Midnight Rose (13 page)

Gideon hesitated at the foot of the kitchen stairs, listening to the rise and fall of laughter coming from the sitting room above. Jakome’s voice floated down, low and warm. The answering voice, smoky and provocative, belonged to Delilah. Davide and Kate were up there, too.

Before he’d even spotted the black Mercedes parked in front of the mansion, Gideon had sensed his old friends. He’d felt their presence the moment he’d passed under the canopy of trees marking Sister Oaks’ property. Invasive, threatening, and undeniably thrilling. They were his people, his kind. Once upon a time he’d found his darkest self within their circle, and then lost his identity in the shadow of their mutual sins.

Now they were in his home, and he knew how they’d found him after all these years. Delilah, damn her hide, hadn’t taken “no” for an answer.

Setting aside his attaché and garment bag, he loosened his tie and slowly climbed the stairs, blood rushing through his veins in automatic reaction to the female warmth of Kate’s presence mixed with the sultry scent of Delilah’s skin. He didn’t want Delilah in his house, in his thoughts, in his life. But the aberrant creature within him responded to her proximity as though he hadn’t fed in months. His need was further exacerbated by his human desire for Kate, and he braced himself for the sight of her as he reached the top of the stairs.

She sat on the camelback sofa, surrounded by vampires, innocent and unwitting and accepting. Playing hostess to an assembly of monsters.

Urgency grabbed at Gideon and he squelched the compulsion to whisk her away. She needed more than protection from the trio who regarded her with benign fascination. She needed protection from him . For tonight he could banish her upstairs, hide her away, but she wouldn’t understand the rejection, and he wouldn’t be able to explain it.

He couldn’t sense the thoughts of the others as they lounged in conversation with her. He imagined, however, that Jakome found her desirable, because Jakome sought beauty the way a collector coveted fine art. Davide probably regarded her with cool distance. Blond and Nordic in heritage, he’d always preferred exotic, dark-skinned victims; Kate’s features were too clean-scrubbed and wholesome to suit his taste.

And Delilah…her sapphire eyes watched Kate the way a sleepy cat inspects a sweet, golden canary before it pounces.

Still, they were under his roof now, the boundary where their dark world ended and his separate, peaceable existence began. How it might affect their power, he didn’t know. He could only hope their intentions were as benign as the threesome themselves appeared.

As though sensing his arrival, Delilah turned and locked gazes with him over her shoulder. “Gideon, darling. Surprised?”

“Completely.” Affecting an unruffled demeanor, he crossed the rug and grasped her cool fingers, bending to drop a perfunctory kiss on her cheek. “I wondered who the Mercedes belonged to.” “I’m certain you guessed.” She brushed her nails along his arm. “If Mohammed won’t come to the mountain…”

“Say no more. I underestimate you on a constant basis.” They shared a long, narrowed look. Then straightening, he faced the two men who’d stood to greet him.

“How are you, Davide?” An unexpected surge of gladness tightened his chest as he reached to clasp his old acquaintance’s hand.

Davide smiled, his cool, arid manner unchanged after almost fifty years. “I get by. I was beginning to think you dead and gone, Gid.”

“Me? Never.” An ironic grin crossed Gideon’s lips as his uneasiness began to thaw. It almost felt good to see his old cohorts again. They remained, as ever, unchanged, and the nightwalker in him felt enveloped in familiarity.

His gaze drifted to the ruddy, dark-haired Basque standing beside Davide, and the instant warmth of nostalgia and regret silenced his smooth acknowledgment. All he could say was, “Jakome.” “Gideon.” The two men clasped hands, and then Jakome uttered a curse and enfolded him in a full-fledged embrace. “My friend,” he whispered against his ear, “Too much time has passed.” A stroke of luck has reunited us, Gideon responded telepathically. Let nothing shatter the pleasure of this visit .

When Jakome withdrew, he glanced at Kate, then back at his friend with a nod of understanding.

Gideon finally turned his attention to Kate, who sat slightly removed from the group. He sensed her hesitancy and enthrallment. These people were not like any she’d met before…for good reason.

“How was Denver?” she asked, a pleasant flush coloring her cheeks.

“It was fine. A good conference.” He resisted the desire to brush an errant strand of hair from her cheek. “Where’s Jude?”

“He was already in his pajamas when your friends arrived. I sent him up to get dressed.” She stood and smoothed the T-shirt she wore, and he noted for the first time that her hair was pulled back from her face in a wispy ponytail, her features clean and untouched by cosmetics. Self-consciousness radiated from her, probably due to the simple fact that she wore jeans and sneakers amidst the trio attired in haute couture.

