Take Me (15 page)

“Yeah.”

“He’s pulling out the big guns now.”

“It would seem so.”

Gray got on his phone and made a call. “I’ll get this taken care of. It looks like you’re in need of some protection.” At that Gray leveled the closest thing to a smile he managed these days.

“It would seem so. I need you to set me up.” Dom looked down the street. “And Felicity Shaw too. I want her protected at all times.”

Gray’s brow furrowed. “Who’s she?”

“She’s mine.”

Gray nodded. “The separation from Helena is final then?”

“Yeah, thank god. Can’t tell you how good it feels to be free from her clutches.”

Gray’s eyes clouded and Dom wanted to curse himself. He shouldn’t have said anything. He knew that a part of Gray, one he wouldn’t admit to, craved being free from his
bruid
as well. He’d never admit it, not that Dom could blame him. He still loved his mate dearly.

“I’m supposed to bond with Julianna Greenwich next month.”

Gray nodded slowly. “Mother told me. Then Luc told me. Then Vas. I’ve heard.”

Gray’s humor was still there even if he didn’t crack a grin. “Yeah, well, she isn’t the one I want.”

The
were
on the ground start stirring. Gray walked over and kicked him hard in the head sending him back into unconsciousness. “Why do you need her then?”

“Zeke’s gunning for the presidency. I need every advantage to get the seat and keep it. Julianna is a perfect piece.”

Gray shook his head. “But you don’t care about her.”

“No.” The thought of Julianna did nothing for him...but the thought of Felicity...that made his blood boil.

“You should choose one and run with it.”

Dom narrowed his eyes on his brother. “I could never win the race with a low-blood beside me. No one ever has.”

Gray shrugged. “No one’s ever tried either.”

“For that very reason,” Dom said.

Grayson looked him in the eyes and shook his head. “I’ll never understand that. Anita’s everything to me. Even if she’s...” his voice fell away. “I could never have another woman on the side like that. I don’t know how you’d that.”

“I won’t touch Julianna.”

Gray made a sound close to a laugh. “You’ll have to after the blood bonding.”

Dom stiffened. He hadn’t thought of it. After the blood bonding ceremony, newly made mates shared their blood and sex. The thought did nothing for his cock and actually sent a wave of panic through him.

“I don’t want to touch her.”

Gray pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit up. Black smoke curled around the red tip as he sucked in tobacco.

“I know,” said Grayson.

“How would you know that?”

Gray leveled his hard, emotional eyes on him. “Because how you feel about this low-blood is how I felt about Anita.”

Dom left Grayson to fetch Felicity. His mind was in turmoil of thoughts and emotions mostly foreign to him. He needed to win the presidency. He needed that seat in order to keep the majority votes in favor of vampires. If he lost that seat to Zeke then Zeke would go crazy with it. The man wasn’t right in the head. He had a madness to him. He didn’t care for propriety or rules. Tradition wasn’t a word in his vocabulary.

Dom stepped inside Felicity’s house and found her sitting on her couch, legs crossed, a stiff eyebrow raised, and no bags packed. Normally he’d be angry that someone disobeyed him. Instead, he smiled at her and told her he’d pack for her before he went about doing it.

Her squeal of protest only made the next ten minutes all the more fun as he tossed her sexiest panties, negligees, skirts, dresses, tops, and bras into a big suitcase. Only after she growled at him that she needed more than that, did he step away to watch her pack more suitable clothing.

God she was gorgeous when she was angry. Who’d have thought he’d like something like that? When Helena would get mad it’d make him tense because hew knew wherever she’d lead him would be to hell.

Felicity was like a bright light he didn’t want to let go of.

She finished shoving a bag of toiletries into her suitcase then turned to him crossing her arms. She probably thought she looked fierce. To him, she looked adorable. She leveled him with a hard look he couldn’t take it. He had to move.

He caught her up in his arms and kissed her until her breaths came fast, her hands curled into his jacket and the luscious scent of her arousal started to fill the air. Only then did he pull away.

Her eyes were slow to open, hazy.

“I’m going to have you, Felicity. I’m going to take care of you and give you everything you deserve. Just say you’ll be with me.”

