Hunger Aroused (10 page)

“Titus. What have we done to deserve this honor?”

Jasmine hadn't heard the approach of this latest person, not with the sultry, but loud, music coming from the band onstage. It overrode anything beyond intimate conversation. This gentleman, for he could be nothing less, wore a three-piece suit that screamed wealth. Even in the dim lighting, she knew tailored opulence when she saw it. He held himself erect as he walked closer, a manicured hand wrapped around a highball glass of clear liquid stuffed with ice cubes.

Corin released Jasmine and proffered his hand. This time he offered a polite smile. “Ezra. I shouldn't stay away as much as I do.” They shook, but as soon as they released hands, Corin reached for Jasmine again. “Jasmine, this is Ezra Smythe. The owner of this club.”

Bad enough that standing next to Corin she felt dwarfed. In between the two men, she'd been reduced to a speck. Ezra was tall like Corin, but without the heft of muscle. Still, there was something predatory about Ezra's attention that made him seem just as lethal. He gave her a beautiful smile that should have been the envy of orthodontists everywhere, but it was enough to make her insides quiver. There was something
off
about him.

His eyes hardened. “She's newly turned, Titus. Why exactly is she here with you, of all people?”

Corin growled deep, the sound an ominous warning, as Gregory cleared his throat. To Jasmine though, Corin's reaction was so full of masculine sexiness she had to clench her thighs.

Ezra took his bartender's hint. “Yes, perhaps you and I should go elsewhere to discuss this. I won't have the Council's business encroaching on what is mine. After you?”

“She's coming with us.” It wasn't a question, but a rough command.

Ezra eyed Jasmine from head to foot. “No. I don't think so.”

Jasmine scented murder in the air. Corin's eyes darkened, and when he rumbled this time, those dangerous incisors flashed. She winced as his hand tightened on hers. When he turned unexpectedly, she followed him without thinking toward the exit.

“So then you don't need my help?” Ezra called.

“Fuck,” Corin mumbled beneath his breath.

“If you're afraid I'll run if you leave, I won't,” she said to him just as softly. They were here for a reason, and she wouldn't thwart his opportunity to get them help. He'd said he was working on how to fix their situation and Jasmine believed him. “There are worse things than you out there, remember?”

Corin's jaw tightened, but he gave a curt nod. He probably had to stifle every ounce of pride in his body to turn toward the dapper man again. “She's under my protection.”

He walked closer. “Then while in my establishment, she is under mine. No harm will come to her here—you know that. I'm insulted you'd imply otherwise.”

She watched Corin wrestle with a decision. Obviously he needed to talk with Ezra but weighed whether the cost of leaving her unattended would be worth it. She lifted her hand and placed it on his vibrating chest. “Go. I'll be fine.”

Her reassurance didn't ease him in the least. His body was one long tension wire, pulled taut until the finest disruption had the ability to sever it in two. Separating from her threatened him, and for the first time she realized how deeply his protectiveness ran.

This newfound knowledge was both humbling and terrifying. An understanding that shook her to her core. Everything within her said she shouldn't pin her hopes on it, but perhaps the warning came too late.

“Two days,” Jasmine reminded him.

He inclined his head, the battle within him still raging. Corin was giving in to his need for help, but he did it kicking and screaming the entire way. He pierced Gregory with a look. “She doesn't leave your sight. And no one, I mean
no one,
comes near her.” After Gregory nodded, he brought a hand to her face. He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. “I want you to trust your instincts. If you feel danger, call my name and you run. Don't wait. Run.”

“You know me.” She gave him a false smile. It was a lame joke, meant to ease the tension, but her heart pounded wildly.

He drank her in with his eyes, almost to the point she felt it brush against her skin. A tender, loving sweep that warmed her through. By the time he left with Ezra, a knot had formed in the base of her throat.

Behind her, Gregory cleared his throat again. “Well, girlfriend, now that he's left, you and I need to talk. I want to know all about the woman who's taken the heart of the man I've been pining after for more than a decade.”

“Never in all of my years did I expect this, Titus.”

