Ever After Series: Paranormal Romance Box Set (Steamy Vampire Romance)

by A. C. James

  “You may go now,” Tessa said.

  Isla bowed her head, walking past me as she left the office. Tessa stood behind her desk and closed the ledger. I tried not to focus on her halter top, which came down in a deep V that plunged to her waist. Tessa walked around the desk. Beneath a stylish skirt, demure pumps replaced her usual stilettos. She toyed with the sophisticated, gold-clasped pearl necklace that graced her neck.

  She sat on the edge of her desk and leaned toward me. I wriggled in my seat, suddenly uncomfortable once left alone with her.

  “What brings you here?”

  My eyes lowered to the VII tattooed just above her right breast, exposed by her low-cut halter.

  “Why do you have a Roman numeral tattoo?”

  “Arie never told you?”

  I shook my head. “But I noticed Arie has one like it, except it’s on his hand.”

  “Since the nineties, members of the Legacy and Council have UV tattoos that designate our ranking. UV tattoos mixed with black ink are the only ones that stay on our skin without healing. Well, unless our rankings change and we deliberately use blood externally to heal it. All of us have the marking; all of us except for one.”

  I heard someone pass in the hallway outside her office as I considered this. It made me think of the plaque that hung across the hall in the lounge. “I like the poem outside your office.”

  “It’s not a poem. It’s Proverbs 5:3-11. Everyone thinks it’s a warning against adultery, but it’s really about us.”

  “Vampires are in the Bible?”

  “Holly, we are everywhere throughout all time. What can I do for you, pet? And where’s Arie? I see you’re off your leash.”

  “I heard you talking to Arie. You said that I could be useful because I have the Sight. You said seer. What’s a seer?”

  Tessa sighed. “Holly, we can use telepathy to communicate—we’re not mind readers. Seers can help us discern the truth in tricky situations. I do have a seer that works for me. Arie doesn’t want you working at the club. And at the moment we are busy preparing for our annual gala,” she said dismissively.

  I liked Victoria. And I thought about her comment that she had to take on everything herself to organize the gala. Maybe just being around would change Tessa’s mind. “Then I could help Victoria. Please, if there’s anything that you know about my visions…I need to control them.”

  “Does Arie know you came to ask me for a job?”

  “I told her to wait downstairs,” Arie said. He stood in the doorway, his mouth a firm line.

  “Arie, I have some important developments to share with you,” Tessa said.

  He looked furious that I was there. “What?”

  “I met with a man in my interrogation room earlier today. He’s the leader of Gangsta Two Six Four. He came here to report that a young girl went missing and he found blood near her home.”

  Oh, God. I covered my mouth.

  Arie arched an eyebrow. “And?”

  “The girl was his niece. When he found her body it had been drained and dumped a few blocks from where he found the blood. The police are not involved because he suspects on of our kind is responsible. Our business dealings are far more important than seeking retribution. He expects us to handle it in-house. I will make sure the family receives generous compensation for their loss.”

  “Of course, with G246 involvement, this has already escalated to the Legacy.”

  “I had no choice, and Arie… I believe this implicates a certain vampire. We both know that she has a taste for young girls. I would not think it’s possible but since you told me of the presence, I put a call in to François. And I think we both know its source. He returned my call just now.”

  “And?”

  “Anna and Katalin passed through his Court a few months ago. Anna let it slip that Katarina had been staying with them. She’s looking for you. You had to suspect someone was protecting her. You know Katarina’s history with the sisters and her loyalty to them.”

  I tried to piece together what they were saying as I listened.

  “Who are Anna and Katalin?” I asked.

  “Two Ancients, sisters, and dear friends of Katarina. She’s been chumming around with those two for years.”

  Arie sighed in defeat.

  “Despite my efforts to protect her there is nothing I can do to save her this time,” he said, in a voice that sounded strained. “Society has changed. It’s lucky that she hasn’t killed downtown or in the suburbs where major crimes make the five o’clock news. If it has to end I should be the one to end it.”

