Crimson Dawn (13 page)

"So, Tristan is looking for an ancient cup?” I was lost for a moment.

Irulan pressed a finger to my temple and gave it a little shove. "Think, Valeria. The cup of many, filled with blood, the cup holding the many together."

The light bulbs started coming on in my mind. "The Gullah are the cup that binds the many. The many, the blood of different Extras races…Tristan is the Vessel. Jesus, Irulan, he's already got everything he needs."

"I don't think so. He's close, but he's missing something important or he wouldn't still be in Charleston. I'm printing the mosaic blown up in sections, so we can take a closer look at it. Whatever he needs, we'll find it first."

I studied the printouts of the mosaic while Irulan poured over the spell book for three hours before we decided to give it a rest.

My stomach gave a painful lurch reminding me that I had neglected to give it not only the blood it needed last night, but food also. "Alright, Irulan, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. I didn't feed last night, and eating was the last thing on my mind this morning."

Irulan stood and smoothed out the creases in her dark, flower print skirt, "I'm game, what time is it anyway?” I checked the time on my cell phone and surprised her by telling her it was almost three o'clock. “I'll tell you what," she said. "You call down for room service while I get you a quick snack ready.” She got up and headed to the small kitchenette before I could ask her what kind of a snack she had in mind. By the time she returned with a steaming coffee mug, I had put in an order for two steak dinners (one rare), and two slices of cheesecake.

I shook my head, "It's too late in the day for me and coffee, Ire, thanks but..."

She shoved the mug into my hand anyway. "Just drink, Valeria, you need this."

I looked down into the oversized mug and found blood. "Just where did you get this from? I told you before I'm not about to feed from you like a bagger, Irulan."

She turned and went back to the kitchenette and threw open the door of the mini fridge. "Fully stocked with bagged blood, Valeria. I'm assuming you have Daniels to thank for this.” She slammed the door and plopped down on the bed beside me, "I'll take that apology now.” I smiled and kissed her on the cheek before turning the cup up.

Normally, I avoided bagged blood like the plague. It left an aftertaste in my mouth kinda’ like a diet soda does, but this blood tasted wonderful. I must have been either starving or more drained from the night before than I thought. When I was done, she took the empty mug and put it in the sink, watching me out of the corner of her eye the entire time.

"How are your eyes feeling now?" she asked, which I found rather odd. I'd already told her how they were, and she wasn't usually one to repeat herself. . She couldn't hide much of anything when she was trying to be sneaky with me. It showed on her face every time. Irulan had many talents, poker not being among them.

"Where did the blood come from Irulan?" I asked her again, this time with heat behind the question.

She walked back into the room and stood in front of her bed with her hands planted firmly on either hip. "Answer my question first."

I blinked my eyes and found they were no longer irritated. My eyes had healed, one hundred percent, and as I looked down and watched, the sun burns healed on my arm.

I jumped up off the bed, advanced on Irulan, and shoved her onto the opposite bed. "I told you, plain as day, that I didn't want to make a meal out of your blood, didn't I? Doesn't what I want count for anything?" I kicked a nearby nightstand sending it sailing across the room to smash into pieces against the wall. Then I rounded on Irulan again, "You’re so pigheaded and stubborn! Everything has to be your way, doesn't it? First, you bogart your way onto this assignment with me, then you slip me your blood on the sly. You’re no better than my father!"

I walked over to the edge of the bed and looked down at her hoping to find some hint that she realized how wrong she was, but there was no remorse whatsoever on her face. Instead, I found a face etched with determination.

"The game changed the minute we found out what Tristan was after, Valeria.”

That only made me madder. "This isn't a damn game, it's my job. When are you gonna get that through your thick head? You're treating me like a child that can't make decisions for herself.”

She chose that moment to hook her legs around my midriff and pull me onto the bed, quickly rolling with my momentum, and ending up on top of me. She used my momentary distraction against me and pinned my arms over my head. "Believe me, Valeria; I am well aware you're not a child. I've been painfully aware for years, but that's neither here nor there.”

She motioned towards the laptop with her head. "Tristan has upped the level of play, and you need to get on board, or you're going to lose. I can't have that, so, until this is over with, I did what I must, and I will keep doing so. As it stands, one cup of my blood is not nearly enough."

"My safety isn't your responsibility," I ground out through clenched teeth as I squirmed beneath her trying to break her hold on me, but short of hurting her, it wasn't happening. I decided to play dirty. I rolled my hips up into her effectively grinding the front of my denim-covered crotch into the center of her unprotected panties.

"Let me go, Irulan,” I implored softly, taking all traces of anger out of my voice. I looked up into eyes that had become big as saucers and bucked my hips up slowly again, massaging her with the rough fabric. My gamble looked like it was working.

She inhaled her next breath sharply and pushed down, rolling her hips against me. "Not fair, Valeria, and you know it, but no worries."

My strategy backfired. "Two can play this game," she said just as she pushed her excited aura against mine. My eyes blacked over instantly and my sexual frustration from the night before slammed into me causing me to arch up off the bed and press into Irulan’s body even more intimately.

Now it was my turn to protest. "You know my aura is still reeling from last night, this isn't right." This was so true! I'd managed to reel in the sexual energy that rode my aura last night, but I had far from gotten rid of it. Until I found release it would ride my aura waiting for any opportunity and, dummy me, I had just given it a perfect one.

"What's not right about this, Valeria?” She asked as she leaned over and ran her lips across the rise of my right breast. “Is it the way your body is reacting to me and the fact that I'm a woman? Her teeth nipped at the swell of my left breast. “Is that what's so wrong, huh? If that's it, then your mind needs to catch up with the rest of you," she said just as she pressed a knee into my crotch reversing the pressure I tried to use against her.