He stood facing the bank of one-way windows, unable to keep from watching over her as she sat at the bar. In his heart he knew Ezra's word was golden. If the ancient being extended his protection to her, very few would dare attempt anything against Jasmine's life. Still, he couldn't quiet the worry gnawing at his gut. “You think
you're
surprised?”

Ezra laughed. “I suppose it does have a way of sneaking up on you.”

Corin blinked at the wistfulness in Ezra's voice. It was the first hint of humanity he'd ever let slip. Corin didn't quite know what kind of creature of the night Ezra was, but they'd known each other for over two hundred years now. They had a passing acquaintance more than anything, but in a small circle of beings capable of that lifespan, it was a relationship worth holding on to.

“Care to enlighten me on what's going on?” Ezra asked once his amusement died.

Corin spelled it out quickly, starting with the kill order. He told about what they knew about her transition. By the time he'd finished, Ezra sounded as puzzled as he felt. “That's just not the way it happens.”

“I know. It's not going to matter to the Council though.”

“No,” Ezra agreed. “And the law is clear.”

Gods damn it. Yes, the law was very clear. But was the law
right?

“Can you remember anything like this ever happening? Some deviation from the norm that was reason enough for the Council to change its mind?”

Ezra mulled it over. His white hair didn't budge as he shook his head. “No. Nothing that I can recollect.”

“Tell me you can think of some loophole, some reason to get them to change their minds.”

His heart lifted a fraction as he watched her. Despite his earlier warning, he saw Gregory having an animated chat with Jasmine. She frowned, then smiled. Whatever they talked about set her at ease. She drank a cocktail, oblivious to the life-and-death conversation going on in a room above her.

“I can't because there is none.”

“I refuse to accept that.”

“That's your prerogative. In the meanwhile, every hour that passes is one that pushes you closer to a kill order for yourself. You've only irritated the Council at this point. Keep pushing them, however, and you'll force them into a corner.”

And a cornered animal will always defend itself. To the death. “So the news is already out then?”

“I've heard snippets. A lot of people are aware of the executioner and his target who have somehow managed to fall off the face of the earth.”

“Yet you allow us to stay here.”

“I'm no vampire. My dog isn't in this fight.” Ezra swirled the drink in his ever-present glass. “Why did you come here?”

“You're older than I am—”

Ezra snorted.

“I was hoping you'd heard of some precedent I don't know about.”

“The Council of my days isn't like the one that exists now. Laws about creating new vamps have only been around a few hundred years. Hell, for all I can recall, this is the first time something like this has happened.”

“Surely there have been other executioners who have had a change of heart.”

“Absolutely, but not because they'd fallen in love.”

Corin reeled back. “Who says I've fallen in love?”

Ezra raised an eyebrow. “Haven't you?”

“That's ridiculous.” What a copout answer. Even he knew he'd responded too quickly. Nor should the simple question have raised such a swift, violent response from him. He felt the heat of Ezra's amused, and probably disbelieving, gaze. Humbled, he asked, “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Be the first.”

He glanced away from watching Jasmine for a split second. “What does that mean?”

“If she's worth it,
find
a way to force the Council to forgive her. She did nothing wrong. Make them see that.”

For the first time, Corin decided to air his worry. “I'm responding to nothing more than her heat. It's physical attraction at its most primitive.”

“Men like us, we're not meant for something special. I can only imagine how much blood has been spilled by your hands. I won't horrify you with my stories. And believe me, they would make your hair gray and your skin crawl. If what you feel for Jasmine is only the size of a grain of sand, build on it until you've created a mountain, my friend.”

“She knows there's nothing between us.”

“In her position, would you blame her?”

Of course not.
He pushed his guilt away. “I have to find a way to keep her alive.”

“Get in touch with the Council then. Find a way to exploit their own rules.”

“I'm just an executioner. I don't live in the world of politics and consequences. I do what I am told.”

“You
used
to do what you were told.”

He pressed a hand to the glass. “If I lose in this, I will lose her.”

