I was floored into silence, then disgusted. Then I was very, very glad he couldn’t give me any diseases, being with all those other women.
“I can see I should not have mentioned a number,” Dev said ruefully. “Forget them, please, My Dear One. They didn’t matter to me, not like you do.”
I didn’t reply, trying to get my mind around the number fifty. Was that more than one a night? He hadn’t said how many times he’d had each woman...nauseating...
“Sar, look at me.”
“It’s hard to.”
He took my hand in his. “What I tried to make you understand was that no matter how much I tried to forget being with you, I couldn’t. I haven’t loved anyone in a long time. If you’ll give me your promise, I won’t be with anyone else but you. I won’t swear that to you forever, but I’ll swear it for the next decade, provided you swear not to deny me your favors.”
I nodded, still in shock.
“Let’s adjourn this conversation for tonight. The night in fact is drawing to its close, and we’re both exhausted. I will take your Oath tomorrow, after we’ve both had a chance to rest.” Devlin offered me his hand. “Come.”
I didn’t move.
Devlin took me in his arms. “I love you, Sar. No one else. There is no other woman who I’d have risked so much for.” He kissed me tenderly. “There is no one for you to be jealous of.”
He had risked a hell of a lot coming back here. “I’m just worried,” I said in a small voice.
His brow creased as he looked down at me. “About what?”
“That this isn’t real,” I admitted hesitantly. “That I’m going to wake up and find out this is all a dream, that I’m still sick.”
“It’s not a dream,” he reassured. “I’m real and my feelings for you are real. Now come to bed and rest.”
“No. When you came to me, you said you had plans for you and I. I’m not tired.” I twined my arms around his neck. “What was your fantasy?”
Dev smiled recklessly. “Feel like going for a bike ride?”
“Sure, but what do I wear? I don’t have leather gear like you.”
“Ah, but you do, Sar,” he said, grabbing my hand and leading me down to his motorcycle. He reached into the saddlebags on the back, and pulled me out some black leather pants. “These should fit. They’re the same size as your jeans.”
“How did you know that?” I said, taking them from him and glancing at the tag. Sure enough, they were the right size.
“I looked when I sent your laundry down to get washed in the hotel.”
Good thing I hadn’t gained any weight. I’d have been royally embarrassed when they didn’t fit. “What about a helmet?”
“You can wear mine. Being night, I won’t need it.”
Trepidation hit me. It was going to be freezing cold riding on the back of a bike at night in the middle of winter. I’d always liked motorcycles, but I’d never ridden on one before.
“I’d put on a heavy jacket, if I were you. Hurry, the moon is setting.”
His excitement and surety swayed me. “Sure,” I said, giving him a smile. “Let me get these on and grab my jacket.”
“I’ll come with you. My clothes should be dry by now.”
After dressing in leather, and also for me, multiple layers of polar fleece, we headed back downstairs. Devlin climbed astride the bike, and began checking it over. “Nice boots.”
“Thanks,” I replied, slipping on the bike behind him, my feet clad in the high boots he’d given me. “I told you I liked them.”
“So you did.” He handed me the helmet.
I buckled it on. “All set.”
“Hold on to me tightly. You won’t hurt me, and I’d rather you squeezed me than fell off.”
“Will do.” I hit the opener, slipping my arms around his waist as Devlin kick-started the bike. It roared to life with a throaty growl and he backed it out slowly into the cold December night. I hit the garage door opener again. The door slid closed as Devlin slowly drove in a half circle and then out and down my driveway.
I hadn’t been outside at night for a long time. Then I’d been too cold, but the night was exhilarating. The full moon was shining down, lighting up everything around us.
As we got to the end of the driveway, Dev put his legs down for a moment, checking both ways. “Remember, hold on.”
I renewed my grip on him, then he gunned the throttle, and we drove into the night.
