He sets the glass down and looks at me.
“Lily, this can go two ways. Either I give you drinks via my mouth and a kiss or I can untie you. If I untie you, you have to promise me you won’t run. If you run, I will tie you to my bed and then I cannot be responsible for what may happen. I think that would be too soon for you.” He runs his hands through his hair and shudders at an image only he can see. But I can tell it is eliciting an erotic response from him. Euuwww.
“I promise not to run, Mark. At the very least I want to make sure that we are compatible,” I say looking at him. Then I whisper, “I really do want a baby.”
The smile that evokes is startling. Mark is purely radiant… purely evil radiance.
29 LILITH
Mark comes to me like a sailor to a siren and reverently undoes my bonds. When he gets them off he begins to massage my wrists and ankles, getting the blood flowing again. The sharp tingling and pinpricks feeling quickly goes away as we heal fast but I don’t tell Mark. I let him think he is helping me. That I am his docile little vampire. He pulls me into his lap again and smiles down at me. Then hands me my wine glass. I take a few tentative sips and murmur my approval.
“I’m so glad you like it,” Mark says.
“I do. I like it here too,” I say going for complete submission. “But I’m not quite ready for a mating, Mark. Can you give me a little time?”
“That’s what we are here for. We have nothing but time, my darling.”
“Thank you.” I lean into his chest fighting the gag reflex that erupts.
“Oh, my love, I have wanted to hold you in my arms for so long.” He nuzzles my neck again and places a kiss on my cheek. Then another and another until he is at my mouth. Oh Goddess, can I do this?
He kisses me chastely on the lips and I flinch, I can’t help it. Mark looks devastated. I quickly move my hand to his cheek.
“It’s just too soon, Mark. I’m so sorry. I know I will come around. I want a baby more than anything.” He seems to relax at that. He pulls me closer and hugs me to his body. I try really hard to melt into him. I think it is enough of an effort that he is appeased.
“I’ll never let you go,” he whispers into my ear and I shudder internally. I know then that if I am to get away I will have to kill him. No small feat for so many reasons. Could I kill again? Or would it be in self-defense? I know that he will force a mating eventually and especially if he catches me running away.
Yes. I can kill him. He hurt Hannah and the baby. He took Hades. He wants to do unspeakable things to me, take my decisions away and make me his mate without my consent. I have to kill him. Then Hades and I will be able to get out of here, find our way to a public portal and go home. Hannah told me how it works. A non-demon can only pass through the portals with a Hell Hound.
“Let’s get ready for bed, Lily. It’s late. I have a whole wardrobe for you upstairs. Several beautiful gowns for nightwear.” He carries me up the stairs and Hades follows closely behind, growling at Mark. Though he has been magickally muzzeled, probably smart on Mark’s part since Hades barks fire and has sharp teeth as long as my fingers. But Hades is also as bigger than a large Great Dane and three times as wide. His eyes have been glowing and the effect as we enter the darkened hallway raises my spirit. I am not alone. I smile at Hades and he gives me a happy doggy face. I know that Hades will stay close to me. It helps me center and concentrate on the now and what I have to do.
“Here you go, Lily. I’ll leave you to change, give you some privacy.” He walks out of the room and I hear the shower turn on. He yells to me from behind the closed door. “Just in case you think of running, I’ve disabled the car and I will track you down. So why don’t you just get comfortable so I don’t have to tie you up.”
I feel the burning behind my eyes and let a small sob out. Without a vehicle I would have to walk for miles and with no idea of where the public portals are. I quickly change and call Hades to me. Climbing under the blankets of the huge four poster bed, I call Hades up to sleep by me.
Mark comes into the room wearing pajama pants and tries to slide into the other side of the bed. Hades comes unglued, barking and snapping at him. Mark immediately backs up, batting the small flames that come out of Hades when he barks. The spell must be wearing off. One thing finally going my way. Mark is not magickal so he must have bought the spell.
