by Unknown
Jolie was going to get hurt.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get his chance.
When she screamed, he focused on her and not the raging storm. There were cuts in her flesh, and they were bleeding out. It was as if power and rage were desperately trying to find any way out of her body.
“Jolie!” he called, moving toward her only to watch her drop to her knees.
With one last wail, it all suddenly ended.
Furniture that was in the air fell to the floor. Rose petals drifted from the ceiling to the carpeting, and the woman stared at him blankly.
Jacques rushed to her just in time to catch her. Slowly, her flesh began knitting itself together. Unfortunately, she was pretty much an empty shell.
All her energy was depleted.
“They killed her,” she whispered, as the tears began their slide down her bloody cheeks. Jolie wept, clinging desperately to her mate.
“Shhhh, I have you,” he promised.
“I’m sorry, Louisa,” she murmured, as the cold hands of death struggled to pull her down.
What could he do?
It angered him to be so helpless.
Death screamed her name with the intent of ripping her away from him. “Jacques, je t'aime,” Jolie whispered, closing her eyes before letting go. For now, she would hide in the darkness to heal her broken heart.
Jacques held her in his arms, rocking her prone body back and forth. When he heard her whisper ‘I love you’, he knew she couldn’t hold on.
“I’ll keep you safe, Jolie,” he promised.
When he was certain that she lost the fight, he reached for everyone who was awake in the house. Hopefully, there would be some of the family still not with death. He was going to need their help.
When the door opened tentatively, Balzac stepped inside. “What happened, Jacques?” he asked, surveying the massive damage.
He explained it all from Louisa’s murder to how Jolie reacted to it.
Balzac was astounded. “Most of us were already gone for the day. The power surge woke us. It was like energy was shoved into our bodies.” He stared down at Jolie’s blood and rose petal covered flesh. “Is she going to be okay?”
“I hope so. I’ve never see her that angry before. She was filled with such rage.”
“How long will she be out?”
“It depends on how much energy she lost.”
From the look of the room, the answer to that was evident.
It was going to be a while.
“I need to get her cleaned up, and we have to put this room back together again.”
“You handle the mistress, and I’ll get the family to take care of the destruction.”
Jacques appreciated it. “Thank you.”
“No need,” he said. “She’s our primus, and it’s our duty to help when she needs us.”
He waited until the man had left the room before he picked Jolie up and carried her to the tub. In the bath, he inspected her wounds, trying to figure out why they wouldn’t heal.
In them, he found embedded glass.
“I’ll fix you up,” he promised, pulling each shard from her torso and throat. He moved cautiously, even though she could feel no pain while death was holding her.
When he was finished, he moved her directly into the waiting tub of water. There, he rinsed and lovingly washed her body.
“Jolie my love, I feel like I failed you somehow,” he admitted.
There was no reply.
“I swear that I’ll find who did this and take care of them. We’ll have our revenge, my love,” he promised.
After lifting her from the water, Jacques got Chloe to come help him dry her off. Now, he would give her a place to safely rest, until she came back from death.
“I’m temporarily taking her to my old quarters,” he informed the donor. “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be back.”
She followed him out and began helping the rest of the family. “Yes, Jacques. We’re going to be working on this for a while.”
Considering the destruction, there was no doubt.
In his room, he laid her in the center of his old bed and went to work on reconstructing their quarters. It was a long messy job, but he wanted it fixed before his mate returned from death. The hours ahead were going to be tedious, especially for the vampyres. Manual labor during the daylight was no easy task. Oh, it could be done, but it was draining and would take twice as long.
It didn't matter. For now, they needed to heal her heart.
The hours passed as they toiled in the room. When it was finished, their quarters looked different, but it was still theirs. Ordering fresh roses, Jacques went to go get his mate to return her to their sanctuary.
For now, half the job was done.
When she woke, it would be in their space, so he could work on the next mission-healing her heart.
∞ ∞ ∞
At six, Jacques called the detective to change their plans until the following night. It would have to wait until Tuesday, because there was no way she would be awake and mentally prepared.
He knew his Jolie.
Since the storm earlier, she had yet to wake at dusk. That meant that she wasn’t going to be coming back just yet. Death would relinquish her when it was good and ready.
After hanging up, Jacques stripped down and curled protectively around her body. While he wanted to find a way to make sure that she was safe in the darkness, he couldn’t and it was frustrating.
For now, it was nothing more than a waiting game.
He would watch over her like a hawk and keep her safe.
Lying there, he didn't rest. Instead, he began planning and plotting murder.
Someone had to pay.
And they absolutely would…
∞ Chapter Twelve ∞
Tuesday Night
As death finally released her, she found herself clawing away from the cold and back to life. Taking her first breath, Jolie kept her eyes closed, afraid to see the destruction that was going to be surrounding her.
It was all her fault.
She lost control and chaos was set free. No, she didn't just lose control, she behaved like a child. Her last memory was of her precious mate, watching her from across the room.
