Netherworld: Drop Dead Sexy (21 page)

Feeling me loosen, Dan began his
thrusts, taking me with long, slow strokes. He found the nest of
nerves within my sleeve more often than not, and a spasm warned me
I was about to lose control. I couldn’t. He hadn’t given permission
yet. Oh heaven help me.

Think yucky. Spiders. A maggot-filled
cheeseburger. Osama Bin Laden in drag.

It wasn’t working. Dan’s sweet
friction, moving in and out hard, became my entire world. Another
long, slow flex of my womb warned me I would lose complete control
any second now. My insides quaked.

No. I couldn’t. He’d said no. Oh
please. Oh please…

“Silently. Now, Brandilynn.” Dan
reached down and rubbed my clit.

A blast of white-hot lightning
enveloped my world, a nuclear explosion of earth-shattering
strength. All I knew was the heaving detonation and the brutal
effort of keeping my teeth clenched against the shrieks that wanted
to pour from my throat. On and on came endless upsurges of ecstatic
fury, ripping, tearing, laying me to silent waste. My eyes stung
with tears as the orgasm raged through my straining body, leaving
me in glorious dissolution.

I fell to my elbows, burying my face in
the bedspread as I sobbed. Lesser pulses rode me as Dan groaned
above me, lost in his own pleasure. His cock pulsed rhythmically,
setting off a few stronger spasms in my core again before the furor
finally abated.

Good golly Miss Molly. I thought maybe
I could love this man. But could I love him enough to pledge to be
his one-and-only?

It’s supremely unfair to think about
another man when Dan had done me so well. Still, with the ‘L’ word
floating around my skull in the aftermath of our interlude, I
thought about Tristan. About giving him up and swearing myself to
Dan. Fear mixed uneasily with the heat in my belly.

No. I wasn’t quite ready for that after
all.

A knock on the door rescued me from
heavy thinking. Quick as a flash, we were dressed again and on our
feet.

“Who is it?” Dan called. He winked at
me and whispered, “One thing about being dead is I never sound out
of breath after sex. As long as you get rid of that blush, no one
will have a clue.”

I blushed? Sheesh.

From the other side of the door,
Tristan’s cultured tones rolled over me. “It’s me and Patricia. Can
we come in?”

Dan grimaced for a split second before
his expression smoothed over. “Sure.”

Tristan walked through the door, his
sister right behind him. My eyes widened. We could do that? Then
why did Dan always get a key and open the door?

That question faded as I looked at
Patricia in her non-vampire guise. The sharp coldness of her eyes
had disappeared, replaced by calm patience. When she looked at
Tristan, I could feel the devotion almost physically.

I knew in her era, women had usually
worn dresses. Patricia wore pants; nice slacks and a blouse with
pearl buttons and lace on the collar. She looked like a
black-haired Katherine Hepburn, circa 1930. Her strength was very
much evident, but it was a softer, gentler attitude compared to the
pure huntress her vampire side wore.

I didn’t have long to muse over
Patricia’s ghost versus vampire appearance. Tristan came right up
to me to cup my chin and press a gentle kiss to my lips. “You’re
all right?”

I didn’t dare look at Dan. “Barely. A
witch almost disemboweled me.”

Dan put an arm around my waist. Darn
it, the men were doing that territorial chest-thumping thing after
all. But to give my Marlboro Man credit, his tone stayed even. “Her
killer tried to have her kidnapped. He’s got a witch named Erica
Ford and some unsavory spirits helping him out.”

Tristan scowled, anger lighting his
handsome face. He gathered my hands in his, as if he could protect
me with his touch alone. “I’ve already dispatched someone to clear
the library and ward it against further attacks. I’ll also consult
with all my assistants tonight to figure out how we can keep you
protected, Brandilynn.”

Patricia paced the room. “I guess we
know what happened to the other girl who disappeared. The bastard
must have her.”

Tristan nodded, his eyes dark with fear
for me. Gosh, he looked really worried. It made me feel warm, but
also guilty. I’d just made love to Dan. My relationships with the
two men were getting complicated, even for me.

