Viking Seduction Blood Slave (3 page)

“More a precaution.” I hoped. “But if she does need it, she’ll need it as soon as she wakes.” I let out a strained breath and scrubbed a hand over my face.

“I’ll have words with my niece. Damn, I’m going to need to find another sales girl.” The line went dead.

I paced in front of the wall of windows in the main living area. What else would she need? I called Nate.

“Dekker, how’s the new blood slave? I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.”

“Listen, I need a favor. Any way you could get into her place and pick up some of her things? Clothes and stuff mostly.”

“You are in luck, my friend. I happened to find her purse in the parking lot. I have her keys. I’ll drop by tomorrow after dark. You want me to pick up some food for her? I bet you don’t have a lot in your fridge.”

I chuckled softly. “That’s an understatement. Thanks, buddy. I owe you.”

Damn, I hadn’t given any thought to having to feed her.

* * *

By the time Lilura finally arrived, the sun had been up for a good hour. Vampires don’t have to sleep during the day, especially older ones. But it does tend to make us groggy and cranky.

“Dekker.” The witch shoved a sack at me as she pushed her way inside. “How is she?” She headed straight for the darkened bedroom, flipping on the light as she went. My automatic shades closed at sunrise, a necessary precaution.

“Sleeping, and I’d like her to stay that way.” I set the package aside and hurried after the witch.

Lilura leaned over Kierra, moving her head back and forth as if scanning for something. “Good, I think she’ll recover, but you pushed it, Dekker. I woke my niece. Apparently she’s been dating a vamp of Ferine’s house. I think they took advantage of her youth. She’s only twenty. Debbie didn’t intend to cross you. You know my policy is to stay out of your affairs. I hope this incident won’t affect our relationship.”

I had to choke off a laugh. So that was it. The Slivered Moon enjoyed a reputation for neutrality and hence did a good bit more business among the ageless. I took her elbow and steered her out of the room and closed the door. “I appreciate your attention and discretion in this matter.”
In other words, witch, can the gossip
. “What do I owe you?”

“On the house, vamp.”

Wow. She really was worried -- due to my influence in the community, I had to assume. I always gave generously and money talks in the vampire world just like in the mortal one. Unless she knew more about me than she’d let on. I hadn’t always lived as a quiet writer. Few had any idea who I’d been or that I could call up a small army if I chose.

“Thank you, very kind. And here, take this back.” I handed her the dress and shoes.

“I bet she looked totally ravishing in this. You can keep it as a memento of your first night together,” Lilura offered with a sly grin.

“I don’t think either one of us will want to remember this night.” At the witch’s surprised look I decided to give her a better understanding of how much shit her niece had gotten into. “Despite my collar on her neck, Ferine enticed her to one of his blood orgies. I barely stopped him from taking her, unknowing and unwilling. She wasn’t ready for this. And if Adriana hadn’t come to settle it, I would have killed Ferine. We both know what a mess that would start. And to top it off, Adriana insisted I make her a blood slave or turn her over to Ferine.”

Lilura’s face paled and her hand had a slight tremor as she took the dress and shoes. “I see. I am truly sorry for all this. I will make sure Debbie understands.” She gave me a quick nod as I keyed her out.

A vampire house had a lot in common with a gang, or mob family. Ferine heads a large house of burly thug types always looking for a fight. Most of my house had been part of my Viking crew way back when, or the mercenary company I’d headed after becoming a vampire. If I called the rest of my house, all hell would descend on the city.

The last vampire war had left a city in flames. The inner circle of vampires and local council of the ageless managed to blame it on race riots but it had nearly exposed us all. I didn’t want that, but if he pushed me any farther, I wouldn’t have much choice. For now, all I could do was find some sleep.

Chapter Three

I woke to the sound of my automatic shades opening at sundown. I rolled over, but her side of the bed was cold and empty. Shower going. How had I slept through that? I’d wanted to be awake when she woke in case she was in a lot of pain. But I guess she must be all right if she’d made it to the shower.

The thought of that luscious body naked in the shower sent blood rushing to my cock. Damn thing should be happy after last night, not ready for another go.