The words I could use to describe what I felt riding with him wouldn’t do it justice. The moon seemed to follow us. The night was alive, the air crystal clear. All the stars were out above us, and they shone down so we alone could see them. The strength of Devlin’s body in front of me eased my fear, and blocked most of the wind. He was a little too tall for me to look over his shoulder easily in the bulky helmet.
We rode for about ten minutes, mostly on back roads. Everything seemed so animated. The sound of the engine growling as the bike raced through the night, the yellow markers in the road speeding by one by one. The cold air rushing past us, the moon above shining down. The feel of his hair whipping back in the wind, sliding over my helmet. I breathed it all in, wanting never to let it go. The only overwhelming feeling was to spend forever in this moment, for it never to end.
Devlin slowed, bringing the bike to a stop, and then turned to me. He lifted me from behind him to sit over the front of the motorcycle, its engine still vibrating loudly. He unbuckled my helmet, setting it on the back of the bike. Then his hand slid into my hair, bringing my lips to his in a hard kiss that took my breath away.
His lips were like ice. Danial had told me often how easily vampires lost heat. It had cost Dev a lot to ride without a helmet tonight, and a lot more to ride from his house to mine by bike in the middle of winter. I pulled him closer and took off my gloves, putting my hands on his face to give him some of my warmth.
After a few seconds, he broke the kiss, pulling back from me. “As much as I wanted this, we are going to have to head back, Love. The night is too cold, and the colder I get, the less control I have of the bike. Your safety isn’t worth the thrill of being here like this with you, as much as I like the warmth of your caress.”
“When we get home, I’ll warm you up,” I promised, moving again in back of him, putting my helmet on, and clasping him around the waist.
“Sounds good.” Devlin gunned the engine and we roared back into the night.
The trip home took only minutes, but I’d gotten chilled by Devlin’s icy kiss. By the time we arrived home, I was glad the ride was over.
Soon, we were in front of my wood stove, taking off our clothes and holding each other under a polar fleece blanket. As soon as he gathered me into his arms, I let out a slight yelp, trying not to flinch away from his icy skin.
“Are you going to warm me, as you promised?” he teased.
I rubbed his skin as he had rubbed mine yesterday. Between the fire and my warmth, Dev slowly got warmed again.
“Feel better?” I said, kissing him. “Are you warm enough?”
“I told you where I feel best, Love,” he whispered in my ear. “Invite me in.”
“Come in,” I whispered, as he lay me down beneath him. “Come inside and be warm.”
* * * *
A little before dawn, our fire dwindled to the point that the room cooled, waking me. I let Devlin sleep as I fed my pets, built up the fire, then awakened him. “We’d better go downstairs.”
“You’re the kind of woman who makes me forget it’s dawn,” Devlin said self-depreciatingly, standing up and taking my hand. “Let’s go.”
The roses near the bed downstairs had begun to open. The red and white petals were like a work of art, perfect and lush with beauty and life. “I’m so glad these opened, Dev,” I said, touching the petals happily. “I’ve had a lot of roses in my life that never did. They were pretty, but they died too soon.”
Devlin slipped his arm around my shoulders. “Roses are never so beautiful as
when they finally open their petals. It’s only then that you see how beautiful they can be, the whole of the flower, not just the bud.”
Devlin ran his hands up my shoulders to pull my hair up and back, letting some of it fall though his hands as he began kissing the back of my neck. “The same is true of women, Sar,” he added softly, pressing gently on my skin with his fangs. “Especially you.”
Chapter Fourteen
I awoke midmorning to the sound of the phone ringing faintly.
Damn it. I hurried from bed, running into the adjoining room. “Hello?”
“Sar?” Terian said oddly.
“Of course. What’s wrong?”
“I need to talk to you, Sar. It can’t wait.”
Not now, damn it. I kicked myself for answering, and not letting the machine take a message. “Give me a couple hours to shower and dress, and—”
“No, I’ll come get you now,” Terian interrupted. “Teleporting will take only a second—”
“No!” I yelled, panicked. “I just got up. I’m not dressed!”
