2 Sean Hayden (6 page)

The whole ordeal with the governor and Strozzini really put me on edge. It's hard to describe, but fear doesn't really come in to play. I honestly just dread anything coming in the future. I've just started my life and I already have to constantly worry about doing my job competently. Now I have this whole other world I want nothing to do with, threatening to disrupt it. I wonder if they'd accept that I wanted nothing to do with them. Maybe pigs will sprout wings.

"I called Marcel," Thompson said from behind me. I didn't jump, but he scared the hell out of me. I really needed to shake myself out of the mental hole I'd dug myself into.
Concentrate on the moment.

"What did he say?"

"He'll be here before sunrise."

"Oh, really?" I could barely keep the surprise from registering in my voice.

"Yeah, he seemed very concerned. No offense, but I'm getting kind of tired of all the vampire crap," he said with a grin to soften the blow.

"Me too, big guy. Me too." I fought the urge to cry.

* * *

I guess the bad guys took the night off because the charity event went off without a hitch. Well, at least without an assassination attempt. I guess the events of the previous evening turned off a lot of potential donors who wanted to spend five-hundred dollars for soup. Guilt gnawed at my insides and ended up writing a check for five-thousand dollars. The governor raised his eyebrows when I handed him my check. All in all, the entire benefit raised ten. The event made the eleven o'clock news as a flop. "Danger keeps charity goers away." Reporters suck.

We left the governor tucked away safely in his mansion and made our way back to the hotel. Thompson had told me Marcel would arrive before sunrise, but I hadn't expected him to be waiting for us in the lobby. I held my breath when I saw him. It had been a while since I'd last seen him, and the memory of my time spent with him came rushing back. I did however, resist the urge to fling myself into his arms. I hated how the whole situation made me feel, but damned if I'd let anybody else know it.

"Hello, Ashlyn, got yourself in a bit of trouble again I see," he said without any hint of smile. I looked at his face, and found absolutely no comfort there.

"Hey, Marc. Just exactly how much trouble am I in?"

"Let's talk upstairs," Thompson said and got our attention by pointing to the corner of the lobby. I looked around and saw a few people at the desk checking in, but behind them, almost out of view, stood Strozzini. He made no motion to move toward us, but his gaze focused on me intently.

Enough was enough. I scowled and turned toward my vampire stalker, but before I could walk over to him and tell him to leave me the fuck alone, Marc firmly grasped my arm and directed me to the elevator. Part of me wanted to protest, but the frightened child in me won the argument. We rode the elevator in silence. I hadn't wanted to, but when I opened my mouth to speak Marcel held up his hand for silence. We also passed our floor.

The elevator opened two floors above and then sneaky Marc led us up another flight of stairs. He probably thought Strozzini stood on the first floor watching the electronic floor display by the elevator door. He should get a job with the FBI.

We walked down the hall to the last room on the right and Marc reached into his jacket pocket and produced a key card exactly like mine. He slid it into the locking mechanism and the light above the handle blinked green. He opened the door and ushered us inside while watching down the hallway for any movement. I gasped when I walked into the room. It spanned twice the size of my single room, had several private sitting areas, and a sliding glass door leading out to a balcony. We had to be on the top floor of the hotel. I felt a little jealous at the luxuriousness of the room. I made my way over to a comfortable looking chair and sat down.

"What are you doing?" Marcel stood looking at me peculiarly.

"Sitting," I said more than a little confused.

"You have so much to learn and so little time. James, explain to the little one exactly what Antonio is doing right now."

"Enrapturing the mind of the hotel clerk and finding out which room the tall handsome blond vampire checked into," he said confidently.

"
Exactement
," he said and unlocked the sliding glass door leading out to the balcony.

I looked at Thompson and he motioned me to follow Marcel. I stood and made my way over to the balcony while Marcel stood looking over the railing down to the ground. "Come on," he said and slid over the railing like a parallel bar Olympian and fell eight stories to the ground.

