Her Secret (31 page)

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Devlin, is this really done? I have never heard of two men, much
less two vampires being willing to share one woman. Someone always
gets hurt.”

“That might be true if Danial and I were
human, but we aren’t. There will always need to be other women for
us.”

The way he’d said it indicated the other
women might not just be for blood. I took a deep breath. “If I do
what you’re asking, I know Danial will be faithful to me. I need to
know if you’ll take other lovers, Dev. Answer me, and be
honest.”

“Would you be angry if I did?” he asked,
gazing at me with his melting gold eyes.

This all seemed so sordid suddenly. “I’d be
upset, of course. I don’t like to think of you with someone else.
But if I’m going to have two men, and you’re only going to have one
woman between you—”

“So you want to let me have another woman, to
be fair?” Devlin supplied.

I blushed furiously. “It’s unfair not to
agree to that, but I’d ask that you limited...yourself...um...” I
couldn’t get the words out, my tongue tripping over itself.

Devlin chuckled. “I’ve had over fifty women
since that day in the hotel with you, Love. None of them looked at
me as you did. None of them said they loved my eyes.”

I was floored into silence, then disgusted.
Then I was very, very glad he couldn’t give me any diseases, being
with all those other women.

“I can see I should not have mentioned a
number,” Dev said ruefully. “Forget them, please, My Dear One. They
didn’t matter to me, not like you do.”

I didn’t reply, trying to get my mind around
the number fifty.
Was that more than one a night? He hadn’t said
how many times he’d had each woman...nauseating...

“Sar, look at me.”

“It’s hard to.”

He took my hand in his. “What I tried to make
you understand was that no matter how much I tried to forget being
with you, I couldn’t. I haven’t loved anyone in a long time. If
you’ll give me your promise, I won’t be with anyone else but you. I
won’t swear that to you forever, but I’ll swear it for the next
decade, provided you swear not to deny me your favors.”

I nodded, still in shock.

“Let’s adjourn this conversation for tonight.
The night in fact is drawing to its close, and we’re both
exhausted. I will take your Oath tomorrow, after we’ve both had a
chance to rest.” Devlin offered me his hand. “Come.”

I didn’t move.

Devlin took me in his arms. “I love you, Sar.
No one else. There is no other woman who I’d have risked so much
for.” He kissed me tenderly. “There is no one for you to be jealous
of.”

He had risked a hell of a lot coming back
here
. “I’m just worried,” I said in a small voice.

His brow creased as he looked down at me.
“About what?”

“That this isn’t real,” I admitted
hesitantly. “That I’m going to wake up and find out this is all a
dream, that I’m still sick.”

“It’s not a dream,” he reassured. “I’m real
and my feelings for you are real. Now come to bed and rest.”

“No. When you came to me, you said you had
plans for you and I. I’m not tired.” I twined my arms around his
neck. “What was your fantasy?”

Dev smiled recklessly. “Feel like going for a
bike ride?”

“Sure, but what do I wear? I don’t have
leather gear like you.”

“Ah, but you do, Sar,” he said, grabbing my
hand and leading me down to his motorcycle. He reached into the
saddlebags on the back, and pulled me out some black leather pants.
“These should fit. They’re the same size as your jeans.”

“How did you know that?” I said, taking them
from him and glancing at the tag. Sure enough, they were the right
size.

“I looked when I sent your laundry down to
get washed in the hotel.”

Good thing I hadn’t gained any weight. I’d
have been royally embarrassed when they didn’t fit.
“What about
a helmet?”

“You can wear mine. Being night, I won’t need
it.”

Trepidation hit me. It was going to be
freezing cold riding on the back of a bike at night in the middle
of winter. I’d always liked motorcycles, but I’d never ridden on
one before.

“I’d put on a heavy jacket, if I were you.
Hurry, the moon is setting.”

His excitement and surety swayed me. “Sure,”
I said, giving him a smile. “Let me get these on and grab my
jacket.”

“I’ll come with you. My clothes should be dry
by now.”

After dressing in leather, and also for me,
multiple layers of polar fleece, we headed back downstairs. Devlin
climbed astride the bike, and began checking it over. “Nice
boots.”

“Thanks,” I replied, slipping on the bike
behind him, my feet clad in the high boots he’d given me. “I told
you I liked them.”