Wariness crept into her eyes and he wanted to curse or punch a hole through the damn wall. He knew what her answer would be.

“Don’t answer me yet. Think about it. Give me a chance to persuade you.”

She already started shaking her head.

“Felicity—”

The front door opened and Grayson came in with a few tall men behind him. Some of his bodyguards. “We’re ready to escort you home.”

Dom nodded then leaned down to pressed a soft kiss to her sweet lips. Just as her eyes started to flutter closed, he pulled away. “Think about it.”

He grabbed her suitcase in one hand, her hand in the other. They followed Grayson.

He wouldn’t get her answer for another week.

Chapter 9

Felicity moved into the Blackmoore estate.

Or rather, Dominic moved her into the Blackmoore estate himself. His mother protested then quieted at a few harsh words from Dom. Felicity blushed the whole time and stared daggers at Dom’s back. She did try protesting, but he turned his glare on her and she’d clamped her mouth shut. She wasn’t stupid. If someone wanted to hurt her they could and Dominic had the power to protect her.

Ian came along and showed her to a wing of the house. Yes, it was actually called the East Wing according to Ian. He set her up in a room worthy of being on MTV Cribs then ducked out of the room.

Felicity called Beth only to get no answer. Worried, she started biting her lip as she unpacked her suitcase into an empty dresser. She checked out the room and found a lavish four-poster bed with white gauzy curtains hanging from the ends. Two tall windows had that same protective tinting over it, and the room even had an en suite bath that was literally the size of her living room at home.

This was starting to look like a good idea. The bathtub had jets in it and could easily fit at least three people. There were two sinks, a closet filled with fluffy white towels, and amenities for a man or woman.

Felicity could easily see herself living here. This kind of home and lifestyle was exactly what she’d always dreamed. If she never made it in the designing business then at least she’d have the memory of this house to remind her that she’d once had it for a little while.

Four days passed and she didn’t see Dom once. This put Felicity in a tough spot seeing as she had a wedding plan. She went on with it even though she had about a thousand questions to ask. Such as where did you want to have the ceremony at? Vampires sometimes chose modern locations, but Felicity had a feeling the Blackmoores would want something old and vampiric. In the meantime, she compiled notes with ideas on fabrics, designs for the centerpieces, goblet choices, and so on.

She kept to her room and the dwindling supply of blood that had been stored in the warming oven before she got there. It felt weird being in someone else’s house, and like a coward, she stayed in her rooms. She didn’t want to go searching around for Dom because she didn’t know what to do if she ran across Julianna who also stayed here. Worse, what if she ran into his mother? No way did she want to have to answer any curious questions about her and Dom. Nope, no way. So she hid like a little coward.

Hiding had its downside, she learned. Being cooped up in the same room for four days made her a bit stir crazy. She’d been steadily working in her shopping list for supplies for the ceremony. The list grew and grew until it covered the paper front and back in two columns. She couldn’t stay in the house any longer. Her work here was done. She needed supplies.

Felicity grabbed her briefcase with her shopping list and set off. She still hadn’t discussed the financial account for the ceremony with Dom because he’d ignored her after he dropped her off, but she had over a hundred grand in her own account to get started. Besides, she needed to buy some blood too.

Felicity opened the bedroom door and peered down the empty hallway. A lavish rug with a dark design of red and gold covered the hallway. It had to be over hundred feet long and cost a fortune. Paintings rested in sturdy frames on the wall and small side tables sat on either side of the hall holding vases and little statues.

Felicity quietly slipped down the hall then turned at the intersecting hallway and made her way towards the spiral staircase that would led downstairs. As she neared the stairs and passed closed bedroom doors, probably all unoccupied, she heard voices. One in particular sounded like a woman. A very unhappy woman whose voice nearly shook the ceiling from her shouting.

Felicity perked up a bit. The Blackmoores didn’t seem like the yelling type. She moved to the top of the stairs and peered over the railing. The front hallway was empty. The chandelier above lit the area up with bright golden light. The study stood to the right and its door was open, light coming out of it. Seeing no one else around, Felicity made her way down the steps, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“How could you?” the woman seethed. “I gave you everything! If you think you can just—”

“I know I can because I did,” came the sharp reply. Felicity blinked fast at the voice. Dom’s voice, though now he spoke in an impatient growl than with his usual baritone.