“If I’d known you were expecting guests,” she added ruefully, “I would’ve dressed more appropriately myself.”

“You could wear a potato sack and be utterly delectable,” Delilah purred.

Gideon shot the blonde a warning glance. “You’re fine, Kate. Has the night staff left for the evening?”

“Yes. Martha went home just before your friends arrived and Betty closed the kitchen at seven, but I’m happy to whip up something if you’re hungry.”

“Oh?” Delilah wiggled against the down-stuffed cushions and flashed Kate a lazy smile, her white lace halter gaping dangerously between her breasts. “What’s on the menu? I’m in the mood for something sweet.” “Don’t worry about us—we snacked before we came.” Davide’s ever-present charm came to the rescue, an appeasing distraction when Gideon wanted to throttle Delilah where she sat. “We always take care of ourselves when traveling, Ms. O’Brien.” Danger draped the atmosphere. Gideon smelled it and glanced around at his visitors. “How long will you stay?” “Just the night,” Davide said, much to his relief.

“Why don’t we have a drink, then?”

“Perfect.” Delilah withdrew a pack of cigarettes from her purse. “We come bearing a gift, Gid. A bottle of the most exquisite and finely aged red.”

“I brought it from France,” Davide said. “Later, I’ll tell you about its source. I procured it from the most brilliant vintner after relentless persuasion.” Gideon’s eyebrows shot up. “You? Relentless?” Laughter rose into the heavy wooden rafters high above their heads.

“I’ve missed your dry wit,” Davide said, his smile just barely exposing the even edge of his teeth.

The flick of Jakome’s lighter illuminated Delilah’s porcelain features as she leaned in and cupped her hand around the flame. “Will you partake from Davide’s rare libation, Gideon?” she asked, releasing a wisp of smoke between her full lips. “Or are you teetotaling these days?” “Depends on my mood,” he said smoothly. “But tonight I’m sure I can be persuaded. The bar’s this way.”

As they walked through the foyer, Jakome glanced up at the massive chandelier. “My God, Gideon.

You’ve lived in some fancy places, but this wins the prize for glaring grandiosity.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He paused and glanced back at Kate, who had stopped at the staircase as though to leave the group. “Where are you going?”

“To change.”

“And then you’ll rejoin us.” He wanted her glued to his side for the duration of his friends’ visit.

For a moment she looked surprised by the firmness in his tone, then a flicker of humor sparkled in her eyes. “Yes, boss.”

“Says Jane Eyre to Mr. Rochester,” Delilah murmured. “Are you aware of how provocative a situation you two share? The governess and the master of the house. So…classically naughty.” Kate’s brows lowered, her thoughts written across her features in splotches of crimson. She might be innocent compared to Delilah, but she seemed to know she was being baited. Fortunately she chose not to bite back and glanced away from the other woman’s mocking smile. “You know, I could just keep Jude company upstairs while you visit, Gideon. It’s already after nine, and—” Jakome waved a hand. “Oh, fetch the boy. We won’t keep him up past his bedtime. I’m anxious to talk to him, if only for a few minutes.” “We all are,” David added.

Gideon watched the faces of his friends, suspicious of their enthusiasm toward his son. Already he knew that Delilah would love to get her hands on Jude and guide him into the world of shadows that was his heritage. Hiding the boy away upstairs might only pique their dubious interest.

“Ask him to come down for a little while,” he told Kate. “I want you both to visit with us.” The uncertainty dancing across her features wrung his heart. She felt drawn to his enigmatic visitors, he knew. The pull of immortality on a mortal’s subconscious was like a hapless fly to a spider’s sticky web.

He also recognized her apprehension, knew she didn’t understand it, and that it wasn’t the first time she’d felt the kiss of darkness at Sister Oaks.

He couldn’t protect her from it, but he could keep her close to his side, away from Delilah’s seductive and treacherous intent.

Delilah had come to see the mortal who’d won Gideon’s heart, to measure Kate’s vulnerability, to toy with her humanity. Tonight, Kate’s strength of spirit might well be put to the test…and his own, too.

“Those people are completely freaky,” Jude said, thumbs frantically pumping the game’s control buttons as he focused on the television, where a computer-animated mortal slashed his way through a mansion filled with ghouls. “They just showed up out of nowhere. Don’t you think that’s a little weird?” “It’s not my place to judge.” Kate stood over him, staring at the game with increasing aggravation.

