A Vampire's Saving Embrace (9 page)

“Well, that’s a whole other story,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “When I first found out what I was, I was…” he hesitated, searching for the right words. “Well, I was reckless, and a complete asshole - and royally pissed off, you could say. I did a lot of really stupid things and pissed off a lot of unsavory characters.”

He laughed at the memory. “I was out one night at a club frequented by, shall we say, the scum of the earth and I was hell-bent on kicking some ass. I was mad as hell at the world and needed to vent my anger and figured taking out some demon scum would do it. Unfortunately, I was cornered by a few more demons than I could handle and was about to have a blade shoved through my heart when Des showed up. That man of yours saved my sorry ass. I owe him my life.”

Abby’s mouth fell open at his words:
That man of yours?
She quickly shoved the thought aside. Things were finally beginning to make sense to her. Desmond felt a responsibility towards her. If he had been that close to her father, why wouldn’t he feel obligated to protect his only child - the last of a Royal bloodline. It was some sort of warped sense of duty – a vampire with a conscience and a need to pay for wrongs he believed he had committed in the past! The thought was completely sobering. It was his honor and sense of duty that drove him and not that he had any feelings for her. And hadn’t Luke said he was
noble
! Holy Hell!

“Listen,” Luke said, standing up and taking his plate to the sink, “I’ve been here far too long and have probably said way, way too much. Besides, I need to be making the rounds and making sure everyone is where they should be if there is going to be an attack.”

“An attack?” She breathed - her body instantly stiffening. Just where in the hell was Desmond?

Luke walked over to where she sat and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Marcus heard from a very good source that the demons know you’re here and are planning to strike soon, so Des doesn’t want to take any chances once night falls. Those cowards will only attack in the dark - so we are all patrolling the grounds with extra effort. We plan to be prepared.”

“Is that where Desmond is now?” She asked- her voice laced with panic.

“No, I would guess he and Marcus are below the house in their lairs - resting.” He flashed her a wicked grin - patting her shoulder reassuringly. “Des has been…let’s just say that he’s been a bit pre-occupied the last few days and needs to rest to be at peak form. Not that he couldn’t kick ass completely sleep deprived, mind you - but he doesn’t want to take any chances with your safety.” With that he leaned down and placed a light kiss against her cheek. “Don’t worry Abby, you are safer here than you would be anywhere else. Believe me when I say, Des won’t let anything happen to you - and neither will I.”

“Thank you, Luke,” she murmured, a wave of emotion washing over her. For all of his faults, this man was willing to stand up beside Desmond to protect her. Why? She couldn’t guess, but this feeling of being looked out for and taken care of was like a soothing embrace that she had never experienced before.

She really had no family – but now…she pushed the thought aside, not wanting to go down
that
road. It would be much too easy to get close to these people and consider them family – and that was just not acceptable.

Luke stood and went to the door, looking back at her with a smile. “Thank you for allowing me to have dinner with you,” he said, his tone soft and sincere. “It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed myself so much. ” With that he gave her a nod and left, leaving Abby to ponder everything he had told her.

She quickly cleaned up the kitchen and headed back upstairs - fighting the powerful urge to instead head down and seek out the man who lay below - the only man who could instantly calm her with just his presence.

Abby stood at the large bedroom window - staring out at the fading sun - her thoughts in turmoil. Why hadn’t Desmond told her that he knew her father? Not only knew him - but had stood beside him for years fighting demons! And when Luke had said that Desmond had almost died… she shivered at the thought and wrapped her arms tightly around herself to ward off the chill the very idea brought to her. To picture him fighting against the vile creatures caused her blood to run cold. The black eyes and smell of what she could only describe as death about them – and she shivered again. My God, she wondered -how long had he known her father? And what had being his assassin actually entailed?

She didn’t hear him enter the room or realize his presence until his strong hands gripped her shoulders and that delicious spicy scent reached her. It was like nothing she had ever smelled before. He smelled of the perfect blend of spices and the outdoors with an underlying hint of citrus. It was amazing – and she was pretty sure that it was not any cologne, but purely him.

“Is something bothering you, my pet?” he asked; his lips at her ear. “I sense that you are troubled.”

Abby shook her head, desperately fighting the urge to lean back against his muscular frame and feel that perfect chiseled chest against her back. “No, nothing’s wrong,” she whispered without any conviction what-so-ever. All she wanted to do was to turn around and bury her face against his strong chest. To lose herself to the feel of him against her.

Desmond kissed her neck softly, his lips leaving a trail of white-hot heat along the way, and she shivered.

Suddenly his entire body tensed - the hands on her shoulders tightening.

Desmond had wanted nothing more than to touch Abby as soon as he had entered the bedroom - and he couldn’t stop himself from kissing that delectable silken neck - but when he got the scent of wolf on her skin, jealousy surged through him. “Abby,” he ground out slowly, his voice controlled and icy. “Why do you smell of
mongrel
?”

“I smell of what?” She asked, clearly confused.

