Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (25 page)

I wasn’t wrong.

“Oh, I won’t tire of you, Leah. But, you’re right. If you force me, I will indeed get it elsewhere.”

At the thought of him getting anything elsewhere, a different kind of heat slashed through me, washing away my desire in a wave of pain. This was unexpected, not only the reaction but the excruciating intensity of it.

Before the razor-sharp edge of this sensation could subside, his head snapped up. He drew in a deep breath through his nostrils and his eyes narrowed, focusing on something but not me, not something close.

I sensed the danger instantly.

Our current situation forgotten, I whispered, “Lucien, something’s wrong.”

His eyes locked on mine.

For some reason communicating nonverbally, he replied straight into my brain,
Yes, pet.

Without further reply, his body knifed off mine and he moved away. He was holding himself tense, his powerful musculature standing out, more defined. The way he held his body was menacing, even sinister. I could sense he wanted to move with vampire speed but was forcing himself to go slowly.

I heaved myself up and followed him, closing my robe, tying it tightly. The doorbell rang but he was already pulling the door open as the bell sounded. I stopped five feet away.

A woman stood there. Gleaming black hair, ice-blue eyes, her beauty so extraordinary, her sexuality so explicit, I couldn’t stop myself from sucking in a stunned breath at the sight of her.

This was a mistake.

When I gasped, her eyes, which were fastened on Lucien, sliced to me.

She, too, pulled in breath through her nostrils.

In an instant, her face contorted with primal rage.

In the next instant, she attacked.

Her target?

Me.

The Confrontations

She flew at me and when I say that I mean it literally.

She was a streak, a blur, my mortal eyes couldn’t make out the lines of her body.

She didn’t get close.

Three feet away from me, she came into definition.

This was because she was halted, Lucien’s arm around her waist.

Then Lucien twisted, executing a near-blur, full on, powerful hurl that would have been awe-inspiring if it hadn’t been so freaking scary. She was a streak again, going backwards with tremendous velocity until she slammed against the wall. The plaster behind her buckled in a body-like shape, white dust and paint chips raining down around her as she fell to a graceful crouch, completely unharmed.

Her head snapped back, her seething eyes pinned on me. With only a moment’s delay, she sprang toward me again in another blurry attack. And again she was stopped, this time when she was, her whole body still swayed toward me.

Her whole body, that was, except her head and her neck.

Lucien had her by her throat. Just one hand at her throat, the muscles in his arm and back bunching as he took two steps and slammed her against another wall, more plaster breaking, more debris falling.

Lucien got close to her and I saw his fingers squeeze.

“You just made a fatal mistake, Katrina,” he gritted from between clenched teeth.

His fury matched hers, maybe surpassed it. I knew this because his jaw was working so hard a muscle leapt there.

I stood frozen not only from what I just witnessed but that I was just almost attacked by what amounted to Lucien’s wife.

His wife!

And she was stunning. She was the most beautiful creature I’d ever seen. I had to admit that even if she wanted to tear me limb from limb.

Her incensed gaze slid from me to Lucien.

“You’ve fucked her. I can smell it.” Her voice was deep, throaty, seductive. It wasn’t throaty because her husband held her by the throat but just because it was.

“I haven’t fucked her,” Lucien replied truthfully and I thanked God at that moment that it was, indeed, the truth. Then, presenting more evidence he was the demented sort of vampire, Lucien finished with, “Yet.”

Her fisted hands slammed into the walls at her sides breaking clean through the drywall before her body started thrashing wildly to gain release.

In a delayed effort of self-preservation, I took several hasty steps back.

Settle, pet. I’ll not let her hurt you. You’re safe.
Lucien’s voice sounded in my head and it was just his voice, not a command, my body was at my will.

Even so, I stopped moving.

Suddenly, Katrina tensed from the top of her head to her toes. She tilted her head back and let out a wild screech that hurt my ears and it felt like it even shook the windows.

After she was done, her eyes sliced to me.

“
I’m going to kill her,
” she screamed.

My body grew tense but I stayed still.

Lucien’s voice was a snarl. “You touch her, fuck, Rina, after this you even
look
at her, you’ll fucking
burn
.”

Her gaze moved to Lucien and she changed her threat. “Then I’m going to kill
you
.”

Instantly, to my shock and despair, he dropped her and stepped back. His hands went out to his sides and he issued a one word invitation.

“Try.”

A roar of fury tore from her throat and she lunged.

That was pretty much all I saw with any clarity.

They were too fast, too powerful, all their movement was a blur. Every once in a while Lucien would pin her and they’d come into focus but she’d escape and their movements would become indistinct.

The table in the hall was turned over, the vase on it shattering into pieces, those pieces kicked wildly about as they moved.

I took two more steps back, these up the stairs when I heard Lucien again in my brain,
Still, pet
.

I stilled. I didn’t want to. I didn’t even know
why
I did. I just did.

Even though I didn’t see it I knew it was brutal, savage even. The noises they made, her grunts of pain and effort, Lucien’s grunts solely of effort, the sounds of fists against flesh, the noise of bodies colliding, all of this slashed through the air.

I had felt a great deal of fear in the last few weeks but I’d never been so terrified in all my life than I was at that moment.

This was because I was witnessing something extraordinarily vicious.

This was also because I was witnessing, no matter how indistinct, Lucien beating
the shit
out of his wife.

