Christian (Vampires in America: The Vampire Wars Book 10) (14 page)

Natalie admitted to herself that she was surprised he knew what
rokudan
meant, and also that he’d remembered that she practiced judo. “I made
shodan
, first level, just before I left New Orleans.”

“How long have you been studying?”

“Since I was a child. My older brothers both took classes, and I insisted on going, too.”

“Your father permitted it?”

She snorted softly. “Daddy talks a tough game, but I’m his baby girl. I get what I want. Is judo your discipline?”

“Among others,” he said absently. “Alon . . . that’s an Israeli name.”

“You’re right. He’ll say only that he’s former Israeli military, but I suspect he was more than that. He started a Krav Maga class right after he opened the dojo. It draws a lot of guys to the late night classes.”

“Excellent.”

Natalie couldn’t see his face in the dark SUV, but his excitement was evident in his voice. “You know Krav Maga?” she asked curiously.

Marc snorted a laugh from his seat up front, and she saw Christian grin in response.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes,’” she said dryly.

“Marc and I picked it up from a mutual friend in Europe. I’d be interested in meeting your Alon,” Christian said casually.

“Alon’s not mine. He’s a friend.”

Christian leveled a smug look in her direction, and she cursed under her breath. Why had she felt the need to tell him Alon was only a friend?

“When are the next Krav Maga classes?”

Natalie thought for a moment. She’d been staying up all night for nearly two years, working with the vamps, and yet, she still lost track of the date sometimes. “Today’s Friday, right?”

Christian nodded. “And the gala is tomorrow,” he reminded her.

“That’s okay. The advanced Krav Maga classes are Sunday and Wednesday nights.”

“We’ll go on Sunday, then. “Did you bring your gear?”

“I have a locker at the dojo, but the Sunday class is too heavy for me anyway. I’ll watch you guys, instead.”

“We’ll do our best not to embarrass you,” he said, but he didn’t sound all that worried about the possibility. And why would he? He made walking down the hallway look like an exercise in athletic grace. She could only imagine what he’d look like on the mats.

She glanced up when the lights of the estate came into view, and her hands tightened into fists in her lap. As if sensing her unease, Christian covered her fists with his much larger hand, tugging her fingers open as he linked their hands together.

“You’ll go directly to Jaclyn’s office. I spoke to her before we left the house, and she’s contacted Anthony to let him know you’ll be meeting with her. So he’ll be expecting it.”

Natalie almost groaned. He’d rearranged her schedule without consulting her, before he’d even discussed the possibility with her. But she didn’t see the point in saying anything to him about it. He was who he was. She wasn’t going to change that. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to. And besides, in this case, she was glad to avoid seeing Anthony.

“Jaclyn’s guards will be there, naturally,” Christian continued, obviously trying to reassure her. “And once my meeting with Anthony and the others gets started, Marc will join you.”

“I’m not worried,” she said, trying to reassure him back. “How long do you think—?”

“I won’t know until I see what Anthony has planned. If it’s the straight briefing he claims it is, no more than an hour.”

“And if it’s something more?” she asked, suddenly worried more about Christian’s safety than her own. “What if it’s another set-up, like before?”

“Then I’ll fight. But I don’t think Anthony will come out into the open like that again. Not tonight, anyway. And I am not without resources of my own,
chére.”

Marc pulled the SUV around to the side of the big estate house, stopping in the same lot where her own car was parked, between the main house and the former servants’ quarters. The lot was a yellow-lit blot on the otherwise elegant estate, something Anthony had added after he took over the territory. It was practical, but ugly.

“Your cell phone,” Christian demanded, and she turned it over automatically, scowling as an afterthought. She really had to stop doing everything he ordered.

She watched as he tapped in first his cell number, then Marc’s, then added her number to his phone. Marc passed his phone back, and her number was typed in there, too. When Christian handed her phone back, she checked the directory, and laughed out loud at what he’d typed under his own number.

“Lord and Master?” she read, quickly deleting the entry and typing his name instead.

“It seemed apt.”

“You are
so
deluded.”

“Or prescient. Take your pick.”

Natalie let her unladylike snort tell him exactly what she thought of that.