Damn it!
She knew better.
Poor Jacques.
Then, it occurred to her. What if she had hurt him?
Jolie sat up with a start and opened her eyes to survey the damage. Only, there wasn’t any. Yes, she was in her room, but it had been repaired and refilled with roses. Not the normal ones. This time they were so blood red, that they were almost black.
It all screamed of Jacques.
Since she was unable to find him in their quarters, she reached out for him with her mind.
“Jacques, my love, are you well?”
There was no answer to her call. She tried again, and then began to get scared.
Oh God! What had happened to him? She sat in the middle of their bed, with new silk sheets and pillows, and she couldn’t fight it anymore. It was all too much.
She wept.
Jolie cried vicious, hot tears, because she couldn’t find her mate and was terrified that she had hurt the one person who offered her peace and unconditional love.
What had she done?
Jacques found her a few moments later sobbing on their bed. “Jolie, mon amour, what’s wrong?” he asked, rushing to her side.
When she heard his voice, she immediately went into his arms, seeking comfort. “Oh Jacques! I thought that I had hurt you! I couldn’t find you.”
“Jolie, you lost too much energy. It’s the only reason that you couldn’t reach me. I suspected that this might happen, so I fed well for us. Please drink from me.”
She crawled further into his lap. “Thank you for everything, Jacques,” she whispered, as he lovingly bared his neck. When he moved his shoulder length hair from his throat, Jolie could feel the ravenous hunger rise up in her. Lapping at his skin,
she voraciously bit down to have the euphoria burst inside of her.
It was such an amazing experience.
The blood cascaded into her mouth, filling her empty body as she sucked at his throat. It was obvious that he was enjoying it too, since he immediately tensed beneath her.
Removing her fangs from his flesh, she pulled her mate down to the bed to cuddle. “Thank you, my love.”
“Anything for you, Jolie. How do you feel now?”
“I’m feeling much better. I still ache for Louisa, but we’ll make them pay for their sins. Now, I’m just ready to enact retribution,” she replied, nuzzling his chest. “How many hours was I dead?”
“You left me at about ten in the morning, and it’s now past six at night.”
“I only lost eight hours? That is not too horrible. I can still have time to be ready for the club.”
“Mon amour, you fell to death at ten on Monday, and it’s now six on Tuesday night. You had me terrified. I’ve been sitting here watching over you for hours.”
“My God, Jacques! I’m so sorry to make you worry,” she apologized, right before a look of sadness crossed her face.
“Don’t worry my love. Besides, it gave me time to take care of a few things. I was able to concentrate on getting my clothing ready for tonight and filling our chamber with roses. Although, they aren’t even close to you in beauty,” he admitted, leaning in to kiss her. “Are you well enough to go tonight?”
“Yes, Jacques, I am. I’ll start to get ready, because it’s going to take me some time alone,” she said, sliding out of the bed to walk naked across the room.
He watched her and couldn’t take his eyes off his mate, especially the sway of her hips.
In his mind, he heard her words. “This evening’s clothing will make your eyes fall out,” she admitted.
Immediately, her laughter tickled down his spine to the pit of his stomach. He smiled as he thought about his own clothes.
“Don’t bet on it, mate. I have this one in the bag.”
∞ ∞ ∞
Two Hours Later
How had he miscalculated?
As he stood at the bottom of the stairs in crushed velvet gothic attire, he prematurely celebrated his victory. So many hours of thought went into the careful planning of his outfit, so he could impress his mate.
Again, his pants had buckles lining the sides, but this time he had chosen velvet as his medium of choice. It gave the impression of old world elegance, even though they never wore it centuries ago.
That was a Hollywood misconception.
Jacques decided on a skin tight shirt that was mesh and completely transparent. It showed off the elegance of his lean body and accentuated the paleness of his flesh. What he loved most was that it allowed a full view of his entire upper torso, and instead of hiding his nipples, the shirt drew attention to the shape of them. It was his hope to lure in his mate.
Call it playing dirty, but he was a desperate man.
If it didn't work, he was sunk, because it was about as risqué as he could go. Only time would tell if it would be enough.
For the pièce de résistance, Jacques had picked a large platinum cross that Jolie had given him centuries ago to wear to throw off the hunters.
Going into this competition, he honestly believed that this effort would be more than enough. As he leaned against the wall, he waited for the love of his life to finish her attempt. In the back of his mind, he was secure in believing that he had managed to make goth world and vampyre GQ flow seamlessly.
Now, he was ready.
Later, he would collect his prize. To the victor went the spoils, and he couldn’t wait to put his hands all over her. That alone was worth all the effort.
At the sound of her footsteps, he glanced up. As she came down the stairs, her makeup was done and so was her hair, but she was still in a bathrobe.
This was interesting.
Looking back, he would see it as a way of lowering his defenses, and he fell for it.
Hook, line, and sinker.