“This is bad,” Tristan said, and for a
moment I thought he referred to our lover’s triangle. But no, he
commented on the subject of my killer trying to catch me. To both
Patricia and Dan he said, “Brandilynn is not to be left alone for
any reason. I want her accompanied at all times.”

That earned nods of acquiescence. With
that bit of conversation at a successful conclusion, I switched
topics.

“You’re going to have company tonight.
Those FBI agents working on the Ripper case want to question
you.”

Tristan nodded. “I was expecting
that.”

“You knew they would because you’ve
claimed my body. Why did you do that?”

He blinked at me as if I’d just asked
something obvious, like why the moon comes out at night. “So you
can have a proper funeral and burial. That’s what one does for
those who are important to him.”

“Oh.” Still feeling warm. I wondered if
Dan would have done the same, had he been able to. I thought he
might. Oh boy, I had issues. “Thank you.”

Tristan smiled at me. “It was my idea,
but I have to be honest and admit Patricia will handle most of the
details. She’s much better with these sorts of things.”

That was okay. Happy, warm, fuzzy
feeling didn’t diminished one bit. Tristan was an important man who
no doubt delegated a lot of duties to his staff.

I turned my attention to his sister.
She gave me a kind smile. Again it struck me how different her
persona as a ghost differed from when she was a vampire.

Patricia asked, “Is there something
special you’d like done or said at your service? Any particular
branch of religion you want to perform the rites?”

I shook my head. “My family is
Episcopalian, but I always believed God wasn’t terribly particular
about the flavor of worship. Keep it simple. No one is going to
show up anyway.”

I dropped my eyes, but I caught the
flash of sympathy that crossed her face. I refused to get upset. I
refused to cry. No do-overs. I swore to be fine with
that.

Tristan’s hands suddenly tightened on
mine, and I looked up to see him and Patricia standing stiff, as if
they’d been electrified. They both stared into space as if they’d
just seen – well, a ghost.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. I couldn’t see
what had made them react so strongly. They stared in different
directions.

Dan pulled me back, gently freeing me
from Tristan’s grasp. “It’s nightfall. Their bodies are calling
them to return.

I watched wide eyed as Tristan and
Patricia slowly faded, their bodies becoming insubstantial, much
like the wraiths Dan had turned Erica’s goons into. In a few
seconds, they were completely gone.

“They’ve returned to their bodies,” Dan
told me. “I’d like to see what those FBI agents have to say to
Tristan. Want to go down to the ballroom and see what’s up with the
vampire world?”

So that’s what we did.

* * * *

Upon entering the ballroom, or as I was
beginning to think of it, Para Central, I noticed right away no
vampires were present. The room contained only weres and a couple
of gargoyles, with the exception of Lana and Augustus. The two
non-shifters huddled deep in conversation with Eddie the werehog
and Gerald the werepanther. Seeing Augustus again thrilled me.
Griffins are so darn cool in person.

“No sign of Tristan,” I commented as we
walked down the center aisle where Lana and Augustus waited next to
the head honchos’ desks.

“He’ll be a little while yet. Vampires
wake up hungry.” Dan paused here and there, taking time to peer at
computer readouts and soak in a little energy from the equipment. I
took a small hit of power myself, quitting as soon as my fingertips
started to tingle.

Dan’s comment bothered me a little.
“Does he, um, take directly from people, or does he drink the
packaged stuff?”

Bottled blood fed the majority of
vampires since many humans had the same prejudices against them
that I did. Offering yourself to the bloodsuckers wasn’t illegal,
but most mortals of good breeding frowned on it. Not to mention
vampires had been known to lose control and kill their donors.
Still, some vampires attracted blood groupies despite the bias and
danger. The most popular bloodsuckers were rock and rap musicians,
along with movie stars.