CHRISTIAN HELD the door as they entered the building the same way he’d left it the other night, when Noriega had been waiting for him. Bypassing the kitchen, they took the back stairs up to the long corridor outside Jaclyn’s office. He saw Cibor waiting at the end of the hall, and nodded when the bodyguard raised a hand in greeting.

Turning to face Natalie, he rubbed his hands lightly over her upper arms. “Remember,” he said. “Don’t leave Jaclyn’s office unless someone’s with you. Preferably Marc or Cibor.”

“Yes, Master,” she said softly, gazing up at him from beneath her long lashes.

Christian gave her a narrow look. She was a bit of a smart ass. He liked that about her, but that didn’t mean he didn’t occasionally want to take her over his knee. He thought about her nicely rounded ass sticking up over his lap, rosy with heat from his hand, and shifted his stance slightly to relieve the sudden pressure in his groin.

Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Natalie’s pupils suddenly widened until only a small rim of chocolate brown iris showed around the edges. Her heartbeat kicked a little faster, and he lifted her hand to kiss her fingers. “
A bientôt, ma chére.”

She blushed prettily, then reclaimed her hand, and headed for Cibor. Christian enjoyed the sway of her hips as she walked down the hall. He grinned briefly when she turned to wave good-bye just before disappearing into Jaclyn’s office. Cibor nodded again in Christian’s direction, then followed her inside.

Knowing he’d made her as safe as she could be, at least in this place, he and Marc turned back for the stairs.

NATALIE WENT directly to the conference room. She felt a little silly holing up here in Jaclyn’s office, and wondered if maybe they were making far too much of this whole situation. After all, she’d worked right outside Anthony’s office for almost two years, and been perfectly safe. On the other hand, he
had
gotten a little weird since Christian showed up, and she didn’t want Christian worrying about her. He had to be at the top of his game to deal with Anthony and the other challengers. So she’d stay where she was, safely tucked away. She rolled her eyes at the idea, even though there was no one to see it. Walking over to the big table, she set up her laptop, then went to the small fridge in the corner to grab a bottle of water. On a whim, she checked all the bins for blood, figuring there must be some for vampire guests, right? She found only water. Feeling slightly disappointed, she took the icy cold bottle back to her station for the day, and pulled out her chair, but then stopped. She had to pee. The bathroom was right across the hall. Surely, she could cross the hall safely, she reasoned. But remembering her vow, and determined not to be one of those too-stupid-to-live chicks, she sighed, and went in search of Cibor.

He was standing at the small security station near the front desk, and looked up with a smile. “Need something, sweetness?”

Natalie smiled. Cibor was such a flirt, but his heart belonged to Jaclyn. “Just the restroom,” she said, fighting embarrassment. This was quite literally a
natural
need. Nothing embarrassing about asking the big vampire to escort you to take a pee.

“Right across the hall,” he told her.

Natalie nodded. “I know. Can I just—”

“I’ll stand in the office doorway.”

She swallowed a groan, and led the way. As promised, Cibor halted in the office doorway, and she could feel his eyes on her until the restroom door closed behind her.

Ignoring the mirrors, which would only confirm the effects of her restless night, she went to the stall and took care of necessities, then came out and washed her hands. Still drying her hands with the paper towel, she headed for the exit.

Her first thought when she opened the door was to look for Cibor. But he wasn’t there. And the door to the office was closed, which was odd, too. She looked left and found an empty hallway, to the right and . . . Anthony stood there, backed by two of his bodyguards. He hurried over to her, a surprised look on his face, as if this was nothing but a wonderful, chance encounter.

He eyed her slacks with a quick moue of distaste, but was smiling when he lifted his gaze to her face. “You look lovely as always, my Natalie,” he lied smoothly. She
knew
he didn’t like it when she wore pants, which was rarely.

He reached for her hand, and brought it to his lips. All she could think of was Christian doing the same thing that morning, and how much she’d loved it. And now her hand felt contaminated, and she wanted to rush back into the restroom and wash all over again.

“Unfortunately, I’m on my way to a meeting right now, but you and I need to talk,” Anthony continued, unaware of her reaction. “We should have dinner together later tonight. Just the two of us. Somewhere nice,” he said slowly, then snapped his fingers, making her jump. “Ah. I know the perfect place. I’ll pick you up at your townhouse at midnight.”