  “I will give you that. But it must be taken care of quickly.”

  “I understand.”

  Arie gave her a nod, shooting me a glare. “Come with me.”

  Shit.

  He’d be angry with me for wandering off, especially with everything going on. I didn’t even get the chance to talk to Tessa about him. But at least I knew what being a seer entailed. But I was just starting to talk to her about my clairvoyance when Arie walked in.

  I grabbed my army satchel and rose from my chair to follow Arie out. I nodded at Tessa, who looked vaguely amused. Too afraid to say anything that might upset him, I kept my distance and followed behind him in silence.

  He turned toward the right down another hallway. His pace slowed and he stopped outside a metal door. I followed him into a living room with a drop cloth spread on the floor, a ladder in the middle of the room, and a stack of lumber near one wall. It appeared that the living room extended through a wall that may have been a closet at one time. The room was in the process of being remodeled but the crew had left materials strew about. At the moment it didn’t look lived in, and there wasn’t any furniture. It seemed smaller than the loft but certainly bigger than my old apartment.

  “Arie…?”

  “What?”

  I could tell from his expression and curt response that he was aggravated that I hadn’t stayed downstairs with Victoria. I wanted to freshen up and give him time to cool off. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  “Down the hall and through the bedroom.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  Past the kitchen stood a small hallway which I discovered provided access to a bedroom with a spacious bathroom and walk-in closet. I hoped if Tessa gave me a job, perhaps I could talk her into making this one of the perks. Arie had not moved when I returned to the living room.

  “I want you to take a look at something.” He gestured to an oil painting hanging on the wall. “I commissioned this during our travels through Italy. This is Katarina. Is this the same woman you saw in your dream?”

  The Italian artist had captured her beauty in such a way that she looked almost alive. The sharp contrast in colors used to depict light and shade made the background appear shadowy and her figure illuminated. She had dark hair like mine, but without auburn highlights, and her eyes were hazel, not amber-brown. Her haughty smile dominated the picture, while her outstretched hand seemed like it might reach out of the painting and grab me.

  “Yeah, that’s her.”

  “If you see her…run,” Arie said, his mouth a grim line.

  I swallowed. “What is her painting doing here?”

  “This used to be my apartment before I bought the loft. The painting was an anniversary gift. I didn’t want to carry it with me anymore but I couldn’t see destroying something so beautiful. Perhaps I’ll have Victoria donate it to The Art Institute of Chicago. I almost forgot it was here until Tessa mentioned it the other day. I’ve been meaning to get rid of it, but…”

  “I know you’re angry with me–”

  “I told you to stay downstairs. I wanted to check the surveillance cameras to see if Katarina has been to the club. It took a while to go through the footage from the past two weeks.”

  “It’s just that when I heard you two talking, well, Tessa said that the pay would be considerable. Marshall cut my hours, the place is falling apart, and it hasn’t been the same since his wife d
ied. I figured considering everything going on that I’d be safer at the club and working with Victoria. You two are close...she said like family.”

  “That’s beside the point. It’s not Victoria that I’m worried about.”

  “But I need to know more about my clairvoyance, about being a seer. Maybe then I won’t feel so vulnerable against Katarina.”

  “I still don’t want you working for Tessa.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because it’s dangerous. Being a seer can be dangerous when you’re not one of us. You’re not immortal, Holly, and seeing the wrong thing could get you killed.”

  “From what you’ve told me about my aura being so damn inviting, it’s going to be dangerous for me anyway.”

  He closed the distance between us; an underlying current made my pussy clench despite my anger and frustration. The sensation, wrapped in longing, conveyed that our pent-up frustration would be washed away if we gave in to our desires. Images of wrapping my legs around his waist as his cock pounded my pussy made every muscle in my body tense. I licked my lips. I wanted to feel his tongue and his teeth brush over my skin. I could smell his leather jacket and I wanted to take it off.