Blood Potion No. 9 was the biggest
seller among vamps when they couldn’t find blood groupies.
Certified to be free of disease and impurities, the parent company
collected blood from paid donors who went through rigorous medical
testing. Not that vampires caught blood-borne illnesses from the
living. It’s the same idea of drinking spring water from a bottle
when what comes out of the tap is perfectly fine. Vamps could get
cheaper bags of blood from the convenience and grocery stores, but
the black-bottled Blood Potion No. 9 brand was the number one
seller by far. It outsold everything else even before the recent
rash of blood pouches tainted with lethal dragon blood had led to a
dozen vampire deaths across the southeast United States. Chalk one
up for great marketing.

Dan snorted at the thought of the
county commissioner guzzling his sustenance from a bottle. “Tristan
has no lack of donors willing to feed him fresh from the
spring.”

So even a small-town politician rated
live bleeders. How interesting. And gross. “A poetic way of putting
it. Does it taste better to them that way?”

Dan’s smile was indulgent bordering on
condescending. I thought about smacking him on general principles.
“Drinking blood directly from the source isn’t something vampires
talk about much. It’s like asking you for a detailed account of
your sexual encounters, so yes, I’d say it’s much better to bite
into a human than sipping blood from a pouch or bottle.”

I made him stop and face me. “Are you
saying Tristan is probably having sex with whoever he’s chomping on
right now?”

“He’s definitely doing that.” Dan’s
eyebrows rose. “Jealous?”

My nose tilted in the air. “Why would I
be? He’s not my boyfriend. Even if he was, he’s not the same man
when he’s a vampire.”

Dan looked at me for a full five
seconds, clearly not buying what I had to say. But it was the
truth. I no more wanted Tristan as a vampire than I did the
Judge.

Double eww and shudder on the
Judge.

Dan finally released me from the
evaluating stare and continued towards the end of the room. “Lana
looks upset. Let’s see what that gang has their heads together
about over there.”

We joined the little group, and to my
delight Augustus immediately acknowledged me. “Welcome to friends
old and new,” he squawked.

Lana closed her eyes, her usual smile
nowhere present. “It’s Dan and Brandilynn.” Opening her eyes again,
she spoke to the air over my left shoulder. “Bad news. Another
escort has disappeared. She wasn’t from the same service you worked
for, Brandilynn, so I don’t know if you were acquainted with her.
Vesta Canody?”

“I didn’t know her. But that’s awful.”
I sighed unhappily, and Augustus bumped his head against my arm. I
buried my fingers in his white feathers, taking refuge in the
softness.

Lana continued her grim news. “Taylor
is already out looking for her body. I just wanted to report to
Tristan before I join her. Dan, can you come too? In case she’s
staying near her body?”

Dan slowly shook his head despite the
turmoil on his face. “Brandilynn is in danger. I have to stick with
her.”

As Lana frowned, Augustus spoke up.
“The beast is not content with blood. The very essence must be
consumed. My angel is safe with me.” His golden eyes stared into my
face.

My angel. I melted in adoration of the
ancient creature.

Eddie the werehog grunted a very piggy
sound. “I sure wish you’d speak plain, Augustus.”

Lana offered a strained smile. “He
speaks as plain as he’s able. He wants to protect you,
Brandilynn.”

Dan turned to the griffin. “Can you do
that, Augustus?”

The noble creature dipped his head. “My
life to shield her from worse than death.”

Wow. Forget knights in shining armor, I
was under the protection of a griffin. “Thank you,” I said,
remembering my manners in time.

Dan added his thanks and returned his
attention to the rest of the group. “I’ll join you then, Lana. What
else is going on?”

Lana looked up at the big werepanther.
“Dan wants to know your news, Gerald.”

Dazzled by Augustus, I’d barely paid
the hired muscle any mind. But then, it would take a rare creature
like the griffin to steal the spotlight from this gorgeous fellow.
His brown muscular body with those subtle black markings deserved a
photo shoot. Cool green eyes shifted in his handsome face
continuously to take in the entire room, as did the triangle points
of his ears. I wondered if Gerald purred when he was happy. At over
six feet tall and bulging muscle, he didn’t look the purring
type.