“What you mean to say is that if you cannot persuade the Council, then you will fulfill your obligation.”

Corin's breathing stopped. Flashes of images from his past raced in front of his eyes, and cold stark fear seized hold. Ezra's hand on his arm startled him into opening his eyes. “What's worse is that I want to feel guilty. I want what I have to do to weigh on me until I can't stand, but it's not there, Ezra. What kind of man does that make me?”

“No one who knows of your past would blame you, Titus.” It was a grave declaration.

He looked at Jasmine again, already missing her presence next to him. “No one but me.”

***

It took Gregory several minutes to attend to some drink orders, but she waited patiently. He'd made a drink for her in the meanwhile, which gave Jasmine the chance to observe her surroundings in absolute ease. The band played some mellow tunes meant for lovers, and she had the fleeting wish that better circumstances—a date, perhaps—would have led her here with Corin.

She grinned. “So, you're going to tell me what you mean by that, right?”

Gregory grimaced. “I suppose I shouldn't have said anything in the first place.”

“Too late for that.”

“I also suppose,” he said, arching a sculpted brow, “that Titus would object vehemently to us sharing girl talk.”

Jasmine lifted the drink and took another small sip. He wouldn't tell her what was in it, but Gregory was a true master of the cocktail. Something damned close to heaven swirled in her mouth. “I'm not asking for gossip necessarily. Just something that helps me get to know him better.”

He leaned elegantly on the bar, somehow managing not to get the sleeves of his shirt in any circles of moisture left behind from sweating glasses. “I'll embarrass myself and tell you that I've had a thing for Titus from the minute I laid eyes on him. He's always polite of course, but he's never so much as batted an eyelash in my direction.”

“But if he's not gay—”

“Who said he's not?”

Jasmine's mouth fell open before she had a chance to recall it. “He's gay?”

“Perhaps bisexual. On a few of the times he's come in here, he's had a woman on his arms, but I've heard stories…” He left her with that train of thought to pour two glasses of wine for a server waiting at the other end of the bar.

It didn't matter to her. It really didn't. If she thought about it, any man who lived as long as Corin said might decide to experiment. This new nugget of information was now just another facet to the complicated vampire she'd started to fall for. She held on to the knowledge greedily, wanting Gregory to hurry back with more.

She swallowed down more of the cocktail, reveling in the warmth that went through her with each sip. The feeling was so erotically close to what her heat felt like, she ignored it at first. Still, she couldn't help but glance at her watch and wonder when Corin might be coming back. The heat hadn't afflicted her for several hours, but she was discomforted that he wasn't right next to her in case it struck. Then again, perhaps feeding from him had dulled some of the need.

“So I assume he's helping you through transition?” Gregory asked as he approached.

A hot blush traveled over her cheeks. “Yeah.”

“I bet the…
attention
is amazing.” For the first time, some of Gregory's friendliness hardened into brutal rivalry. “Do you plan on hanging around afterward?”

Stunned, Jasmine straightened. Where the hell did this come from? “I don't think that's any of your business.”

And where the hell was Corin? He'd left her in the care of someone he'd thought was his friend, but now Jasmine wasn't so certain. Who kept up an unrequited crush on the same person for a decade? She asked Gregory out loud.

“Someone who's patient, dearie,” he replied. “You're actually doing me a favor. Make certain he feeds from you to prove how hopelessly smitten he is. And afterward, when you've left him a broken man, please also be certain to send him back here. I'll be waiting.”

Jesus.
Corin had said if she sensed danger, to call his name and run. What category did Gregory fall into? He hadn't done anything to harm her, per se, but this conversation just went south in a hurry.

She stood. “I'd like to go to Corin now.” Her legs felt shaky, as if she'd had way more to drink than just the one. “If you'll just point the way…”

“How are you feeling, dearie?” His eyes gleamed wickedly. “You look a dash trolleyed.”

“Corin.” It was a weak pathetic gasp, but it was all she could manage. A sudden heat wound through her, as violent and as swift as the first time she'd met him. Her body burned, and she moaned when a gust of air-conditioned breeze blew across her face. She turned into it, seeking more of the decadent escape, but soon even the cold air wasn't enough salve for this sensation.