“Come on, Jude. I sent you up here to change and you’re still in your sweats. Just throw on a T-shirt and jeans and come down for a little while. I’ll fix you hot chocolate. You can drink it in the billiard room with them and then escape back to your video game bloodfest.” She hesitated. “Please?” With a sigh, he paused the game, set aside the hand control, and got to his feet. Instantly Kate startled.

When had he gotten so tall? He stood nearly nose-to-nose with her, where before she’d distinctly remembered him reaching her chin. Adolescent growth spurts were unpredictable certainly, and Jude seemed to be developing faster than most thirteen-year-olds she knew, but three inches in a month?

“What?” he demanded with a frown.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Get dressed and meet me downstairs.”

“I have to wear shorts.” He yanked open a bureau drawer. “Nothing else fits.” Back in her room, Kate shook off the remnants of anger still lingering from her exchange with Delilah downstairs. The woman was a textbook vamp, and her rapacious desire for Gideon was painfully obvious. She reminded Kate of a sleek Persian tabby, claws withdrawn but ready to spring. Kate had felt sideswiped, caught unprepared by the thinly veiled jabs Delilah delivered, but she planned to come back swinging if the blonde had anything else to say.

The black spaghetti-strap dress she withdrew from her closet would help boost her confidence. It was elegant yet casual, clingy, and complimented her figure, even though plastic surgery couldn’t have rendered her even vaguely comparable to the sexy blonde waiting downstairs. And the men traveling with her… good Lord. Just as gorgeous. Delilah could wear one on each arm like high-dollar accessories.

Jude was right. They were a weird bunch. Too pale and beautiful and sultry to even seem real. God, her ex-husband would love this scenario.

A soft tap at the door roused her from her ruminations and she crossed the carpet to answer it, one low-heeled sandal in her hand and the other on her foot.

“Come in,” she told Jude, and slipping on the other sandal, scurried to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair.

“I’ve never been in here,” he said from the bedroom. “It’s girlie.”

“I think it’s lovely.” She inserted a pair of gold hoops into her earlobes. “And note that I put away my clothes and make my bed, unlike some people around here.” He didn’t offer the smart reply she’d grown accustomed to. When she reemerged, he’d stepped out onto the balcony and stood with his elbows braced on the concrete banister. From behind, he looked like a man. Wide shoulders, long, muscled legs. Lean and tall. Why hadn’t she noticed the change in him before tonight? The oddity of it froze Kate in the middle of the rug. Jude had aged years in the last few weeks.

“When do you turn fourteen?” she demanded abruptly.

He turned. “Two weeks. I think I’m growing. Don’t you?”

Kate didn’t respond. The slight curl to his lips was an expression she didn’t recognize, and his black eyes held a fleeting glimmer as they met hers. Too knowing. Far too cynical for a child.

“We’re wasting time,” she muttered, starting for the door. “Let’s go.” Downstairs, the air was heavy with cigarette smoke and husky male laughter. Kate followed Jude into the billiard room but hung back in the doorway, taking in the congenial scene with hesitation.

Davide and Jakome were playing a game of pool beneath a glowing Tiffany billiard lamp, their cigarettes sending tendrils of smoke to curl against the ceiling. Delilah stood behind the mahogany bar, hands braced on the marble top, her pale gaze fixed on Gideon as he leaned on the opposite side.

When his eyes met Kate’s, he stopped talking and stared at her. Only when the sting of self-consciousness warmed her cheeks did his piercing attention shift from her face.

“I hardly recognized you,” he told his son as Jude climbed up on the barstool beside him. “You clean up nicely.”

Jude scowled and propped his elbows on the marble counter.

“How old are you now, darling?” Delilah asked, watching him with an expression of delight.

“Old enough,” Jude replied.

Gideon’s smile immediately vanished. “Hmm. That was rude. Let’s start over.” He nodded at Delilah, who smirked and repeated, “How old are you, Jude?”

“Thirteen,” the boy muttered, casting his father an icy glare.

Delilah caught Jude’s hand over the counter and drew him flush against the bar’s leather padding. “Are thirteen-year-olds allowed a tiny glass of wine around here?” Gideon shook his head. “No. Especially not with the medication he’s taking.” “That’s too bad.” Her pale gaze lingered on Jude’s face, and to Kate’s amazement, the boy didn’t shy away. He stared back at the blonde with impassive curiosity.