“So you did.” He handed me the helmet.

I buckled it on. “All set.”

“Hold on to me tightly. You won’t hurt me,
and I’d rather you squeezed me than fell off.”

“Will do.” I hit the opener, slipping my arms
around his waist as Devlin kick-started the bike. It roared to life
with a throaty growl and he backed it out slowly into the cold
December night. I hit the garage door opener again. The door slid
closed as Devlin slowly drove in a half circle and then out and
down my driveway.

I hadn’t been outside at night for a long
time. Then I’d been too cold, but the night was exhilarating. The
full moon was shining down, lighting up everything around us.

As we got to the end of the driveway, Dev put
his legs down for a moment, checking both ways. “Remember, hold
on.”

I renewed my grip on him, then he gunned the
throttle, and we drove into the night.

The words I could use to describe what I felt
riding with him wouldn’t do it justice. The moon seemed to follow
us. The night was alive, the air crystal clear. All the stars were
out above us, and they shone down so we alone could see them. The
strength of Devlin’s body in front of me eased my fear, and blocked
most of the wind. He was a little too tall for me to look over his
shoulder easily in the bulky helmet.

We rode for about ten minutes, mostly on back
roads. Everything seemed so animated. The sound of the engine
growling as the bike raced through the night, the yellow markers in
the road speeding by one by one. The cold air rushing past us, the
moon above shining down. The feel of his hair whipping back in the
wind, sliding over my helmet. I breathed it all in, wanting never
to let it go. The only overwhelming feeling was to spend forever in
this moment, for it never to end.

Devlin slowed, bringing the bike to a stop,
and then turned to me. He lifted me from behind him to sit over the
front of the motorcycle, its engine still vibrating loudly. He
unbuckled my helmet, setting it on the back of the bike. Then his
hand slid into my hair, bringing my lips to his in a hard kiss that
took my breath away.

His lips were like ice. Danial had told me
often how easily vampires lost heat. It had cost Dev a lot to ride
without a helmet tonight, and a lot more to ride from his house to
mine by bike in the middle of winter. I pulled him closer and took
off my gloves, putting my hands on his face to give him some of my
warmth.

After a few seconds, he broke the kiss,
pulling back from me. “As much as I wanted this, we are going to
have to head back, Love. The night is too cold, and the colder I
get, the less control I have of the bike. Your safety isn’t worth
the thrill of being here like this with you, as much as I like the
warmth of your caress.”

“When we get home, I’ll warm you up,” I
promised, moving again in back of him, putting my helmet on, and
clasping him around the waist.

“Sounds good.” Devlin gunned the engine and
we roared back into the night.

The trip home took only minutes, but I’d
gotten chilled by Devlin’s icy kiss. By the time we arrived home, I
was glad the ride was over.

Soon, we were in front of my wood stove,
taking off our clothes and holding each other under a polar fleece
blanket. As soon as he gathered me into his arms, I let out a
slight yelp, trying not to flinch away from his icy skin.

“Are you going to warm me, as you promised?”
he teased.

I rubbed his skin as he had rubbed mine
yesterday. Between the fire and my warmth, Dev slowly got warmed
again.

“Feel better?” I said, kissing him. “Are you
warm enough?”

“I told you where I feel best, Love,” he
whispered in my ear. “Invite me in.”

“Come in,” I whispered, as he lay me down
beneath him. “Come inside and be warm.”

* * * *

A little before dawn, our fire dwindled to
the point that the room cooled, waking me. I let Devlin sleep as I
fed my pets, built up the fire, then awakened him. “We’d better go
downstairs.”

“You’re the kind of woman who makes me forget
it’s dawn,” Devlin said self-depreciatingly, standing up and taking
my hand. “Let’s go.”

The roses near the bed downstairs had begun
to open. The red and white petals were like a work of art, perfect
and lush with beauty and life. “I’m so glad these opened, Dev,” I
said, touching the petals happily. “I’ve had a lot of roses in my
life that never did. They were pretty, but they died too soon.”

Devlin slipped his arm around my shoulders.
“Roses are never so beautiful as when they finally open their
petals. It’s only then that you see how beautiful they can be, the
whole of the flower, not just the bud.”