  “Please, I’m sorry I didn’t stay—”

  “Perhaps I should punish you for disobeying me.”

  Desire flashed in his eyes and I knew he felt it too. Something about his words, a seductive threat, held my curiosity and kept me from protesting. I knew that I would be punished and I had an inkling that it might be like how Tessa had punished the man at the club. Part of me wished he would, because I wanted to know if it would do anything for me. I’d engaged in all manner of deviant vanilla sex but it had never crossed this line before. While I wanted it, and relished that this had finally pushed Arie over the edge, a tiny voice of reason argued that I should be a little scared too. His hand came down into my eye line and I braced myself, remembering how Tessa had slapped the man at the club. Instead, his fingers cupped my chin, lifting my head so that I looked him in the eye.

  “When I tell you to do something I expect you to do it.”

  I gulped.

  “Say ‘yes, sir.’”

  Of course he was right. I had no business wandering off, considering the circumstances. “Yes, sir.”

  The worst part was that I couldn’t argue with him. I wanted to look away, drop my eyes to the floor, anything, but I couldn’t. He wanted me to look at him. I could see that I’d broken his trust. Hurt and worry along with desire reflected in those winter-gray pools.

  “Bend over. Hands on the wall.”

  I wanted to laugh, or to protest or argue, but the seriousness of his gaze dashed any hope for negotiation. And his words were making me unexpectedly wet. Still, I couldn’t help but question his demand.

  “You’re serious?” Of course he was, yet I wanted to hear it and delay what I knew was coming next.

  “Yes. Now I’m not going to ask again. Spread your legs and bend over.”

  I stepped toward the wall on my right. Taking a deep breath, I bent at the waist and put my hands on the wall for support. He placed his hand on my back, running it down the length of my spine, until he reached the curve of my hip. It occurred to me to feel grateful that he hadn’t asked me to drop my pants. Still, my body tensed when his hand reached my ass. Yet I wanted it to continue its descent to my pussy. His hand lingered on my ass longer than I expected. I bit my lower lip in anticipation of the pain.

  His hand left my ass only to come down with a resounding smack that echoed through the empty apartment. I gasped and pressed my palms against the wall to brace myself from the blow. Blow after blow landed, burning hot and red. Arie’s hand landed lower across the underside of my ass and I could feel the vibrations go straight to my cunt. A low moan escaped my lips, surprising me. Moving with the pain, I gyrated my hips as I tried to meet his hand faster than the stinging blows which sent fiery desire straight to my pussy.

  I whimpered.

  And that’s all it took for him to throw me on top of the lumber planks in one quick movement, which I was sure bruised my tailbone, but all I could think about were clothes tearing, hair pulling, and teasing bites. When his lips brushed mine it felt like he became part of me. Drawn into his kiss, I forgot everything. My anger at Arie and even my own name were lost as his lips clashed with mine. I wound my fingers into his hair, pulling it tight. The light shadow of stubble across his jaw where he hadn’t shaved brushed my face. I bit his lower lip, drawing a drop of blood that I sucked even as it healed.

  The smell of the pine pinned underneath me teased my already strained senses. The boards pulled at the material of my sweater as his weight pressed into me. He left light kisses trailed down the slope of my supple neck. I slid his leather jacket down his shoulders and he leaned up, tossing it aside. Digging my fingers into his t-shirt, I could feel his muscles ripple under the thin layer of fabric. I pulled it up over his head and ran my hands over the muscles of his shoulders, across his chest, and down his hard, smooth stomach. He sucked in a jagged breath.

  My fingers slid teasingly across his skin. They dipped lower and then I found my arms pinned above my head. He held me firmly in place as I surrendered to his mouth. When he let me up for air, his gray eyes held steady to mine.

  “Holly, I’ve wanted you. I’ve wanted this since the first time I saw you. And I can’t fight it anymore.”

  “Then don’t.”