At first I didn’t see her in the steaming shower. Soft sobbing drew my gaze to the floor in the far corner. She sat pressed into the corner, knees bent in front of her, arms wrapped around them and her face buried in her arms. Wet darkened her hair to an almost black curtain falling over her legs. It swayed as she rocked herself. Too much, it had been too much last night. Damn it, how could I have let myself get that carried away?

“What’s wrong, pet?” I walked through the spray of hot water and settled onto my heels in front of her. She cowered away, covering her head in her shaking arms. Strong tremors shuddered through her. I gently reached out to take her chin, turn her eyes to me. I needed to see just how bad it was.

“No,” she wailed. “Don’t touch me!” Her voice drifted into a sob. Another strong tremor wracked her frame.

“Easy, pet. Just want you to look at me a moment.” I pulled her chin up. Her eyes looked like saucers and didn’t seem to really focus on me. Damn. Bite shock. Too much blood taken, too much vampire essence given. And I imagined the aftershock of Ferine’s attack and all she’d seen last night wasn’t helping. The tea would help with the bite shock, but the other, that would take longer.

“Come on, pet. Let’s get you out of here. I’ve got some tea that will help clear your head and make you feel better.” She pushed feebly at me but another shudder ended her struggle.

She groaned in pain as I helped her stand, rinsed her, shut the water off then wrapped her in one of my big soft towels. I could feel the tremors running through her body as I dried her. I listened to the steady rhythm of her heart, but her pulse felt weak. And the paleness of her face… My heart fell. I’d taken too much. How many times had I drunk from her? At my age, I should damn well know better.

A shudder wracked her body and she almost fell. I pulled her tight.

“Are you cold?” She nodded. “Stand here a moment, I’ll get a warm, soft blanket to wrap you in.”

Another shudder shook her as I wrapped her in the blanket and swept her into my arms. I carried her to the overstuffed couch that looked out over the city. Normally that space would have been a dining room. I had no use for one and loved to sit and watch the lights at night.

“Rest here, I’ll get something to help you feel better.” I hurried to the kitchen to make the tea, really a witch’s potion. Tea sounded a hell of a lot better and less dangerous than potion.

* * *

I curled into the corner of the couch. Thought refused to form in my cloudy mind. I felt cold. Another pain racked my body. I heard someone whimpering before I realized it was me. Cold, so cold, and sore. Aching muscles, joints, even my bones seemed to hurt. And my head. It felt like someone on the inside kept driving sharp spikes into my skull. Sick… I must be sick. Further thought refused to form.

A man who looked vaguely familiar settled onto the glass table in front of the couch. “Here, pet, drink this. It’ll make you feel better, clear your head.” He cupped his hands around mine to steady the mug to my mouth. A shudder shook me, almost spilling it. He helped me take several sips of the still hot tea.

The warmth of the tea settled into my aching body, dulling the pain, warming away the chills. Another shudder ran through me but with less bite. I accepted more tea when he offered it. Gradually the shudders subsided but I still felt disconnected and confused.

“Feeling better, pet?” His face filled with concern as he leaned toward me.

“I think so.” I glanced around at the unfamiliar place then back to the man. Clear blue eyes, shoulder length blond hair and full lips… Dekker, that was his name. I remembered him as a friend… or was he more? “Where am I?”

“My loft. Do you remember how you got here?”

A memory sparked. His fingers in my hair. Touching me all over. I shivered with more than cold and my sex ached. His lips there, his body over mine, thrusting deep and hard. I swallowed hard. “We had sex last night?” I couldn’t help the tremble in my voice.

His lips curved in a smile. “Oh, yes. Do you remember anything else?”

More memories came. A noisy room, people dancing… I felt afraid. A face, not Dekker’s, with a cruel smile. Not dancing, blood, and sex. A strong shudder ran through me as I touched my neck. Dekker behind me, then a sharp pain followed by a flood of pleasure. “Oh, fuck!” I wanted to scream but it came out as a moan. “You drugged me.” My memory started to clear up.

“No, I bit you. I’m a vampire, remember?” He reached for my hands.

I jerked away and glared. “Vampire? You’re still on about that? Why not just admit you stuck me with the rufy from hell so you could take advantage of me? Bastard.”

