The Vampire & the Reporter (7 page)

He chuckled,
running fingers through tousled
hair. “I think
not.”

“I’m glad you find this amusing because…” She paused as he stood to his full
naked magnificence. “Because I fail to see the humor in this.”

She averted her eyes from his stiff cock, which bobbed with each step he took closer to her.

“Normally I sleep on a traditional bed. That device is only necessary when I am at my weakest. It was constructed to withstand any form of tampering. I could not take even the slightest chance last night. Not when I had you to protect.”

Kyra wanted to stay mad at him, tried hard to mu
ster up the anger, but found it
impossible. He stopped in front of her, gazing
longingly down at her with green
eyes that melted away the remaining barriers of the wall she’d erected to keep him at bay. Something was happening to her, she could feel it in every fiber of her being.

“Next ti
me give a girl some warning
she will wake up in a coffin,” she reprimanded weakly.

He
nodded his agreement
. For
several intense moments they regarded
each other in silent contemplation. Dumitri wanted to reach for her mind again but thought better of it.

“What are you thinking, meu ducliri?” he asked, only inches separating them.

“Don’t you know?”

“No.” He touched the dark smooth skin of her arm, wanting her to tell him voluntarily. “I’m not in your mind at this moment.”

“I… I was just wondering what time it is. I’m feeling a little hungry,” she answered shakily. It was an obvious lie but he decided not to call her on it. So much was happening to her so quickly. He would afford her some privacy. He’d touched her thoughts enough these last couple of days to know that she was coming to terms with her fate, accepting him more rapidly than he’d hoped possible.

“It is
late,
some
of our guests
are just making their way to the dining room in hopes of an early lunch
.”

She didn’t miss his use of the word “our” but chose not to correct him.

“Please tell me you have something for me to wear back to my room.” She blushed, glancing at the nearby ruined heap that were
once
her clothes.

“I’ll take care of it,” he said before pulling her in his arms for another intoxicating kiss.

Heaven help her, she wanted him again. Her senses reeled from the heady experience. Kyra found herself leaning into him, craving the feel of his mouth.

She felt the reluctance as he pulled away.

Later
, came his telepathic
promise.

Kyra opened her eyes only to find them in the hall that led to the dining room.

“How did we…” She trailed off, looking down
at her leather-clad body. “How
did you do this?”

She smoothed her hands over the comfortable form-fitting material. The leather gleamed in the dimly
lit hall complimenting her brown
skin. He smiled at her surprised response and the seductive image she presented. From the moment he saw her, he’d wanted her adorned this way. Thick, curly hair tumbled over her shoulders, her lush curves molded by the soft obsidian leather material.

“Quite handy, wouldn’t you agree? Soon you will be able to do the same.”

“If you say so, was
this the best you could
come up with?” She touched the
leather garment.

He shrugged. “Fashion isn’t one of my strengths, but I think you’ve seen some of my better abilities.”

She blushed as if conjuring up a memory. “I th
ink we should eat before I wind
up in trouble.” She sounded breathless.

“My sweet, you were in trouble the moment I laid eyes on you.”

Wasn’t that the truth, she thought, allowing him to escort her the remainder of the way. Dumitri made a point of stopping at one end of the rectangular table, pulling the chair out for her.

What are you doing
?

This is where you belong
. He stared down at her with a look that dared to be challenged. Kyra took the offered seat, meeting the open star
es of the other
guests. She could only guess at what they must be thinking.

She didn’t have to try too hard.

“Well, we know how some people spent the last twenty-four hours,” the blonde commented snidely under her breath but loud enough for everyone to hear. At the silence, the woman looked about ready to get in another dig when Kyra gave her a look that effectively silenced her.

“I apologize for my absence,” Dumitri started looki
ng anything but sorry. “I trust
you all have been enjoying your stay?”

There were several muttered affirmatives while the
assembled group looked nervously at each other
or at their meals with flushed faces.

What the heck is wrong with them
? Kyra sent the telepathic question to Dumitri who wore a grin that reminded her of the Cheshire cat.

I believe they’re remembering how they’ve passed their time.

So
?

Let’s just say I have allowed everyone to experience their wildest dreams.

Sounds wicked
.