  I could feel heat pool in my stomach and travel south at his words. I’d wanted this too—needed this, and wanted to know if it would match everything I’d imagined. I’d been with men before, but my visions always got in the way. And I could feel all the pent-up frustration coiling in my belly and my pussy, which was already wet. I didn’t need foreplay or soft kisses. I needed to feel his dick inside of me.

  He released my arms as his expert hands unfastened my jeans. Ripping them off along with my underwear, he tossed them on the floor. He slid his taut jeans down to bunch around his ankles. Splinters tore into the skin of my backside as he pried my thighs apart with his knees. I shivered at the touch of his lips crushing mine. He pulled my sweater over my head and unclasped my bra with speed that wasn’t human.

  His head went lower and lower, then paused to leave hard indents from the pressure of two sharp teeth just inside my thigh. Sensuous lips moved slowly back up. When his teeth grazed my clit, I dug my nails into the boards beneath me. He trailed kisses up my stomach and I could feel his hot breath leave a trail of saliva that sent shivers down my spine.

  A playful smile formed on his lips that didn’t match the cold steel in his eyes. In the unlikely event that I’d forgotten who was in control, he reminded me as he thrust inside of me. He rode me with brutal thrusts. I gasped as I gripped a board underneath me. He cupped one of my breasts, toying with my nipple, circling a thumb around it, and then pinched it hard.

  I’d never been fucked so thoroughly. He had me gripping and clawing the boards beneath me as each thrust rammed my pussy. Arie thrust into me like he might drown without me. I pulled him against me, both my hands grasping his hips. He yanked my hands away, pinning them high above my head, and I let out a whimper. Beads of sweat rained down our bodies. He thrust again and with a shudder he came inside me, as my muscles clenched around him with an orgasm that left me immobilized beneath his weight. It shocked me that the intense skin to skin contact didn’t bring about the Sight as I’d expected. I’d thought the first time we’d had sex had been a fluke. And with very little effort he drove me to the edge and over as I climaxed. If this is what it was supposed to be like, God I wanted more.

  Chapter 11

  Arie released me with a sigh and flopped onto the drop cloth on the floor, closing his eyes. I slid off the boards and put my head on his chest, half on top of him, his body supporting my weight. His skin felt cool and hard but I couldn’t help smiling and I wasn’t sure if I could stop. He stroked his thumb back and forth across the small of my back. Neither of us spoke or made any mov
e to untangle our bodies. Finally, Arie broke the silence.

  “I fought against this, wanting you as I do, but at least it’s real. It’s honest and without any dazzle.”

  I smiled a little at that. “I wanted you too, but sometimes it didn’t feel like you wanted me back. Now that I’ve seen the painting I can see why you resisted. I look like her.”

  “Holly, you are nothing like her. It felt so good my teeth hurt,” he said with a pause. “I guess it’s hard for me to remember not to compare you. But I dug through her genealogy I couldn’t find a link. In fact, you’re different from her in almost every way.” he asked with one eyebrow raised.

  “You’re the first person who I’ve been able to orgasm with, because every time I’ve tried to have sex before I’d have visions during it. And I’m still not sure why that didn’t happen with you, because I’ve had visions when I’ve touched you. I’m sure I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I wish we could just stay like this. But maybe next time in a bed.”

  He inhaled and I could feel his body stiffen at my disclosure. “Maybe because we’re both supernatural—sometimes supernatural beings are bonded on a deeper level.”

  His eyes moved to the portrait on the wall that hung above us. Damned elephant in the room again! Maybe mentioning my visions reminded him of Katarina, since she had the Sight too. I thought about what he said and found it highly possible. It wasn’t like I’d experienced sex with someone supernatural before. I’d never met anyone with the Sight, and I’d certainly never met anyone like Arie. Although, I thought maybe it was the pleasure-pain from his spanking that overloaded my senses and kept the visions at bay. But I couldn’t be sure.

  “Holly, we should go. Are you hungry?” he asked as he slid out from beneath me.

  “No, Arie, I’m not hungry.”