“I bit you, and that’s one of the side effects. If it makes you feel any better, it hit me almost as hard.”

“Yeah, right. Where the hell are my clothes?” I suddenly realized that under the blanket I wore absolutely nothing. In a madman’s apartment. Another strong wave of pain shook me.

Dekker sighed and dropped his head to stare at the cup. Emotions flitted too fast across his ruggedly handsome face for me to follow but I thought regret might be one of them.

“Look, just give me my clothes. I’ll take a cab home and we can both forget this ever happened. I, I won’t call the cops or anything.” My body shook with pain again. Damn, my head hurt. Never, ever had such a bad hangover.

“I am a vampire and you can’t go home. Promise or not, you’d be a threat, and they’d kill you. Or worse, Ferine might get to you first and you’d wish you were dead.”

“There’s no such thing as vampires, you sick son of a bitch.” I tried to stifle the tears that threatened to spill. “Just my luck, finally meet a nice guy and he turns out to a total whack job.”

“Pet --”

I cut him off. “Don’t call me that, you sick twisted fuck. I am
not
your pet! I can’t believe you drugged me.”

His eyes narrowed with obvious irritation. “I bit you to save your life. No drugs involved. Don’t you remember anything from that disgusting blood orgy Ferine called a rave?”

Images popped into my head of the bizarre behavior I’d seen. And Ferine. Oh my God. I started to shake again. He’d tricked me, then tried to rape me. Long fangs in his gaping mouth. Could he really be a vampire? No! That way led to the crazy train. I didn’t want to end up like my mother…

Oh, shit. Maybe that was it, I was having a psychotic break. I groaned and hung my head, hands squeezing my temples. Damned headache. Every time I shifted, abused muscles and joints screamed. I glared at him. “Truth, Dekker. What did you give me?” I wanted real answers, damn him.

He sat up straight. “I have told you the truth. Vampires produce something in our saliva that causes the bite lust.” I opened my mouth to protest but he held up his hands. “Wait, think about it. I don’t go out in the day, I don’t eat, super strong and oh, yes the fangs. Starting to make sense?”

“You have porphyria, some kind of phobia about eating out and I don’t see any fangs,” I retorted, hunching down into the blanket.

“It always amazes me how readily mortals believe that crap. You work so hard not to see what’s right in front of you for fear others will call you crazy.” He shook his head.

“Dek, I can’t believe you’re a vampire. That would mean I am crazy, like my schizophrenic mother and screwed up sister.” I curled into myself. Crazy, that had to be it. He leaned forward to caress my cheek, but I jerked back.

“You are not crazy. You’re not going crazy. This is real, not a hallucination.”

“So where are those fangs?” I lifted my chin in challenge.

Dek grinned slowly. “Watch close.” He wrinkled up his lips to show his teeth then closed his eyes.

Shit. Where did those come from? No way!

He smiled impishly at me with his fangs resting on his lower lip. “Fangs. I have claws too.” He shook out his hand and his nails snapped into three-inch long claws.

“No, can’t be, some kind of trick.” I turned away from him with a groan and huddled deeper into my blanket.

“Pet, are you in pain?” He leaned forward.

I glanced at his mouth and hand. No fangs, no claws.
Crazy, I’m going crazy
. “Yes, you freaking bastard. I hurt all over.” I felt tears boiling up again. Why had I wanted a date with this creep? Oh, yeah, it’s a family thing. Attract the worst loser you can find and make him your boyfriend. Just like my mother, just like my sister. I fought back a sob.

“Here, this will help with the pain.” He offered me the cup of cooling tea. “Finish this then get some rest. We’ll talk when you’re feeling better.”

I turned away, refusing. He set the cup down and grabbed my chin firmly, turning me to look at him. “I have a few rules. One is you do what I tell you. Now, you can drink the tea or I will make you.” His voice hardened with his face.

“So you really are going to keep me here against my will?”

His hard look said it all. I felt a shiver of fear and tears started again. I shook myself. No crying. Reluctantly I held out my hand for the tea. It had helped. He watched closely while I finished it.

I shoved the cup at him. “Happy now?” I had to find a way out of here just as soon as I could walk.