“Well, I guess I am in the guest room tonight. Sleep well, Lily. I love you.” He walks out of the room and I pull Hades close to me and kiss him all over the face and get a lick down my cheek in return. I am so thankful for his companionship. I rub his now exposed belly while I plan my escape.
I listen closely to Mark settle into the next room. Thank Goddess for vamp hearing. I hear him as clearly as if he is in the same room. After what seems like forever I hear his breathing deepen and slow signaling that he is asleep. I peer out of the picture window in the bedroom, showcasing the mountains and see that the two moons that Hannah told me about have risen. One is full and one is new. I can feel a pull on my werewolf genes. That will help with my stealth, strength and smell as long as I don’t go into a blood lust. I don’t feel that particular need at present. It might be because only one is full and it is the smaller of the two.
I sneak out of bed and tell Hades to be quiet as we slink to the door. I had heard the lock click when Mark had shut it. It wouldn’t take much for my vampire- were strength to open it but the sound might alert him. I take hold of the door knob and then simply twist it until it shatters. Hades and I wait listening to see if Mark woke up. I hear a grumble and then his deep breathing. We crawl along the hall to the guest room. He obligingly left his door open. I come to an abrupt halt inside the door. He is sleeping with a tranquilizer gun.
I have to be very quiet so I don’t wake him because he would have me drugged and tied down to the bed. Sneaking up on him proves almost too much for my not quite beating heart. I go so slowly that minutes fly by but I am so scared. This must be done to make sure I can live because I know I might as well be dead if I was to mate with him. It would kill me slowly from the inside out.
30 SEBASTIAN
I got the call from Helena that they had been attacked and that Lily was missing. Julian and I were there in ten minutes. I’ve never driven so fast in my life.
“Helena, what happened?” Julian asks after making sure she is okay. Hannah still lies in Diel’s arms, unmoving.
“We were tranquilized about fifteen minutes ago. When we came to Lily and Hades were gone,” she sobs. “Hannah won’t wake up. She had a needle mark on the inside of her arm. They must have given her something else.”
“Shhh, we’ll figure this out. Diel, let me smell Hannah. Maybe I can get a scent on who did this,” Julian says. Diel growls a warning and Julian holds his hands up but walks up to him slowly anyway. I can’t stand still, my body is in full fight mode and my vampire instincts are on hyper-alert. I start pacing.
“Julian, I know you are a friend but the Demon in me is protecting my mate. Please move slowly and keep your hands where I can see them,” Diel says through clenched teeth.
“Thank you, my friend. I understand.” Julian continues to walk to Hannah and Diel and slowly lowers himself to the ground. “Diel, can you hold her arm up for me. That way I don’t have to touch her.” Diel growls louder when Julian talks about touching Hannah. He shakes his head and rolls it around on his shoulders trying to get himself under control. Then he gently lifts Hannah’s arm so Julian can smell her.
“Thank you, Diel. I know this scent,” Julian says as he carefully backs away from Diel. I am in his face immediately. “It’s Mark. He is the one who did this. It makes sense that he took Hades if he is taking Lily to Hell.” A shattering roar comes from Diel. Then a look of pure anguish.
“I can’t take Hannah to the doctor without Hades. Fuck, I will kill him. If my mate or child is hurt, I will tear him limb from limb,” Diel yells.
“Let’s get her to our house, Diel. It’s closest. We�
��ve been trying to contact Aidan,” Helena says. “But Lily told him she needed space and to go with Manda. I think he’s turned off his cellphone.”
“I’ve already tried to contact anyone I know that has a Hell Hound. I haven’t reached many. The others fear their Hounds will get taken like mine. I’ve even thrown my title at them but they have the right to refuse me,” Diel says with wet eyes. “Oh Goddess, Hannah, come back to me, sweetheart. My little ganja girl…” Diel says softly to her. It’s breaking my heart.
“Diel, did he have to use the public portal?” I ask.
“No he has a private one set up for him and his demons in his home. It cost him a fortune but he insisted.”
“Fucking bastard, I’ll kill him. I have to find them. I’m going to his house now,” I say as I head back to my car.