“Five minutes then,” Terian said. “I’ll be at the front door.”
God damn it! “Ten. I’ll meet you outside, on the deck.”
“Okay.”
I hung up the phone and ran upstairs, swearing loudly. I dressed in my highest-necked turtleneck, slipped on some jeans, and was trying to put on two pairs of socks at once, still swearing, when Devlin came up the stairs in his jeans.
“Why did you come up here? Why are you dressing?”
“Terian’s going to show up in five. He said it couldn’t wait.”
“Now? Shit!” he said loudly. “What the hell does he want?”
“Whatever it is, I’ll talk to him, and get back to you as soon as I can, hopefully by noon.”
“Fine,” he replied. “Take your cell and call me if there’s a problem.”
I nodded, not wanting to remind him he was 0-1 with Terian. But my expression gave my thoughts away.
“I’d send Lash for you,” Devlin supplied, annoyed. “He’s the best there is, Sar. Terian wouldn’t be a problem for him, trust me.”
“Terian’s a pain right now for us, but you’re talking about killing him,” I reminded him. “I’m not appreciative, Dev.”
“I’m just defensive of you,” he replied, putting his hands up. “I worry that he said this couldn’t wait.”
“Me, too,” I said, tying my boots. “I’ll call if I need you, trust me.”
“When do you think you’ll be back?”
“No idea,” I said. “Maybe a few minutes, maybe noon.”
“Noon?” he said, annoyed.
“Sooner, if I can. That’s the absolute latest.”
He made unsatisfied sounds, but hugged me. “I’ll be downstairs. Come down when you get home.” He went back to the cellar.
I went outside. Terian appeared a minute later. He grabbed my hand and suddenly we were in Danial’s great room. He stepped away and faced me. “I had to talk to you.”
“Did something happen to Danial?” I asked, suddenly scared.
“No. He’s fine. But I think that I gave you and him bad advice.”
No, really? “What do you mean?” I said carefully.
“I mean it’s possible that you weren’t turning at all. You were with Danial for years, and you didn’t turn. That’s never happened, as far as I know.”
Except with Anna and Devlin. “I’m resistant to the vampire virus.”
“I think being exposed to my blood changed you, made you more resistant. But I can’t tell for sure without a sample of your blood.”
If he looked at my blood now, it would be teeming with virus. “It’s okay, Terian. I’m feeling better.”
“Danial told me you’re cooling down. That’s a bad sign, a sign of either death or transformation.” Terian clasped my wrist. “I just need a small sample—”
I jerked my hand away. “No. I’ve been poked and prodded enough these last months. I don’t need you to prove what I already know.”
“You’re stronger,” Terian said, his defeated and desperate look becoming suspicious. “I’m glad, but we need to know why you’re better, Sar. You may relapse.”
“No, I won’t,” I retorted fiercely. “Now that I don’t have Theo telling me what to do and what not to do. Danial and I will be together, like we should have been months ago.”
Danial’s in LA,” Terian said anxiously. “Waiting for you. I told him I suspected that my blood had altered your resistance to the vampire virus, possibly making you dependent on regular infusions of the virus into your system to survive. Maybe having Theoron had something to do with it too. I’m not sure. In any case, he wants to see you immediately. He said he could sense if you were mortally ill from your heartbeat and temperature.” He reached for my hand.
If I went to Danial now, he would know instantly my turtleneck was hiding something. If he saw the choker on my neck, he’d know it was Devlin’s. Something deep inside told me that would screw up Devlin’s plan royally, whatever it was. I evaded Terian, putting distance between us.
“I’ll drag you to him if I have to,” Terian said angrily, moving toward me. “Stay there, or else. You can’t move faster than I can teleport.”
“Terian, take a good long look at me,” I said emphatically. “Now.”
Shock etched his face. “You’re better. You look...you’re better.”