“I have rights, dammit! I will not let you cast me aside as if I’m nothing. And who is this woman I’ve been hearing about? So quick to replace me are you?”

“Damn right I am, and she’s none of your concern.”

“It’s Julianna Greenwich. Everyone is talking about your new
bruid
,” she spat the word out.

Felicity went down the last of the stairs and slipped across the floor to flatten herself against the wall by the study doors. This had to be his ex, Helena. She shouldn’t listen, but no way was she going to pass up this opportunity. This was the juiciest thing that had happened since Lucas leaped off the stage to chase after Beth.

“I care nothing for Julianna.”

Silence for a moment. “Then it’s someone else?”

Dom didn’t say anything.

“Who is she?”

Felicity tensed. Her entire body froze as she waited for his answer.

“She’s none of your concern. Leave it, Helena.”

“I will not just leave it. You are mine!”

He laughed; it was a cruel, mocking sound. “I haven’t been yours for a long time, and officially I am very much
not
yours, Helena. Tell me what you want and be gone from my life. I never want to see you again.”

Helena gasped as if he’d struck a blow and Felicity rolled her eyes at the obviously fake sound. “How can you speak to me like that after all this time? After all we’ve been through?”

“Rather easily after all the shit you’ve pulled.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Another scornful laugh. “The men, the jewelry, the clothes, the houses, all of it.”

“Men?” Helena said, a hint of fear in her voice.

“Yes, I know about your affairs, Helena.”

“How?”

He said nothing, and Felicity knew the answer: because he was Dominic Blackmoore and he got whatever he wanted. Information would be easy for him.

“Well then,” she said slowly.

“Helena, I’m at my wit’s end. You have exactly ten seconds to tell me what you want before I have you thrown out.”

She sobbed. “I love you.”

Felicity’s heart squeezed painfully tight.

Dom laughed. He actually sounded as if he was enjoying himself. “No you don’t. You love my money and power.”

“No, I miss you. I want you back, my love. Please! I need you!”

Felicity heard the jingling of jewelry and the swishing of a dress as Helena moved.

Dom’s hard voice cut. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

“But-but—”

“I
loathe
you. Any day that I don’t see your face is a pleasant one. You disgust me. You’re a filthy whore and now, thank god, I get to have nothing to do with you.”

Crushing words that felt like blows. Felicity winced and waited, eager to know what Helena would say after such a barb.

“I see.” Helena’s voice had changed. Now it was hard and cold. “This is how it’s going to be then.”

“This is how it’s been for a long time. You were too stupid to notice it.”

“I’ll not be easily put off, Dominic. I’m not a bag of trash you can simply throw away.”

“Do your worst.”

Footsteps sounded, coming closer to the door. Felicity looked around wildly then sped back up to the stairs. She was halfway up when Helena spoke.

“I know her name. Felicity Shaw. Some nobody who’s not worth the pair of shoes I’m wearing. I’d watch her closely if I were you. Sometimes accidents happen.”

A shadow passed over the doorway then the door slammed shut as if something, or someone, had been slammed into it. Felicity ran down a few steps to hear what he was saying, but all she could make out was his low, threatening tone. The door flew open and Dominic held a gorgeous redhead by the back of her neck. She fought in his hold but he didn’t budge. With a toss, he threw her at the front door.

She spun around on him, wobbling in her tall heels. “You’ll regret this.”

Dom looked like a warrior with his broad shoulders, wide stance, and fisted hands. He looked ready to fight and to kill.

“No, I won’t. But you will, Helena, if you pursue this in any way.”

Suddenly, Felicity found herself the object of Helena’s cold stare. Her ruby red lips pulled into a chilling smile. “Well it looks like your little mouse came out to peek.”

Dom didn’t turn to look at her, but he growled. A low, inhuman sound that made the hair on her arms stand up. Helena felt it too for her eyes flared with fear for a moment. Then she ducked out of the house and slammed the door behind her.