“Call me if you find them, Sebastian. I have to get Hannah to her doctor. Hellfire, I’d like the pleasure of ripping off some part of Mark,” Diel says with glowing eyes.
“I will.” Then I am speeding through the night. I make it to Mark’s in no time. The front door is open and the place is empty. He never planned on coming back. I find Lily’s cell phone smashed on the floor. Fucker!
I take in a deep breath, scenting the area and finding Lily’s unique scent and the smell of sulfur from the opening of the portal and then Mark’s scent. I memorize it.
I drive to the manse. I don’t know what else to do. Aidan could go down under and find them but he’s not answering his cell phone. I’ve had it on redial steady for the last five minutes. I throw my phone down on the passenger seat in disgust. This is getting me nowhere. Then panic sets in. If he mates with her she will be lost to me. I know she would not willingly do so but he could have her drugged and tied up. “Goddess keep her safe,” I say, the prayer, hopefully answered.
When I enter the manse I can tell that everyone is in an uproar. Hannah must not be up yet. Merde, if that girl or her baby is hurt, someone will pay.
“Helena, any news?” I ask.
“No. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I would have kept Aidan close by or warned them somehow but we were all laughing and not paying attention. I didn’t even smell him because I didn’t scent the air. I’m so sorry,” Helena pleads with Diel and myself. Taking her into my arms, I wrap her tight, letting her know I do not blame her.
“It wasn’t your fault, Helena. That bastard took us all by surprise,” Diel says. He is on the couch in front of the fire with Hannah wrapped in the throw, cuddling her tight.
“I can’t stand this. I’m going to drive over to his club and see if I can find anything. I’ll let you know if I do. Please call with any news,” I say as I stride from the room with a new purpose. This is good. Action is good. Sitting here is bad because I will think of the worst. I decide to try and get Manda’s phone number. Surely she has it on for work. It is probably unlisted but I can still try.
31 LILITH
I sneak up on Mark and hear his soft snore. See right there, with the snoring, we couldn’t be together. He would have driven me crazy with that alone, besides being a scum eating bastard. I get to his head on my hand and knees. Just as I’m coming up to snap his neck, his eyes open and he gasps. I don’t hesitate and put a hand on either side of his face. He smiles thinking I have capitulated. Oh, how wrong he is. It takes one swift move on my part and I hear the crack. I throw his body against the wall and scream at him. Kicking and hitting him ‘til I have regained my bearings.
Hysteria has a way of unbalancing a creature. Hades, is in the room with me and pulling on my night dress, trying to get me to leave. I stumble back to the bedroom, not wanting to go in there but having to change. My mind and body want to run. I quickly dress in jeans and a sweater and then put my running shoes back on.
The main room of the cabin is fully stocked with things Mark needed to keep me hostage. I take some rope I find, the tranquilizer gun, a rucksack, a hunting knife and fill two thermos’s with wine. Everything is loaded into the canvas rucksack and then Hades and I head for the main door. I quickly find it locked and don’t have a clue where the key is nor do I want to look. Frantic at this point to get out of here, I simply grab the handle and pull on the door until it groans around the deadbolts, splintering there. I am able to tear away chunks until I can reach the deadbolts on the other side and release them along with me.
Stumbling onto the porch, I take deep breaths of the fresh, chilled air. I don’t need the breaths but feel the need to use them as a calming technique. It works, a bit. I continue down the wooden stairs and into the driveway. I hadn’t found any car parts while running around the main room and even if I had, I wouldn’t know how to fix the SUV. So, I head down the dirt road for a while knowing I have to find shelter soon so I can sleep. Hades stays at my side seeming to know that I need him close for comfort. He is my only connection to my world. I pat him on the head.
“Hades, you are such a good Hell Hound, yes you are. We are going to find our way out of this and then we will be with Hannah and Diel again. Don’t worry, sweetie.” Talking to him makes me feel less alone and more in control of this fucked up situation. Hades seems to understand my need as he butts his head against me.
