Cast in Blood (Morgan Blackstone Vampires Book 1) (41 page)

“Julian, you are my Sire, nothing changes that,” she reached out to touch his cheek. Julian’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist, hard enough to make the tendons grind against bone. Before she had the chance to try to talk to him, James slammed into him. Morgan screamed as Julian’s hand was ripped from her wrist. She pulled her sleeve back and grimaced at four bloody trails his too long nails left.
How odd, Julian always has perfect manicures. He’s worse than I am,
she thought, listening to the sounds of a fight behind her. She heard a high–pitched yelp, and spun, drawing the gun.
 

Julian crouched over the large furred body that she knew was James,
the better to fight with my dear
; Danny had teased her one night. Without stopping to think, Morgan fired three rounds into Julian’s back. Even with Nicholas’s lessons, she knew none had hit their marks. He rounded on her; his chin splashed with blood. His silver eyes flashed with rage, and Julian charged. He smashed into Morgan’s left side. She crashed into the bar, heard bones in her chest crack. Gasping, she slid to the floor. A moment later the heavy front door slammed closed. Morgan let her head fall back to rest against the bar, closing her eyes for a few moments. Julian was gone, to where she couldn’t guess.
Brilliant, just bloody brilliant. There’s no way he’s coming back from that now
, she thought pushing herself to her feet, hissing as bones shifted in ways they weren’t supposed to. “James?” she called, wondering where in the name of Hell all this extra security was.

“I’m here. Next time we don’t try to reason with the crazy vampire, okay?” he offered with a weak laugh.

“He’s my Sire. I had to try,” She answered, in weak defense.

“Well, Nicholas is going to go through the roof.”

“Blame me. You can say I knocked you out, and you came to just in time to save me from my own stupidity,” Morgan laughed, and regretted it, as broken ribs shifted, sending sharp pains radiating through her.

“I might take you up on that. How are you?”

“Couple of cracked ribs, hurt like a son of a bitch but will heal. You? Did Julian bite you?”

“Yeah, but it healed in the shift. I’m good.”

“Call that security company. Get one person to cover each entrance, one for the bottom of the stairs, and find out why the
fuck
they aren’t here yet. I’ll be in my office.” She growled mind racing.

“Whatever you say, boss,” James responded, as she stalked up the stairs to her office.
 

Morgan slammed the door and strode to her desk. She sat in her chair, and pulled open the lower left hand drawer, where she kept a small first aid kit. She pulled back her sleeve, and examined the four gouges that Julian’s fingernails had left. In the back of her mind, she could feel Nicholas moving closer, and wanted to be done before he arrived. She swabbed the wounds, hissing, as the raw nerves sent needles of pain through her.
 
The first aid kit had been put away, and she was back to wading through the stack of papers on her desk, when Nicholas stalked into her office a few minutes later.

“What happened?” he asked, without preamble.

“Julian was here. I tried to reason with him, but it was pointless,” Morgan sighed. Through their shared blood, Morgan felt some of the fear and anger in Nicholas leech away. “He’s too far gone. He came at me, and James stepped in.”

“Yet Julian is not here.”

“I shot at him, missed the heart and throat, but did hit his back.” Morgan ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “Did you have better luck?”

“Yes and no. The doctor is dead, but there was no sign of Elizabeth.”

“So we’re at a dead end?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s next?”
 

Nicholas shook his head. “I have to make a report to the Council.”

“And what will you say?”

“I’ll describe what’s happened.” He shook his head and sighed. “As much as I hate to, I’ll have to omit Lucian’s involvement, since we have no proof whatsoever.”

Morgan nodded, “When do you need to make your report?”

“If I take more than two weeks, Magnus will start asking questions. With everything that’s going on, the last thing I want is my Sire asking questions.”

“And once you’ve given your report?”

“Nothing’s resolved, so I don’t want to leave you alone.”

“Can you find a way, where Magnus won’t object to you returning to Los Angeles?”

“I’m sure I can think of something,” Nicholas mused, with a sparkle in his eye. Morgan waited for a few moments, thinking that he might fill her in on what he was thinking.

“You’re plotting something,” Morgan said, with a frown, not sure she was going to like what the intense, focused look in his eyes foreshadowed.

“I intend to make it crystal clear to your Grandsire that
you
are under
my
protection,” he answered, with steel in his voice.

“This has really bothered you hasn’t it?”

“I thought I’d lost you,” he whispered, folding her into his arms.

“I’m sorry love.”
 

“Just try not to let it happen again,” Nicholas chuckled and kissed her hair.

“Come on, there’s nothing else to do here. I can leave this paperwork for the boys. Let’s go home.” She pulled Nicholas out of the room and walked over to the railing at the edge of the balcony. Much as she had months before, Morgan hopped over the railing, hearing Nicholas laugh as she reveled in the feeling of falling.
 

“You’re just a little insane, you know that?” Nicholas yelled, leaning over the railing.

“But you still love me?” she asked, feeling her lips curve into a coquettish smile.

“Of course.” Nicholas laughed, and dropped from the balcony, landing with a soft thump beside her. Laughing, Morgan slid her arm around him. He chuckled, and draped his arm around her shoulders, steering them out of the club. “Do you want to talk more about what happened with Julian?” Nicholas asked once; they were in the car. She thought about it for a few moments as he pulled into traffic.

“No. Not yet.”

“Any time you’re ready love, I’m here.” Nicholas reached over and took her hand in his. She smiled and watched him, as they drove out of the city, up into the hills.