Natalie was too stunned to speak, but she had to. Where was Cibor? And what was this? Anthony had never socialized with her before. They’d never exchanged so much as a word outside the office, and now he wanted to take her to dinner? And what was with the
my Natalie?
He’d never said
that
before. One thing she knew for sure. She didn’t want to have dinner with him tonight, or any other night. But she couldn’t tell him that. He wouldn’t take it well.

“Jaclyn and I will be working—” she started to say, but he didn’t let her finish.

“Jaclyn can spare you for a few hours. And don’t worry about changing clothes. What you’re wearing will be fine for tonight,” he said.

As if she’d been worried about dress codes for their big date.
Right.
She had to stop this before it went any further.

“Anthony, I don’t think that’s appropriate. You’re my boss,
and
my cousin.” What the hell, might as well use his fabricated kinship to her advantage. “And besides—”

“Don’t worry about what others think. We both know the truth.”

Was that supposed to make her feel better? She had a feeling
her
truth was vastly different from
his.

“You’re still my boss,” she said, shooting a desperate glance at the closed door to Jaclyn’s office, and wondering where Cibor was.

“But not for much longer. The challenge will be over soon, which is why I must leave you now. Duvall will be in the meeting, by the way. He’s a powerful vampire, but not invincible. And all sorts of things can happen during a challenge. A wise woman would understand that.”

Natalie couldn’t believe it. Had he just threatened Christian if she didn’t agree to . . . what? Become his girlfriend? Run away with him to New Orleans? When the hell had Anthony lost his fucking mind? She stared at him in disbelief, but his eyes said it all. They were hard and glittering, daring her to call his bluff. If she’d been the only one on the line, she’d have told him where he could shove his midnight dinner, and his
relationship
. But Christian was about to walk into a trap, and with no way to warn him, she was the only one who could keep the jaws from closing.

She swallowed her anger, and said, “I’ll be ready at midnight.”

He smiled broadly. “Excellent. I shall look forward to it, but now I must run.”

Natalie didn’t linger to watch him scurry down the hall like the rat he was. She raced across the hallway to Jaclyn’s office and opened the door to find Cibor sitting at his station, perfectly at ease. He glanced up when she entered. “Hey, Natalie,” he said. “You meeting with Jaclyn tonight?”

Every muscle in her body froze. Anthony had done something to Cibor, manipulated his mind to make him forget the last half hour or so of time. He didn’t remember that she’d already spoken to him, or that he’d been standing in the doorway, guarding her while she used the restroom. Anthony had stolen that from him. She wouldn’t have thought it possible, but then, she’d never thought of Anthony as anything but a fussy, self-important man. She’d never really considered the power he had at his fingertips, the power he could draw upon as a vampire lord. She’d been a fool, and now others were paying for her blindness.

“No,” she said faintly to Cibor. “I’m just working up here for a while. There’s too much going on in Anthony’s office, and I need the peace and quiet.”

“Good deal.”

“Is Jaclyn in, though?”

He nodded cheerfully. “She’s is her office. Go ahead. She’s always glad to see you.”

Maybe not for long
, she thought woefully. Not once Jaclyn discovered Anthony had been screwing with her favorite bodyguard’s head, and it was all because of her.

“Thanks,” she said, trying to seem normal, and failing miserably from the puzzled look on Cibor’s face. She walked down the hall in a daze. This was all unreal. How had she gone from being the unnoticed forensic accountant, to becoming the center of a conflict between two powerful vampires? She wanted to go back to when Anthony was nothing but a family legend, to when her life was quiet and uneventful, instead of this whirlwind of emotions and fears.

She approached Jaclyn’s office, prepared to tell her just that. She was going to go home. Jabril and his twisty accounting could wait, so could Anthony and his stupid dinner date, and especially the territorial challenge, which she didn’t give two fucks about. Fuck Christian, too, and . . . Her thoughts trailed off, and she sighed. She didn’t want to fuck Christian. Well, she
did
, but not like that.

She knocked on Jaclyn’s door, then pushed it open. “Jaclyn, you in here?”