A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (13 page)

The sharp sucking of air and a groan escapes his lips. “Jessica...”

I try to raise my eyes to see his, but the water running from my hair forces them shut. Seeing my dilemma, Christien moves the showerhead lower and swipes the hair from my face. I reward his effort by taking him deep in my mouth. His head pushes against the back of my throat. I reposition my body to have his head go further down my throat instead of stopping at the back. His eyes roll and he throws his head back with an expletive. I’ve never had much of a gag reflex. I am pleased he is enjoying my attention. I pull back to grab a breath of air through my nose, keeping him inside of me before trying to take him fully into my mouth again.

“Oh! Stop Jessica. I am very close.” His voice is rough from his struggle to maintain control.

Ignoring his protests, I take a final breath and pull him deep into my mouth. I continue to guide his head down my throat using my tongue as a guide. I relax my body and continue forward until my lips reach his base. I swallow, tightening my muscles around his penis in the process.

He shouts my name and I feel the warmth of his seed sliding down my throat. I swallow repeatedly until his orgasm subsides. I release him from me, careful not to scrape him with my teeth as I gasp for air. He falls against the back of the shower stall.

I stand, rinse my body and turn off the shower. Christien is still struggling to stand up straight when I toss him a towel.

“I guess I did okay then?” I smirk at him. He weakly nods and uses the towel on his face and hair. “I was just wondering because I’ve never really had a chance to try something like that before. I think I kinda like it.”

“You were magnificent. I will be more than pleased for you to experiment on me sexually in the future. It will be my pleasure indeed.” He smiles at me. Finally gathering enough strength in his legs, he steps out of the shower and dries off beside me.

“So, what are we going to do tonight?” I ask, grabbing the hair drier hanging next to the sink. I turn it on and begin drying my hair while watching Christien in the mirror.

“I had plans to send an introduction to the Master of the City.” Christien replies plainly.

“What does that mean?” I ask in a normal voice, knowing he can hear me over the sound of the hair dryer.

“First lesson in vampire politics,” He grins. “I must send a formal introduction, informing him of me and how many are in my get. I must also send gifts that would be pleasing to him and show my respect. If he approves of my gifts, he will offer me an audience. That means, he will request that we meet at a place of his choosing. He might force me to demonstrate my power. If he finds me amiable, I will finally get the opportunity to ask his permission to stay in his city. That is when the negotiations begin. At least, that is how it is done in Europe.”

He continues to explain patiently. “It is all pretenses,
ma chatte petite
. I may not need his protection, but he will not know that. I will play down my power level and allow him to overpower me. He will believe that I am strong enough to be an ally, but not strong enough to take him over. It will be to his benefit to accept me into his area than have another Master of the City have me.”

“I think I’m beginning to understand the dynamics of vampires. You are all children fighting over who might have the best toys.” I grumble as I flip my long hair over to the other side, drying the other half of my hair.

Christien leans his naked body against the sink. “It is how vampires coexist. We are all predators. We do not have the natural ability to all get along as weres in a community may. That is why I rarely get involved in vampire politics. My get is rare. We are powerful, but do not covet power. Those vampires I have sired that wanted more power have left my get to pursue their own way.”

“Okay, so what kind of things do you negotiate for? What will he want from you after he gives you his permission to stay in the city?”

“Besides his permission, I will need to assist him in defending the city from other intruders. Even though attacks are rare nowadays, it does not mean that attacks still do not occur. I will have to send vampires to him if he is under attack or if he chooses to attack another vampire. Another thing to negotiate is business ventures. If I have business to run in his city, I must pay a percentage for operating in his city. The Master of the City will need to introduce me to the other local masters.”

“Does that mean you have to support them too?” I ask.

“We do not have to play together, but we have to share the same sandbox.” He smiles, using my reference to them as children to make a point.

I smile approvingly. “Alright. So, when do you plan to send him your introduction?”

“I would like to send it tonight, soon in fact. Perhaps you would like to see what I want to send and make some suggestions if you do not think they are adequate?”

“I know nothing about vampire politics. Why would my opinion even matter?” I turn off the hair dryer and comb through my dry hair.

“I do like it, but if you plan to meet him tonight, you might want to pick a less confrontational color, like green or blue. I think green would be best because it matches the color of your beautiful eyes.” I smile at him seductively.

He hangs the shirt back up and grabs a similar shirt in a shade of olive green. Against the color of his sun-kissed skin, the color looks magnificent on him.

“I would have no problem with you coming with me. I would introduce you as my mate.” He states eagerly. “That would ensure your security in the city, but at the same time, you would be in a room full of unfamiliar vampires.”

“You would be there at my side. In addition, we could bring Pantor with us since Kayle is not here. You said he’s good in a fight.”

“Yes, but Pantor is not aware of you. I admit I would rather have Kayle here too, but maybe too much precaution is unnecessary. I really believe the Master of the City is not as powerful as I am. My age is closer to some of the
têtes de lignes
in Europe. I would find it hard to believe that a Master of the City in America is that old. I am almost certain that most of my vampires are older than the Master of the City.”

“How old do you think he is?” I look up at him.

“The vampire we met last night was only a couple hundred years old. I imagine the master is closer to five hundred years old. Region masters are most likely around a thousand. Like I said, I do not think there are many, if any vampires here in America older than me.”