A
LITTLE
OVER
a month later, Nicholas walked through the house, glad to be away from the Council’s compound in Ireland. The visit had gone according to plan, but something wasn’t right. Some dynamic within the power base of their kind had shifted, but Nicholas couldn’t put his finger on it.
I don’t like that. If I can’t name an enemy or threat, it only makes them more powerful, and perhaps reckless.
He sighed and checked his watch.
It’s a little after five. I have about an hour and a half before she’ll be ready, if she’s on time
. Nicholas laughed.
If there’s one thing my wife does with reliability, it’s to not be punctual for a night at the opera.
 

His wanderings took him out to the garden, to the spot where he’d ended Alexander’s pitiful excuse for an existence. Marcus had cleaned up the blood and the corpse, but what amazed Nicholas was that despite having walls of flame beside and over them, the high walls and grass had been untouched. That little detail had intrigued his Sire. Magnus had wanted to know all about Morgan’s abilities.
If that were just idle curiosity, I’ll eat my oldest pair of shoes
.
 
As the setting sun painted the Los Angeles sky in shades of reds oranges and purples, Nicholas turned and walked into the house.
 

He closed his eyes, and listened to the distant sounds of the city, before turning his attention to his wife’s heartbeat. Then he smiled and made his way through the house to the bathroom just off the master suite.

Morgan was in front of the mirror, working her hair into an elaborate up–do that was held in place by jeweled pins. The gems sparkled against her raven hair, catching the light in their crystalline and blood red facets. Nicholas smiled and drank in the sight of her. After everything that had happened, a small part of him had dreaded being parted, even for a short time. While he was in Ireland planning, this evening had been his way of keeping in touch with her, and it was a great distraction. The month he’d been stuck at the Council’s compound had felt like a year, and he was glad to be back at home.
Home is wherever she is;
Nicholas thought, a slight smile curling his lips.

“You haven’t been away
that
long, love. I still look the same.” Nicholas looked up, to see Morgan watching him in the mirror, her green eyes twinkling.

“That’s all the more reason to take a few moments and enjoy the view.” He tilted his head and raised one eyebrow, enjoying the way the silk bathrobe clung to Morgan’s curves.
I’m sure that robe is mine, but when it looks that good on her, who am I to complain?

“How was the Council?” She ignored his teasing, but the slight flush that colored her cheeks was proof that Nicholas had hit his mark.

“Long, dull and boring,” he lied, before catching a glimpse of her dark expression in the mirror. “Okay, it was a royal pain in my ass.”

“How did Magnus take the news about us?”

“Better than I had expected, considering we’d hidden it for so long,” Nicholas lied.
No need for her to know that my Sire’s known since about six months after our marriage
. “Now, Lucian, that was another matter.”

“My Grandsire was pissed?”

“To put it mildly. I think he was torn between calling for my head and demanding that we divorce.”

“Neither is happening,” she answered, smoothing color over one eyelid with a practiced hand.
 

“Thankfully, my Sire and about three quarters of the Council agreed with you, my love.”

“Do you remember who sided with Lucian?”

“Of course. We’ll do what we can to keep an eye on them. It’s the best we can do, for now. Unfortunately, I doubt Lucian is going to give up easily. At best we’ve bought ourselves some time.”

“We always knew that,” she replied, with a tired sigh.

“I just wish I knew how much.” Nicholas shook his head and leaned against the door jamb.

“I’m sure we have enough for one night at the opera, unless you want to call it off,” she said, eyes sparkling with mischief.

“You’re not getting out of this that easily, minx.”

“Somehow I didn’t think I would,” she said.
 

“So, did you get together with Lilly while I was gone?” Nicholas asked, hoping to change the subject to something a little safer.

“I went to the condo. We had an interesting chat.” She turned her eyes away from his in the mirror, paying particular attention to the way her mascara was going on.

“Morgan. That’s a cheap answer, and you know it.”

“True. However, it is fact, love.” She stopped doing her makeup, with a sigh. Meeting Nicholas’s gaze in the mirror, she continued, “I don’t know if I’ll ever be comfortable with her.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing. Do I feel all warm and fuzzy toward her?” Morgan shrugged. “No. Will I ever?” She thought for a moment and shook her head. “I can’t say. But I can accept her in our lives for a time.”

“You’re sure about that?”“I’m sure. Now go get dressed. Unless I’m getting out of going to the opera because you don’t feel like putting on your tux.” Morgan laughed a hopeful gleam in her eyes.
 

“Let’s see, a night out at the opera.” Nicholas paused. “One I haven’t seen before, by a new composer with my beautiful wife.” He pursed his lips and nodded, “I think I can get dressed up for that.”

“Or we could stay in.” Morgan purred, moving to stand in front of him. Nicholas smiled and laid a gentle kiss on her deep red lips.
 

“We have all day and most of the night to stay in, my dear.” With a roguish wink, Nicholas strolled out of the bathroom and into the walk–in closet that they shared. Morgan lost sight of him but could hear movement among the hangers and drawers on the side that held his clothes.
 

“I meant to ask, but have you been in touch with Annabelle and Caitlynn, about Eric?” he asked, without needing to raise his voice.

“I have,” Morgan said.

“And what did they have to say?”

“They are both impressed with Eric. Seems that even in the short time Marcus was gone, the kid made great progress.”

“And what about Marcus? How is the Old Man holding up?”

“He’s doing better than I thought he would. Definitely not what I’d call a present Sire, but he brought Eric in on the search of the trailer.”

“He’s supposed to be doing more than just bringing the kid along on the investigation,” Nicholas complained, as Morgan stepped into the closet.
 

“I know but you know he’s got issues after what happened with Georgia.” She walked over to her dresser and took out a pair of black stockings.
 

“Are you saying to give him time? I’m not sure we have the luxury of time, love.” He pulled his shirt on and started fastening the buttons.