As always, her hair and makeup were stunning. This time, she had added red hair extensions and had pulled it up on top of her head into wispy spikes and peaks. It gave it a sexy tousled look which drove him wild. Her eyes were outlined in artistic curves of black and trimmed in red with little sparkly gems somehow attached to her skin outlining her brows. She looked incredibly exotic and nothing like her normal self. When she smiled sexily at him, he knew he was in trouble.
She was going to crush him.
He just knew it.
“Jacques, you may have beaten me this time,” she said, putting her hand in his as she watched him bow. “You’re truly stunning. I’ll be the luckiest vampyre there, knowing that I’ll be curling up and doing truly wicked things with you later.”
His gut clenched at the thought of Jolie and those possible things to come. When he finally managed to focus on her and not those thoughts, Jacques could see her waiting.
It was going to be bad. He could feel it.
And by bad, he meant something to make his body ache for her even more than it already did.
“Are you ready, my love, or do you need more time?” he inquired, as he gestured toward the robe. Jacques licked his lips, hoping that he would get to unwrap her like a present.
“Oh no. I just wanted to stay covered, because I wanted to be up close to you, so I can see the look on your face when I drop this robe.”
“I’m ready, mon amour, feel free to devastate me,” he said, lying his ass off. Jacques watched as her hands went to the belt, so she could begin freeing herself.
His heart pounded in anticipation, and then he saw her.
He was completely wrong. Nothing in his lifetime could have prepared him for the clothing that she was wearing, or should he say not wearing.
Jolie had matched the red in her hair to a vinyl red push up bra that made her breasts look enormous. In fact, the bra was barely containing her plentiful assets. Covering that was a black fishnet shirt that hid absolutely nothing. Over her left breast was a tear in the material and a temporary tattoo of bleeding fang marks. That little detail alone had his mouth watering. Later he hoped that he would get to sink his fangs into that exact spot.
Warmth began flowing through his body, and his arousal began pressing roughly against the inside of his velvet pants.
He was suddenly very hungry.
And yet, the torment was only beginning. It was the lower half of her body that nearly killed him. What Jolie was trying to pass off as a skirt was nothing more than two panels of tiny chain link which ran from hip to hip, covering very little. In itself, it wouldn’t have been too scandalous, if it was a complete skirt which wrapped around her body. This one was more like two sections of a futuristic loin cloth. One covered her front and one barely covered her ass.
Damnation!
Jolie had gone above and beyond on this one. Jacques couldn’t help but let his eyes tracked up and down her body, especially to her hips and the miniscule straps which held it all in place.
Around her neck was the kill shot. She was wearing a slave collar with a chain that hung from it. All he could think was how it was waiting for a master to take it in hand and lead her wherever he wanted her to go. Those thoughts made it hard to swallow. All he could do was stare into her eyes as he struggled to find words.
“Well? How did I do?” she asked, knowing she had won yet again. Jolie was well aware that every motion and word made her breasts bob up and down, rubbing themselves against the tight fishnet covering. To drive the point home, she spun in a circle, flashing thigh and more as the two panels of skirt flared out, flashing everything barely hidden beneath.
“What are you wearing under those pieces of chain links that you’re calling a skirt?” he asked, already painfully aroused just looking at her. When she leaned in to whisper her answer in his ear, Jacques dropped his cane.
“Seriously?”
She simply nodded.
Jolie love
d seeing him like this, and she licked his ear suggestively to further punctuate it.
He wasn’t sure that he could take much more. Then, his eyes tracked her, as she squatted down to pick up his cane. The front flap of the skirt fell between her legs, exposing her thighs and hips. Jacques believed that he would swallow his tongue at any minute.
He was screwed!
In that outfit with her hair all wild, she looked raw and primitive. In that moment, there was the overwhelming need to take her right there. The growl started low in his chest as she slowly stood.
“Like my boots? They’re called Domination,” she added, sliding up to him.
He couldn’t even move. Jolie was definitely trying to kill him, and she was just about there.
“Really, you have boots on?” he asked, earning a laugh. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be torture, because it made her breasts dance. “Is this really the entire outfit?” he inquired, trying to decide how he felt about others watching her in these scarce portions of clothing.
“You don’t like it?” she pouted, running her fingers across his chest, teasing him. “I had you in mind when I put it together.”
“Oh no! Like doesn’t describe my feelings about you in that outfit. It gives me plenty of ideas. You’re not to leave my side this entire evening, am I clear?” he ordered, as she leaned into him, placing her hands on his shoulder.
Jolie grinned wickedly. It heated her body when he slipped back into speaking with the heavy French accent. It only happened when he was angry or riled up. Somehow, she doubted that he was mad.
Or at least, that was what his body was saying. Her mate was definitely enjoying the clothing that she had thrown together…
“I’ll stick by your side. Now may I have a kiss? I waited to put on my lipstick just so I could make out with you,” she admitted, offering him the chain which was hanging from her neck.