If he ever got physical with me in that way he’d kill me in seconds.

My body started trembling and I wanted to run, I really did, but my fear rooted me to the spot.

Finally, Katrina came into focus, her body slamming against the door making its heavy, solidness shake.

She stopped, as did Lucien facing her but slightly turned to the side. I could see bloody, angry scratch marks marring his chest and neck.

She was far worse for the wear, her nose bleeding profusely, her lip cut, angry red marks at her neck and wrists.

At the sight of what Lucien had done to her, a violent tremor shook through my body nearly bringing me to my knees.

“I got the Severance papers this morning,” she spat at him as she wiped the back of her hand under her nose, smearing the blood across her face.

Her words confused me.

“You don’t say?” he retorted carelessly.

Her face twisted with rage. “You’d throw me away for
a mortal?
”

My astonished, frightened eyes moved to Lucien.

“Look at her, Rina, she’s no mere mortal,” Lucien clipped.

Katrina didn’t look at me, instead she snapped, “Yes, I forgot. She’s
life
.”

What did that mean?

Any of it!

Lucien took an ominous step closer to her and I watched her quail, her bravado slipping, she’d learned her lesson far faster than any he’d ever taught me.

“I lost you the minute you laid eyes on her,” she accused, her voice turning small.

“You lost me two seconds after The Claiming and you know it,” he returned sharply. She flinched because clearly, whatever the hell that meant, she did know it.

I flinched for her. It was hard not to feel sorry for her. She wasn’t pathetic, she was just broken.

Her gaze shifted to me and it narrowed.

“Are you enjoying this?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

It was safe to say I was
not
.

I was saved from having to reply when Lucien gritted out, “Look at me, Rina, don’t look at Leah. She no longer exists for you.” When she didn’t obey immediately, he thundered, “
Fucking look at me!
”

She did, so did I,
anyone
would.

“Keep her safe, Lucien,” she whispered, her tone disturbing, so disturbing it sent a chill straight through me.

“You touch her, you’ll burn.” Lucien’s voice was just as disturbing, more so.

I didn’t know Katrina, her threat could be empty. I knew Lucien, his threat was not.

“Yes, but you don’t get it Lucien. I’ll be happy to burn because while I burn I’ll know you’ll be facing eternity without your precious
life
.”

Lucien’s body tensed the way it had done earlier, his muscles coming into sharp relief, menacing, sinister.

I held my breath. Then I heard the backdoor open.

“Yoo hoo!” Edwina called. “There’s a car in the drive! Do we have… oh!”

Edwina stopped speaking. The backdoor had a direct shot to the front door down a wide hall off of which four rooms led. Edwina couldn’t see me but she could likely see Lucien and Katrina. And you didn’t have to have extra sensory perception to feel the crackling animosity in the air not to mention Katrina’s face was a bloody mess.

“You backed a losing horse, Edwina,” Katrina called apropos of absolutely nothing. “Everyone knows about Leah. He kissed her at the bar at a fucking
Feast
for all the world to fucking
see
.”

This too confused me and I heard Edwina’s shocked gasp from not too far away so I knew it surprised her which confused me all the more.

“The Council will investigate,” Katrina went on and I saw Edwina come into my vision at the side of the stairs.

Her face was pale.

“Investigate?” Edwina asked the question on the tip of my tongue.

“You know they will,” Katrina stated, her eyes sliding to Lucien. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Lucien was standing with his arms crossed on his chest like he was watching a vaguely annoying street performer who had roped him into his routine.

“Another threat,” he drawled derisively.

“I’ll call them from your fucking driveway. You’re kissing her at Feasts. You’ve moved in with her. You intend to –” Katrina retorted and Lucien cut her off.

“Be my guest,” he invited and Katrina’s eyes went wide then they swung to me.

“You’ve lost your mind,” she breathed toward me even though she was talking to Lucien. Her gaze moving back, she studied him a moment and all of a sudden her lip curled. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised, You’ve always had a taste for sweet smelling pussy.”

I gasped. Edwina gasped. Lucien moved.

He crowded her back into the door, his powerful frame cutting her off from view.

I looked nervously at Edwina. Edwina looked nervously at me. Then she gave me a shaky smile which I did
not
return and we both looked back at the scene.

“The Council will grant me this.” Lucien was saying.

“Never,” Katrina returned.

“I’m calling in my marker,” Lucien announced.

I heard Katrina’s sharp intake of breath. I looked to Edwina who was staring fixedly at Lucien’s back, her face the picture of shock and I knew at least she knew what this meant.

I had no idea what was going on. None of it.

“They’ll still not allow it.” Katrina didn’t sound so sure now.

“They owe me,” Lucien retorted.

“They do but a mortal?” Katrina shot back. “They won’t even consider it. Not even for you.”

“They’ve no choice,” Lucien stated.

There was a hesitation then softly, with some kind of weird understanding in her voice, Katrina said, “I’ve heard of this but didn’t expect it of you. Her scent has driven you insane.”

Lucien didn’t hesitate with his reply. “If that’s the case, I’m happy in my insanity.”

That was the third weirdest, yet most profound, compliment I had that day even though I had no idea what was going on. I also had the distinct feeling I wanted no more compliments from the Mighty Vampire Lucien who’d beat the crap out of his wife in his concubine’s foyer while insisting said concubine watch.

“You want war,” Katrina whispered.