“There is nothing wrong with your clothes. If you plan to join me to meet the Master of the City, I would suggest something different. We must play the part well or not bother playing at all.” He grabs a matching suit jacket to his pants and lays it on the bed.

“I want something I can move in if I have to fight my way out of there.”

He shakes his head. “If you intend to be on my arm when we greet the Master of the City, you will need to dress the part of my mate. To greet a master in casual wear would be an insult.”

I eye him skeptically. “How dressy do I need to get?”

His grin nearly covers his entire face. He moves quickly to the back of the closet. A moment later, he returns holding a long, gorgeous, chocolate brown evening gown with elaborate sequin work in the corset bodice. From the waist down to the floor is expensive silk. When it moves, it looks like a river of molten chocolate.

I look up from the gown to the emerald eyes staring back at me. “It’s gorgeous, but don’t you think it is a little extreme?”

“I want him to be unable to take his eyes off you. Then he will not be paying much attention to me.” His smile falters a little. “Have you changed your mind?”

“No.” I look back at the gown and give him a devious grin. “Do I have shoes and jewelry to match this in there somewhere?”

His wide smile returns as he hands me the dress and returns to the closet.

Laying the dress gently on the bed, I open my lingerie drawer and remove a black panty. The corset will have to do to support my ample breasts. I lotion my body then slide the black panty on, dropping the towel on the floor. I grab the dress and loosen the laces carefully. As I am wiggling into the dress, Christien returns with three pairs of shoes.

I am a curvy woman, so naturally, I am stuck trying to pull the dress over my womanly hips and backside. “A little assist please?”

He puts the shoes on the bed and steps behind me. With a couple flicks of his fingers, the dress slides up easily the rest of the way. He allows me to adjust the front until I am comfortable before tightening the laces.

“Done this a time or two, have you?” I ask as his hands move deftly through the laces, tightening in increments. I can feel his smile behind me, even though I can’t see his face.

“I will tighten it completely after you have fully dressed.” He moves to the side of the bed, avoiding my question. “Which shoes do you prefer?”

My gaze falls to his selections and I raise my eyebrows. “Nice selection. Which do you prefer? They would all work well with this dress.”

His gaze moves to the 5 inch heels. “Can you walk in those?”

“You’d be surprise in the height of the heels I can walk in. I’ll be a little taller than you in those heels though.”

“I do not mind, I enjoy your height.” He bends down and slides the shoes on my feet. Carefully buckling it, he caresses my leg before moving to the other foot.

Moving the dress out of my way so I can see my shoes, it is then I notice the large slit that comes all the way to my upper thigh. I give Christien a wily grin that he returns. “I will make sure his eyes stay on me all night.”

“I have no doubt about that. I am pretty sure that my eyes will be on you all night too.” He admits.

“Well, try not to drool on my dress.” I enjoy the feel of the soft material on my skin. He buckles the other shoe and I stand up to admire myself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. “What do you plan to send as an introduction?”

“I have printed a formal letter introducing myself and my intentions. Along with the letter, I need to send a gift. Usually this gift is something that a master vampire could use.” He stops suddenly and picks up the extra shoes from the bed. He is walking back to the closet when I stop his progress.

“What kind of gifts have you used in the past?”

He takes a deep breath and looks into my eyes. “Normally, I would send over a beautiful donor to deliver the letter. That is often the customary greeting. Rare items like swords or antiques would be a nice substitute. Jewelry has been used in the past, but unless it is rare or unique, it has lost its appeal among vampires.”

“You intend to send over a human donor to an unknown vampire?” I scold him.

“No. For future references, even if I were going to send over a human donor, she would be escorted, and her safety would be ensured by the vampire accompanying her.”

I visibly relax. “That’s good. I didn’t want to have to kick your ass for that. So sending a donor is out. What about antiques? Do you have any?”

“I have none that I am willing to part with. Jewelry is not really an option either. Actually, I was thinking about sending a small vile of your blood mixed with a bottle of wine. You mentioned that your blood does not change properties outside of your body. In small amounts, your blood seems to act more as a stimulant or aphrodisiac.”

“I haven’t mixed it with anything before. I have never drunk my own blood. I have no idea what affect it may have on me.” I think about his suggestion.

“If you are okay with my suggestion, I would like to try this. If mixing your blood with alcohol works, it would not increase his power, but give him more of a high. It is an unusual gift and he will have no idea what is in it. I could have a vampire deliver it and guarantee an audience tonight.”

“Do you think it’s a good idea to flaunt my blood in front of another vampire?”

Rubbing my back to soothe my nervousness, he smiles reassuringly. “He will not know what is in the wine. He will smell your blood, but he will not know it is angel blood inside the wine. It will definitely peak his interest.”

“Okay, but how about we test it first to make sure it works. Otherwise, we are going to have to come up with something else to send and pretty fast. It will be full dark soon.”

Christien goes downstairs to find a couple bottles of wine suitable for a gift and test. I retreat to the bathroom as I rummage through my purse for makeup. Starting with my eyes, I use a darker brown eye shadow to give myself a smoky eye. Next, I even out my skin tone by brushing a translucent shimmering powder over my face and chest area. Using a little tinted, glitter lip-gloss, I darken my lips into a darker shade of shimmering rust to match my dress. I admire my handiwork in the mirror.