cock. He slammed his mouth onto mine, crushing our lips together.
“Mine.” He emptied into me with another thrust and we fell back down to the mattress. I end up on my back with Falcon on top of me. We passed out until little Speranza cried for her next feeding. Thankfully, my milk filled quickly.
Chapter 10
Draco
“Again,” I roared, throwing the sword back at one of our soldiers. “You must be prepared.”
“We’ve done this like a hundred times,” Carlotta complained. These men were weak in comparison to the way they had been centuries ago. We didn’t truly age, but they allowed the modern way of life to make them indolent. It was time to prepare them for a true battle.
“And you have yet to best me. Again,” I ordered. They needed to be on their game. “What you don’t all understand is that we can be attacked at any time. They aren’t just fighting with swords. Their weapons have the ability to blow you up. Then it’s dust for you. Do you want to be the next ones to perish?” I asked; my anger seeping through with every word. With their lack of training, they were more likely to be slaughtered.
“No, Draco.” He took his stance and this time had knocked me to the ground. “Is that better?”
“Yes, now again. I want to see that fire. I want to burn in your gut. Remember it’s you or them. They won’t let you kill them.”
“Draco,” Falcon called out. I turned and that was when they set me on my ass again. I got to my feet, then scowled at the soldier. I was ticked off, but at the same time, proud. Taking any advantage over the enemy would be essential. After all, they had the same skills and finding their weaknesses was difficult.
I walked over to Falcon. “What brings you here?” I asked.
“I wanted to talk to you.” He looked around at the crowd of men I had practicing.
“Sure.” I turned around and addressed the soldiers, “Keep working.”
“Let’s go for a walk,” Falcon demanded; his body language told me that this was going to be a personal conversation. We headed out into the woods a good distance away from the castle.
Once we were out of earshot of the soldiers, I asked, “What’s up?”
“I should as the same of you. You have spent every waking hour away from the castle. You have a mate there with a son that needs your attention, too,” he scolded me. I knew I had a family there and I longed to be a better warrior for them. I rolled my eyes and turned around. Throwing a punch, I felled a small tree. “What the hell is this about?”
“I’m not weak, Falcon,” I told him. I started to lift the tree, pumping it up and down.
“I know that. What’s with the constant need to avoid the woman you belong to?” Damn it, I wasn’t in the mood for a fucking lecture especially when it comes to Charlotte.
“Because she deserves a warrior that can protect her. And since we are only mated once, I must be that warrior.”
“What she needs is a mate, a father for her child, and most importantly to be cherished. I know that you’r
e upset about almost dying. Fuck, I still think about it. But you have to understand that even the best of us get knocked down.”
“I could have failed her.”
“Your cowardice is failing her now.” I tossed down the tree that I had been pressing.
I stomped toward my longtime friend and got in his face. “Are you fucking calling me a coward?”
He stood tall, refusing to balk. I wouldn’t expect him to do it either. He was the warrior and leader our men needed to be. “That I am. You have strength and courage, but the one time you need to act more human, you chickened out. You love her with all your being, don’t you?”
“Of course I do, but…” I thrust my hands through my hair.
“Don’t start. It could have happened to any of us. I was injured as well and if it wasn’t for my soldiers, I wouldn’t have been there either. You will have other battles to show the vampire world that you are the last man they would want to pick a fight with, but you have to put that aside and focus on your mate.”
I rested my forehead a tree, concluding that he was right— as always. “You’re right, my old friend.”
“That I am and that’s because I’ve learned to be the better man than vampire for my mate. And besides, I’m already back in action,” he remarked, tossing me a wink. Lucky fucker.
“I must see to it soon. Right now, I have to prepare to meet with my suppliers. There’s still much to be done to get the castle rebuilt. But I promise you, Falcon. I don’t want to lose her. I will fix this.”
He clapped my back. “Good. Make it right. I can’t have my seer missing shit because her mate is running scared.” I was about to tell him to fuck off, but he was gone. He and I needed to have some practice runs together. I’d love to knock him on his ass at least once. I laughed because after four hundred plus years, he was still there. I was glad things were back to the way they were before we met our mates. Now, one more round with these fuckers and off to my meeting.