Her action sent a wave of need rolling through my body that left me panting and fighting for air. Irulan chuckled softly and leaned down to run her tongue across my earlobe before she softly whispered, "You're too new at this to try and play me baby.” Before I could reply, her mouth was on my neck, warm and wet pulling my skin into her mouth softly sucking on it.

I tried to protest. I wanted to jump up and give her a thousand different reasons why what was happening was so wrong, but her mouth felt so good that I couldn't verbalize even one. She took her time and kissed her way from one ear to the other, and I was helpless against her, moaning each time her lips found a new spot to tease. Inwardly, I protested when they left my body if only for the second it took to move half an inch along my skin. Her thick mane of hair fell over us washing me in the scent of pomegranate and roses, drawing me farther into a sexual haze.

My traitorous body moved of its own accord, my legs wrapping around her trying to get the rest of me as close to her as they could. No matter how close I got, it still didn't feel as if I were close enough. The clothes, that's what was wrong
.
They shouldn't be there. The only purpose they served right now was to keep our bodies farther apart from each other, and the need to get rid of them was becoming paramount in my mind. My mounting desire was waging war with my sense of self, the part of me that was immensely confused with what I wanted and was still trying to pull me back before I went too far.

Just as she kissed her way up the side of my face and was about to move in for my lips there was a loud knock at the door followed by the cry of, "Room service!"

Ding! Ding! Ding! Literally, 'saved by the bell’. I used the distraction to break her hold and flashed to the door to let in the room service attendant before she could stop me. Once he was gone, I pulled the cart to a nearby table and sat down to eat, still breathless from the need Irulan had planted inside me. Unfortunately, Irulan wasn't having it, she was up off of the bed and pushing the cart away from me just as I was about to uncover one dish.

"Is this how you wanna handle this, Valeria? Come on, really, are you actually gonna act like that just didn't happen?" Reaching past her, I tried to snag a piece of broccoli off my plate, but she slapped my hand and pushed me back into my seat. "Are you seriously going to ignore what's going on between us?" she asked again. "Hell, even Sophie could see it, and she'd known us all of what, an hour tops?"

If I could honestly ignore everything, I would, but sadly, that wasn't going to solve anything. That also didn't mean we were going to do this now. I needed time to figure out exactly what was happening to me, to figure out if this were something I really wanted.

Damn her for pushing this on me right now! "No, alright!" I countered. "It's gone too far to ignore, but damn it, it's gonna have to wait until this job is done. I can't afford the distraction of emotions, Irulan. That's why you being here is such a bad idea on so many levels.” I looked around the room towards the covered windows, anything to avoid looking at her. "I should be out there looking for Tristan, not here making out with my best friend, who knows I'm straight, by the way."

"Who are you trying to convince, Valeria? Me, or you,” she asked softly.

Once again, I was at a loss for words. "Still don't think it's a good idea,” I mumbled weakly. Irulan had a smug look on her face as she uncovered her own plate and grabbed a knife and fork from the cart.

"So say you now, Valeria, but just wait, before this is over you'll be thanking me for taking time off of my busy schedule to come with you. I'm wearing you down, Baby. I'm wearing you down," she exclaimed in her best Urkel imitation. Even if I had wanted to, I couldn't have held back my burst of laughter. A three hundred plus year old Sidhe quoting Steven Q. Urkel - who would’ve thought the day would come?

CHAPTER NINE

After we had eaten our food, we both agreed it was time to get down to some serious footwork. The research we'd managed to do was a big step in helping us get a better understanding of what we might be up against, but the real work was waiting for us on the streets. We still had a few hours before Priest could join us and I wanted to make good use of them.

If he really was a plant to hold me back, I needed as much away time away from him as I could get. Though to be honest, I was seriously starting to question the Council's motives for having him accompany me. I mean if they really wanted to keep that close of an eye on me, then they should have known better than to send someone that couldn't cover me during the daylight hours. They would have fared better sending one of Eric's familiars. (As a master Vampire's powers grow, they acquire an affinity for specific animals. Eric's familiars were snakes but extended to other snake-like animals also.)

As I pulled out the body-sized duffle bag that held my weaponry, Irulan went to the bathroom to change into some more appropriate clothing. By the time I'd strapped two kodachis to my back, and various throwing stars and knives to my legs, she had gotten ready. (Couldn't use my arm holsters, I was wearing a vest and had already blown the idea of inconspicuous to hell and back. I didn't want to push it any farther than I already had.)

With her long hair pulled back and braided, Irulan had dressed in a black tank top, red suede pants, and a matching jacket. I gave her a once over and noticed a slight bulge at her waist and calf.

It felt funny to me, but she was armed. I knew it shouldn't be an issue, but outside of the kitchen, I'd never seen her with anything remotely dangerous in her possession. As I said, it just felt wrong to me, but. I shook it off, and we headed out. "We've followed up the Gullah lead as best we can until tonight when we try to catch up with Sophie's lead," I said as we traveled down the elevator. "Now we need to concentrate on territory. If the newborns are as numerous as our seers say they are, then they've got a nest set up somewhere, maybe more than one."

We walked out into the sunlight, and I took a deep breath hoping that I would catch the faint trail I scented the night before. Unfortunately, I got nothing. I motioned with my head, and we set off heading north on Broad St. Inwardly, I prayed we were heading in the right direction, but after fifteen minutes of walking I hadn't scented one Vampire. "Something is off about this place," I murmured and came to a standstill.