Devlin ran his hands up my shoulders to pull
my hair up and back, letting some of it fall though his hands as he
began kissing the back of my neck. “The same is true of women,
Sar,” he added softly, pressing gently on my skin with his fangs.
“Especially you.”

Chapter
Fourteen

I awoke midmorning
to the sound of the phone ringing faintly.

Damn it. I hurried from bed, running into the
adjoining room. “Hello?”

“Sar?” Terian said oddly.

“Of course. What’s wrong?”

“I need to talk to you, Sar. It can’t
wait.”

Not now, damn it.
I kicked myself for
answering, and not letting the machine take a message. “Give me a
couple hours to shower and dress, and—”

“No, I’ll come get you now,” Terian
interrupted. “Teleporting will take only a second—”

“No!” I yelled, panicked. “I just got up. I’m
not dressed!”

“Five minutes then,” Terian said. “I’ll be at
the front door.”

God damn it!
“Ten. I’ll meet you
outside, on the deck.”

“Okay.”

I hung up the phone and ran upstairs,
swearing loudly. I dressed in my highest-necked turtleneck, slipped
on some jeans, and was trying to put on two pairs of socks at once,
still swearing, when Devlin came up the stairs in his jeans.

“Why did you come up here? Why are you
dressing?”

“Terian’s going to show up in five. He said
it couldn’t wait.”

“Now? Shit!” he said loudly. “What the hell
does he want?”

“Whatever it is, I’ll talk to him, and get
back to you as soon as I can, hopefully by noon.”

“Fine,” he replied. “Take your cell and call
me if there’s a problem.”

I nodded, not wanting to remind him he was
0-1 with Terian. But my expression gave my thoughts away.

“I’d send Lash for you,” Devlin supplied,
annoyed. “He’s the best there is, Sar. Terian wouldn’t be a problem
for him, trust me.”

“Terian’s a pain right now for us, but you’re
talking about killing him,” I reminded him. “I’m not appreciative,
Dev.”

“I’m just defensive of you,” he replied,
putting his hands up. “I worry that he said this couldn’t
wait.”

“Me, too,” I said, tying my boots. “I’ll call
if I need you, trust me.”

“When do you think you’ll be back?”

“No idea,” I said. “Maybe a few minutes,
maybe noon.”

“Noon?” he said, annoyed.

“Sooner, if I can. That’s the absolute
latest.”

He made unsatisfied sounds, but hugged me.
“I’ll be downstairs. Come down when you get home.” He went back to
the cellar.

I went outside. Terian appeared a minute
later. He grabbed my hand and suddenly we were in Danial’s great
room. He stepped away and faced me. “I had to talk to you.”

“Did something happen to Danial?” I asked,
suddenly scared.

“No. He’s fine. But I think that I gave you
and him bad advice.”

No, really?
“What do you mean?” I said
carefully.

“I mean it’s possible that you weren’t
turning at all. You were with Danial for years, and you didn’t
turn. That’s never happened, as far as I know.”

Except with Anna and Devlin. “I’m resistant
to the vampire virus.”

“I think being exposed to my blood changed
you, made you more resistant. But I can’t tell for sure without a
sample of your blood.”

If he looked at my blood now, it would be
teeming with virus. “It’s okay, Terian. I’m feeling better.”

“Danial told me you’re cooling down. That’s a
bad sign, a sign of either death or transformation.” Terian clasped
my wrist. “I just need a small sample—”

I jerked my hand away. “No. I’ve been poked
and prodded enough these last months. I don’t need you to prove
what I already know.”

“You’re stronger,” Terian said, his defeated
and desperate look becoming suspicious. “I’m glad, but we need to
know why you’re better, Sar. You may relapse.”

“No, I won’t,” I retorted fiercely. “Now that
I don’t have Theo telling me what to do and what not to do. Danial
and I will be together, like we should have been months ago.”

Danial’s in LA,” Terian said anxiously.
“Waiting for you. I told him I suspected that my blood had altered
your resistance to the vampire virus, possibly making you dependent
on regular infusions of the virus into your system to survive.
Maybe having Theoron had something to do with it too. I’m not sure.
In any case, he wants to see you immediately. He said he could
sense if you were mortally ill from your heartbeat and
temperature.” He reached for my hand.