"Show off," I muttered and did the same. The air rushed up against me as I fell. I willed myself to slow at the last moment and crouched into a perfect landing about three feet from Marcel. I looked up to see if Thompson made the jump when six hundred pounds of dark werelion landed behind us. I guess eight stories seemed a little too far to jump in his human form.

"Let us go, it won't take Antonio long to figure out my ruse. My hotel is about four blocks away," he said and took off at inhuman speed. I took off behind him and sensed Thompson close on my heels. In his werelion form he had no problems keeping up with me and I wouldn't have put any money on a race between us.

It took us only a few minutes to reach our destination. The Marriot we were staying at wasn't a cheap hotel. It was beautifully maintained, but the Hyatt Regency we stood in front of made me raise my eyebrows more than a little. We entered the lobby through the front doors under a concrete awning and didn't pause as we made straight for the elevators. Again Marcel punched the uppermost button, the doors closed, and the elevator began to hum as it lifted us into the air.

I couldn't remember getting off the elevator as we walked into his room. I really needed to start paying attention. I glanced around at our surroundings and my feeling of jealousy over his other room tripled. It still had a sliding glass door, but this one had been designed with vampires in mind. Instead of clear glass panes, the doors were made of opaque black glass. It was the only exterior window or door in the room. I got nosey and wandered from one bedroom door to the next, peeking in. Each had its own king size bed and bath. The rest of the suite looked just as luxurious. Comfortable couches, plasma televisions, and a large desk filled the spacious common area. I wanted to kill Marcel and live in his room for the rest of my life.

Marcel sat on one of the couches, leaned back, and closed his eyes. I doubted the run exhausted him, so he must have been thinking. I bet I could guess what about.

"Thanks, Marc." I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"You certainly do make life interesting, little one." He smiled for the first time since his arrival.

"So what now, do we just continue to hide until he goes away?"

"No, child, to do that would just invite the rest of The Council to hunt for you. No, we will meet him, but on our terms, and only after we have come up with a plausible explanation for your abilities." He sounded weary. "But for now, sunrise is almost here. James take the spare bedroom, Ashlyn please help yourself to the master bedroom."

"Where are you going to sleep?"

"Right here. I have stayed in the Regency before. Their rooms are quite sun-proof."

"Don't be silly, Marc. There's a king size bed, big enough for the two of us," I said, trying very hard not to sound like a schoolgirl. I must have failed miserably because he opened his mouth to protest. "I insist, I don't mind sleeping in my clothes," I added.

He paused before giving me a, "
Oui
."

"In the morning, I'm going to run back to our hotel and pick up one of the Suburbans and some clothes. I shredded my shirt and pants shifting," Thompson said from across the room. I glanced over at him and sure enough, his pants were tattered from the knee down and his shirt probably lay shredded on the hotel room floor back at the Marriot. Hopefully, he had the foresight to take off his jacket first.

"Be careful. He might have day friendly entities watching your room," Marcel said and stood.

"I will, Marc, go get some sleep, and thanks from me, too."

"Good day, my friend," he said and made his way to our room.
Our room. Damn I liked the sound of that
.

"Night, Thompson," I called and followed the exquisite French buns in front of me.

"Night, kid."

I entered the bedroom and watched Marc strip off his shirt and settle himself on top of the comforter. As an afterthought, he kicked off his shoes and let them fall to the floor. He brought one arm up and covered his eyes while I flipped off the switch plunging the room into complete darkness. I knew I could see perfectly in the dark, but honestly didn't have a clue if he could or not. I took off my jacket and lay it on the dresser and took off my shoes. I had on pretty modest panties and a sports bra, but I promised Marc I would remain clothed, damn it.

I gave a little sigh and crawled onto the massive bed. The mattress seemed a little softer than I thought possible and I sank in. I debated getting up and crawling under the comforter just to make Marcel a little more comfortable, but figured I really didn't care.

"Marc," I started tentatively.

"Yes, little one?"

"What's going on? Why is Antonio so interested in me?"

"That is a story too long in the telling for now. When we wake, I will tell you everything. I promise." He closed his eyes.