Suddenly Corin's shirt was too much, too heavy against her breasts. She tugged it out of the waist of her jeans, uncaring as to who watched so long as she got rid of the offending material. Another low moan escaped when skin damp with perspiration was exposed. For the moment, her hardened nipples appreciated scraping against the low cups of her bra. But the memory of Corin's hot mouth suckling from her earlier struck her so fiercely, Jasmine clasped her breasts between restless hands and rolled her nipples.

Between her thighs ached, and she needed him there. Needed him pounding into her and making her scream his name. Tears filled her eyes because she hurt so much. Teeth too sensitive to feel the scrape of her own tongue pushed through her gums. She hungered and wanted. She
needed.

“Jasmine, what's wrong?”

A male. A warm-blooded male who smelled like fall-ripened apples grasped her by the arms. He smelled so good, and she just wanted to rub her body against his.

Corin. She recognized him now. He'd help her. He'd make her feel good.

***

“What did you do to her?” Corin whirled on Gregory, who watched bemused with his arms crossed and his attention riveted on the way Jasmine writhed in his arms. Touching her skin was like touching fire. He didn't know whether to hold on to her or let her go.

Ezra captured Jasmine's face in his hands and studied her eyes. He leaned in closer, inhaled and then stepped away shaking his head. “Damn it. Spice.” He leaped over the bar and grabbed Gregory by the throat. Age obviously meant nothing to him. “You gave her spice?” he hissed.

Corin tried to slip the shirt back over her head, but Jasmine twisted so furiously against him that he settled for keeping her pressed tight against his chest. She licked the base of his throat, her breath hot and teasing against his skin. “What is spice?” Corin asked.

Ezra growled. “It won't hurt her, but it does amplify the symptoms of her heat by about a tenfold. You'll want to get her alone. Fast.”

He leveled his gaze at Gregory. “I should kill you.”

Despite the death grip Ezra had on his throat, the young vamp smirked. “Or you'll thank me later.”

“I'll take care of him,” Ezra said. “I'm so sorry, Titus. Please extend my apologies to Jasmine when she's feeling better. You can both be sure this will not go unpunished.”

“I'm sorry,
mellita,
” he murmured, lifting her into his arms. By some small miracle, she let him rush her outside, but the car was over a block away. She already had him hard and ready, her hand smoothing over his distended cock. He could smell her arousal, sharp and sensual. Truthfully he didn't know who was more turned on. When she wasn't trying to get his zipper down, her hands slid against the skin of his abdomen.

Intellectually he realized none of this had anything to do with Ezra's lack of oversight, but he'd made a promise to her. She was his to protect, and he'd let her down.

The car couldn't have been more than twenty or thirty feet away now, but Jas whimpered. Her licking traced the bone of his collar before exploring new areas. She dragged her hand down, exposing more of him to her teasing pleasure. Buttons clinked against the sidewalk as they popped from their holds. When she stopped to lave her tongue over his nipple, it was as if she'd managed to lick the tip of his erection. “Gods…” He groaned, almost dropping her in the process.

“Please, Corin,” she murmured, hot kisses peppered across his skin. “I need you now. Inside me.”

She managed to turn and wrap her legs around his waist. The heat from between her legs brushed against his erection, and he had to grit his teeth against the sensation.

He was going to kill Gregory for this.

“When we get home, I'll love you so good.”

“No,” she moaned. “Now.
Please.
I'm so hungry, and I hurt.”

He'd almost forgotten. She should be starving by now. Her first attempt at feeding had been successful, but clumsy. What sustenance she'd taken in would need to be replenished by now, for it couldn't have been that much. If they got in the car, he could feed her there, but they would be vulnerable to anyone who wanted to sneak closer. As strange as it seemed, standing in the open gave him better options for protecting her. He also didn't forget that at oh-dark thirty, about two hours or so before sunrise, hardly anyone traversed the streets.