In some cases it was. Our resident loudmouth
over there
has a pe
nchant toward masochism
, and
while her countryman is pretty much impotent, he
manages to find
pleasure in
S&M play
, so I’ve taken the liberty of linking their two fantasies.

Kyra wondered if that had something to do with the discussion she’d witnessed the day before.

Our brooding Greek reporter leans more toward same s
ex play. Your Spanish friend is
the consummate voyeur, and from what I’ve been told, she can have multiple orgasms just from watching.

Been told by whom
? she wanted to know.

My little helpers. I’ve been too preoccupied with my
own
mate to see to the needs of each guest personally
.

Well, don’t let me distract you an
y
longer
. She couldn’
t help the edge to her mental comment, the jealousy piercing her heart was a new emotion for her.

Meu
dulciuri
, there’s no place I’d rather be than with you, buried deep inside that--

“So what’s for brunch
?” Kyra blurted out
loud
suddenly.

“If memory serves me, I believe Ivan said a Romanian cuisine called
ghiveci din carne de vaca
,” Dumitri supplied, not hiding his amusement
at her quick topic change
.

“Sounds heavenly.” For all she knew, it could be some poor animal’s brain.

* * *

“I still can’t get over the change in you, or seeing you with Dumitri. Just yesterday you were ready to bolt without a backward glance,” Cecilia began, as she
caught up with Kyra after the meal
.

Dumitri was waylaid by the British woman who had several complaints she wanted to discuss with him.

“I know, I can hardly believe it myself,” Kyra agreed

“So what’s changed?”

“I guess I didn’t stand a chance against his form of persuasion.”

“I take it
he was your nightly visitor
you couldn’t talk about.”

Kyra wasn’t surprised by the woman’s deductions.

“There’s no point in denying it now, is there?”

Kyra only smiled in response to the question
.

Cecilia shook her head, returning her newfoun
d friend’s warm smile. “Tell me
one thing, is he as delicious as he seems?”

Feeling brazen, she answered honestly. “A fantasy come true.”

* * *

Dumitri found Kyra i
n his library later
, leisurely thumbing through an aged hardcover book.

Dante’s Inferno
, he recognized with his keen sight. He knew
the book well, had practically committed it to memory. She looked incredibly
sexy propped on
the window seat, her leather-clad legs bent, the novel resting securely on her knees.

“Exactly how old is this?” she asked, not lo
oking up from the page her eyes
seemed fixed on.

“Nearly seven hundred years,” he answered smoothly. Her hair fell forward concealing her features from his view. She closed the book, running her slender fingers over the binding.

“The covering is considerably newer,
perhaps
t
hree hundred
years. I don’t
remember exactly when I had it bound.”

“I can’t boast to know Italian, but it looks as if there’s a dedication to you.”

“
Un amico e un fratello allineare del apothecary
. A true friend and brother in apothecary.”

“Exactly how old are you?”
she asked

“I will reach my thousandth year this June,” he answered without hesitation.

Kyra nodded as if what he’d said made perfect sense. “How long will you live?” She continued to trace the book as if by doing so she could more easily absorb what he said.

He shrugged, “I am of the immortals. Unless I meet an untimely demise, I shall live for a very long time.”

“What about me?”

“Right now you are still considered of the Worthy, but before the night has completed its cycle you will be of the immortals, a true Vampire.”

She sat silent for several moments, and he resisted the urge to touch her mind.

“I know you say I’m “
of the Worthy
”, and
we were created for each other, but
I don’t understand it. I’m human, my parents were human, so were theirs.”

“Tell me, have you ever known yourself to be sick, even a minor cold?”

She thought back over the last twenty-nine years o
f her life. She had always been
an incredibly healthy child, never suffering any childhood ailments, nor breaking a bone even in her very rough tomboy years.

“It is very likely that one of your parents carries the genetic trait of the Worthy and is unaware.”

“How?”

“That I do not know. It is unknown why the Worthy removed themselves from vampiric circles.”

“We… they must not be as important as you say if they were able to disappear so easily.”

“Vampires are very arrogant creatures. I have hear
d it said
there were those
who refused to take t
heir created mates for fear
the person would wield power over them.”