I sighed and did the same.

* * *

I woke with my head on Marcel's chest. He hadn't moved, but I covered him like a small blanket. I tentatively lifted my leg to try to remove it from his, but he shifted and smiled. His arm wrapped my shoulders and he drew me against him tighter. Chills traveled from the base of my spine all the way up and over my skull, sort of melting themselves away into my brain. I let out a little moan and rubbed my face against his chest. His arm tightened, beckoning me even closer.

The butterflies in my stomach started to form a little whirlwind as I slid over his leg, lying completely on top of him. His hand slid down and cupped the right side of my butt, pulling me up into his embrace. I couldn't reach his face with mine, but he planted little kisses on the top of my head. I brought my hand up over his chest and began to tentatively lick. I won't lie, it would be my first time, and I wanted it to last forever. I felt stirrings in familiar places as my little licks elicited a moan from Marcel's lips.

"Oh, Sophie," he moaned.

I froze. Resisting the urge to bring my knee up hard enough to drive his male parts into his stomach, I leaped off of him onto the floor. "Stupid French pig," I muttered as I made my way to the door, grabbing my jacket as I opened it to leave.

"Ashlyn," Marcel called confusedly. I debated ignoring him, but I guess the whole thing had been my fault. I rolled over on him; I started licking. It wasn't his fault he was dreaming.

"Yes, Marcel?"

"I am sorry." He sounded very contrite.

"It's not your fault. I woke up mid dream, too. I'm the one who should be apologizing. It won't happen again." I walked out of the room, pulling the door shut behind me.

Chapter 7

Thompson was dressed in a suit when I walked out of the bedroom. I assumed he'd picked us up a car and some clothes sometime during the daylight hours. He had the news on and sat on the couch parked in front of the television, holding a carton of Chinese food in his hand. Damn, it smelled good.

"Morning, kid. Is everything okay?"

"Peachy keen," I replied.

"Do I have to punch Marc in the face?"

"No, but you might want to smack me around a little." He laughed and resumed devouring his food. I heard the shower running so I assumed Marc wanted to clean up a little.

"Did you bring me any clothes?"

"Your suitcase is over on the other couch," he called back.

"Thanks," I said and meant it. I slept in my clothes and they looked it. "I'm going to use your bathroom," I told him and didn't wait for a response.

Once I'd changed, I met both of them back in the sitting room. They were seated and looked like they had already been talking. Thompson had a huge frown etched into his granite features. They both looked at me as I walked toward them, making me more than a little self-conscious.

"What?"

"Field trip," Thompson supplied. "Governor Greer just called; he's flying down to San Diego in an hour. An earthquake hit this morning and he needs to assess the damage. Pack your stuff; we're flying down with him."

"That's a good thing isn't it?" If we were leaving Sacramento, then surely Strozzini wouldn't be able to find us.

"It would be if Strozzini hadn't made contact with Greer and introduced himself as part of The Council. He's going to be Greer's shadow, too. He's to 'determine if by assuming the office of governor, Greer has not broken any Council laws.' We need to come up with a cover story quickly, little one, and fast. One strong enough to explain your anomalies to Strozzini so he won't run back to the council to report what he's found. At this point, I'm open to suggestions." Marcel spoke almost exasperatedly.

"I told Greer you sired me, could we stick to that?"

"If I had talons and slit pupils, maybe. I don't think Strozzini would believe it though."

"What if we told them the truth?" We both looked at Thompson.

"Absolutely not, my friend. To tell them she has always been a vampire would be akin to telling the government she landed here from another planet. They would dissect her to see how she worked. We need something better."

"Could we bribe Strozzini?" It's not like I had enough to bribe him with, but I wanted to know.

"He is a creature of The Council, no we cannot."

"Could we kill him?" The question hung out there in the air; I just didn't realize it had come from me. Let's hear it for self-preservation.

"I've already resolved to do that as a last resort," Marcel said deadpan. A chill ran along my spine for the second time in one evening. I liked the first one better.