As we descend the mountain I look for a cave or dense set of trees to lie down in. My vision is excellent at night because I’m a vamp and it’s enhanced by the whole she-wolf thing that I have going on. I find both right next to each other. My luck couldn’t be better. We make our way over to the cave and the first thing I notice is the smell. Something lives here and it smells like sour body odor and blood. I hear it rustling so it must have heard us and I crouch into attack mode, taking a second to free the knife.
That’s all the time I have as a true monster flies at me. I duck and swing up with the knife, cutting into its belly. The wound only enrages it more. It is a cross between a wild boar and a wild cat, but twice as big as either of them. A truly formidable creature. Hades lunges in the fight. He reaches its neck as it lunges for me again. The Hell Hound bites into the back of its head sending blood spraying but the beast continues on to me, shaking his head to free himself of Hades. I don’t have time to cut at him this time so I dive to the left. He follows and gets me with his razor sharp tusks. Crying out, I manage to roll avoiding the claws that are quick as a flash. The wound is not lethal, I will not bleed out but it is laced with some kind of poison that starts burning immediately as it makes its way through my side and into my body. I know that Hades and I have to kill the crazy animal fast before I am down for the count.
I spin around and land a flying side kick into its face. Hades is still tearing its neck in a death grip. It’s starting to take its toll on the monstrosity. I crouch again starting to feel numb in my side, knowing that numbness will spread everywhere leaving me at its whim. The animal, dragging Hades along with it, attacks me again. I am ready this time and flash across in front of it, slicing its neck with my teeth and gutting it with the knife for good measure. More of its toxic blood flies through the air, drenching me. I spit out what is in my mouth. Hades drags it backwards as it weakens, though with its last strength it tries to reach me. The life dims in its eyes. Knowing that Hades will finish it, I crawl to the cave. Nothing else comes out of it, thank Goddess. I am able to just get into the interior before I feel my entire body go numb. I can’t move, effectively paralyzed. No doubt its venom is how it catches most of its prey. Hades runs to me and whimpers when I don’t respond. I pray my sleep comes soon and it is restorative. That’s the last thing I think of before the world fades to black.
32 AIDAN
I have decided to give Lilith and the rest of the world a vacation from me. I dissolve the cell phone, knowing I can manifest a new one when I want it. I have a niggling feeling that this may be a mistake but my pride is hurt if truth be told. I bared myself to Lilith once again and she has rejected me. I’ll give her the space she needs and do what she suggested: build my relationship with Manda.
She is shooting a cover for a magazi
ne along with some interior shots. She’s simply stunning. Grace personified, and professional. She is able to react to the camera in a natural way that the photographer is eating up. I believe this ability is because she is such an authentic person. That goodness shines through everything she does and the camera is greedy to capture it. I watch her in awe for the remainder of her shoot. She finishes late in the evening and is exhausted having only stopped a few times for lunch and a couple of short breaks.
When she comes out of the dressing room freshly scrubbed, I pull her to me and kiss her soundly.
“Hmmm, what a nice way to end a brutal day,” she murmurs against my lips. I smile against her and kiss her more while working us into the shadows so I can transmanifest us back to my Paris flat.
It has a view of the Eiffel Tower out the window and resides over a prominent restaurant. Still kissing Manda I reach down for the land line and magick the number for the restaurant below. I break from Manda’s lips long enough to order her some food in fluent French. It will be ready in twenty minutes and I plan on making the most of those minutes by starting to undress a now highly attuned Manda. She makes a soft moan as I latch onto her nipple and she pulls my head closer to her. I take a minute while laving her breasts, I get rid of her skirt. I slip my fingers into her now wet panties and quickly bring her to orgasm. Her head lolls back, I spread butterfly kisses across her neck.
“Mmm now that’s more like it. You are nice and relaxed. I love watching you come, lover,” I whisper in her ear. She shivers nicely.
“Ahh Aidan, don’t start what you can’t finish,” she says and smiles, eyes still closed.
“Oh I intend on the full course but first I am going to run you a bath so you can soak until your dinner gets here.”
Suckers Bite Back (San Francisco Vampires #5) (Vampires of San Francisco series) Page 15