“A few other things you should know. I carry a cell phone that’s password protected. The door auto locks with a keypad. I change the code regularly. There aren’t any items strong enough to stake me. Feel free to watch TV or read. Though for now, you should rest.” He left without looking back.

I huddled into the corner of the couch, pulling the blanket tighter about me. None of it made sense. Memories came clearly now, including the sex. Oh, man, the sex. I’d only imagined it that good. My thoughts swirled in endless circles but my pain started to subside.

I closed my eyes just to rest.

Soft voices woke me from a deep sleep. And the smell of something good cooking. My head no longer pounded and the aches had settled into the background. Until I tried to sit up. Muscles protested and joints felt hot and stiff. My head swam, so I held still for a few moments.

My stomach growled, reminding me I needed to eat. I stood carefully and found my legs would hold me. With the blanket wrapped tightly around me, I headed for the galley kitchen. Just a row of upper and lower cabinets against the wall with a fridge, sink and stove. An island counter separated it from the rest of the living area. A couple of bar stools were tucked under the counter on the main room side.

Another man joined Dekker in the kitchen. Where Dekker was fair haired, blue eyed and had hard masculine planes, this man was dusky and smooth, his café-au-lait skin and stunning green eyes set off by his smoothly shaved head. His smile outshone the sun and his face held that perfect line between too harsh and too feminine. He looked like a model for men’s clothes, or maybe
Playgirl
magazine. In short, I’d never been this close to such a gorgeous man. And I had on nothing but a blanket.

Dekker smirked at me. “You can stop drooling and close your mouth now, pet. You’re just feeding his already oversized ego. And yes, he’s a vampire too. No, I won’t let him bite you, don’t ask.”

“Hi darlin’. I’m Nate. We didn’t get introduced last night. Are you hungry? I’ve fixed you some chicken soup.”

Chicken soup? It’s not like I’m a sick kid
. Still, it smelled pretty good.

Dekker jerked a thumb at his bedroom. “Nate picked up some clothes for you. Why don’t you dress first?”

A suitcase sat on the end of his bed. My suitcase. Full of my clothes. My initial excitement cooled when I realized someone had been in my apartment! Well, at least I wouldn’t be naked in front of two very sexy men. I pulled on an old pair of sweats and baggy T-shirt.

A bowl of soup waited for me on the counter along with a glass of water. I slid onto one of the barstools on the other side of the counter.

Nate leaned against the counter with a big smile. “So, darlin’, Dekker tells me you’ve got a bad case of denial.” His smile could melt the heart of the Antarctic.

I shrugged. “It makes a hell of a lot more sense to believe I’ve been drugged than bitten by a vampire.”

“So what will it take for you to believe it, if everything you saw at that little bloodfest won’t convince you?”

“Maybe watching you get a nice sunburn? Oh, and that Ferine guy too. I’d really like to see him fry.” All this was his fault, tricking me like that.

Nate chuckled. “Maybe old man Dekker would be willing to take a sunbath but I avoid pain. And that hurts, darlin’.”

I snorted. Like getting a tan would really kill them. Freaks. “So who broke into my apartment? Is Sass OK?” I looked expectantly from one to the other.

“I found your bag at Ferine’s warehouse. It had a key.” Nate gave me that panty melting smile again. I could have sworn I heard Dekker growl softly. “Sass is your cat?”

I nodded and sucked in more of his great soup.

“Other than trying to slip out the door, she’s fine.” He gave Dekker a wink.

What the hell did that mean?

Dekker sauntered across the large room. The main area made a large rectangle with floor to ceiling and wall-to-wall windows on the same end as the kitchen. The couch I’d been sleeping on sat facing them. Waist high book shelves made a divider between it and a larger sitting area with a huge flat screen TV on the far wall. Chairs and a long couch made a cozy seating area.

Dekker opened a door just a few feet from the TV. From the kitchen it looked like a bathroom or laundry room. He stepped in and I heard a familiar hiss, yowl and Dekker swearing. Sassafras didn’t like to be picked up.

“Sass? You brought Sass?” My elation turned to dread when I realized that meant one thing. Dekker had no intention of letting me go. Why else bring my cat?