I couldn’t guess how he missed my luminous skin. Maybe it was the strong light we were standing under, and that I’d chosen to wear a dark pink top over a white turtleneck. Black would have made my skin much more obvious. “I’m recovering, no thanks to Camlyn. I felt awful these past few weeks, but I turned the bend finally.” I paused and forced a smile. “Please tell Danial I’m looking forward to Friday.” I turned from him, and headed upstairs, hoping he’d leave if he thought I was headed to work.
“Sar, there is something odd about you,” Terian said slowly. “Something’s off.”
I didn’t stop or turn. “Tears, leave it.”
“You aren’t just better, you’re almost overconfident—”
I had a few seconds to take control of the conversation and refocus him before Terian teleported up here to grab hold of me and discovered my secret. “Has Theo called and told you how happy Tasha’s making him?” I said bitterly. “He called me to apologize. Wasn’t that thoughtful of him?”
“He’s being a jerk,” Terian growled, blackness spiraling upwards from him in cold nerve-wracking waves. “I’ve told him so. We aren’t speaking.” He paused. “For what it’s worth, I think he’s making the biggest mistake of his life.”
Refocusing complete. “We’ll probably split up when he gets back. It’s just as well, because I made a huge mistake marrying him. Now if you’re done, I’m going to get a little work in before you take me back.”
“Fine, but don’t leave the grounds. I’ll go tell Danial you’re better.” He disappeared.
Relieved at the close call, I sank into Danial’s chair and turned on the computer. Since I was here anyway, I might as well check over the new emails.
After looking through them, I called a few potential clients and explained we were closed until the end of January and booked up until February. All wanted to wait for him, so I booked them for appointments with Danial in March. There were also a couple nice emails thanking him, which I printed out and left on his desk with my usual happy face drawn on top. Lastly, there was one asking for revenge that I sent onto Devlin with a number and question mark, wondering if he’d checked his email from his phone or if Lash was checking email while Dev was at my house.
There was also a poem from Devlin, with no author cited:
I miss you in the evening, dear, when daylight fades away.
I miss the sheltering arms of you to rest me from the day.
I try to think I see you yet there where the firelight gleams.
Weary at last, I sleep, and still I miss you in my dreams.
&
nbsp; I hit reply, thought a moment, and wrote back:
I have been with you beneath the stars
I have lain in your strong arms by day
I have seen you where the firelight gleams,
I love you deeply, come what may
And I will feel you again within me
before our time together slips away.
That was pretty good for just off the top of my head. I hit send, and turned off the computer.
It was about ten a.m. I had time to see Theoron and Elle quick, if they were here. Though I went to each of their rooms, neither of them were there.
I walked back to the great room, debating what to do. The kids had to be with Cia. If I went to the werefox compound, the foxes would scent vampire on me for sure, as Brian had. They would also be suspicious of the turtleneck. It was better not to risk it. Every moment I stayed here increased the odds of someone discovering the means of my newfound health. I needed to get out of there as soon as possible.
I sat down, anxious. What if Danial wanted to see me for himself? What if Terian reappeared and wanted to talk further? I had to get out of here. I wanted to be with Devlin. I wanted to be with him now...
Suddenly, I was back in bed with him. I let out a startled scream. Devlin’s eyes flew open and he let out a yell, shoving backwards from me. “What the hell? How’d you get here?”
“I teleported myself,” I said slowly, not believing the words. “Titus was right about there being demon in me. Terian was right, I can teleport.”
“But it didn’t work that day you tried it,” Devlin said, curious. “You haven’t had any demon blood. That drop of Titus’s in the potion wouldn’t have caused this.”
“It was my being on the drugs,” I answered. “Terian said I had to want to be somewhere, to imagine it. I couldn’t want anything much on them.”
Devlin touched me gently, slipping his hands down over my arms. “But you wanted to be back with me?”
I nodded, still in shock.
“What did Terian want?” Devlin asked.
Her Secret Page 24