Oh, Lord! Was he telling her that she stunk? Her heart dropped at the thought and her cheeks flushed red - but after only a moment, realization dawned on her, and she smiled softly. “Oh,
that
. Luke and I ate dinner together. I had cooked so much and he stopped by, so I asked him if he was hungry.” She explained and felt him relax…slightly. He was still stoic, and she knew she should tread lightly, now was definitely not the time to bring up what she and Luke had discussed. For some reason, her having spent time with Luke seemed to bother him.

Wishful thinking, she silently chastised herself. She could not let herself even toy with the idea that he was jealous. It was most likely that he feared Lucas would tell her things he didn’t want her to know – which obviously, he had. “I want to thank you for the clothes,” she said, trying desperately to change the subject and lighten his mood. “They’re beyond incredible. I’ve never had anything like them and I can’t thank you enough.” Desmond took a step back and turned her around to face him. When she did, she found him eyeing her up and down, that damnable grin twitching at the corners of his mouth - making her muscles clench and her belly grow warm.

“I must say, they do look nice,” he replied, his voice once again that silky timber that caused her toes to curl, “although – if I am to be honest, I do still prefer my shirts on you.”

“Well I can’t very well keep walking around in them.” She laughed lightly, thankful that his mood seemed to be improving. She didn’t know how to handle the angry, brooding Desmond, she decided with a small sigh – no matter
how
disturbingly sexy he was.

“Especially not if you intend to keep the company of curs,” he replied, the sharp edge coming back in an instant.

Desmond silently cursed himself as his temper flared once again. He had no claim to this woman, and if she wanted to spend time with Luke or any other man for that matter, it was of no concern to him - but even as the thought entered his mind he found the jealously flaming up inside him once again with a vengeance. Damn it! What in the
hell
was wrong with him! Just the thought of another man touching her sent his body into pure predator mode – his fangs itching to burst from his gums and rip apart any man who dared to lay a finger on her, whether it be friend or foe. Shit! This was
not
good.

“You were right though - he really is pretty harmless,” she offered – hoping to once again lighten his mood. “But Desmond, he did tell me that you expect the demons to attack soon. And that they know that I’m here? How did they find me?” The fear in her voice was evident and Desmond’s anger instantly melted away.

Damn, the woman could make him forget his
name
when she looked at him like that. Her eyes shining with that pure, innocent vulnerability and he had the overpowering urge to pull her into his arms – to hold her and tell her that he would never let anything happen to her. That he would protect her forever.

“Abby, it is nothing for you to worry about,” he said softly - settling on lifting his hand to cup her face, his gaze holding hers.

The last thing he wanted was for her to be concerned. He would protect her with his life and there was no need for her to experience a moments worth of fear. For whatever reason, he felt a deep need to ensure her safety – that she was his to protect. And he would – with his very existence. He would not let harm come to her.

Before Abby could stop herself, she tilted her head into his palm, her eyes sliding closed – her lips parting slightly as she took a long, quivering breath. His touch was just much too good to pass up. It calmed her and aroused her all at once, and even though she knew she had no right – she couldn’t stop herself. She needed this contact. She had been miserable all day without him and now that he was here, she felt safe and secure. Damn his loyalty to her father -she wanted to feel
him
! To feel that comfort and peace she felt as soon as he entered the room. To feel his mouth on hers – his hands caressing her skin and she shivered again at the image that instantly came to mind - her body heating with her wayward thoughts.

“I’m not worried,” she murmured, “not as long…” Desmond stiffened and whispered the word demon in the same instant that Abby felt a sharp pain shoot through her from where the gash on her neck had been to the pit of her stomach - feeling as if someone were prodding her with a white hot poker. All the color drained from her face as an agonized scream burst from her lips.

“Holy, Christ!” Desmond gasped as he pulled her into his arms and against his chest. “Marcus!” he yelled – true panic in his voice.

“I’m on it!” she vaguely heard him answer from somewhere downstairs.

She grabbed onto the front of Desmond’s shirt as the pain continued to rip through her – reverberating through her body like a runaway freight train and she clenched her teeth together to keep from screaming again.

“Oh… oh my God!” she gasped, her body beginning to tremble uncontrollably – her teeth beginning to chatter. Her eyes held his - silently pleading with him to make it stop.

Desmond swept her up and carried her over to the bed. Bracing his back against the headboard, he kept her cradled in his arms, as he desperately tried to soothe her. If Desmond’s heart had been beating, the sound of Abby’s screams would have surely stopped it right then and there. He held her close as she moaned against him – rocking her gently, and would have given his very existence to take the pain from her. He had never before felt so helpless in all of his two hundred and fifty years and the feeling was utterly terrifying.

“Easy,” he cooed, his hand stroking her hair as he kissed the top of her head, over and over. “It’s going to be all right, sweetness. I swear to you.” She shuddered against him, her skin beading with perspiration - her breathing becoming shallow as her heart pounded erratically in her chest.

“Come on Abby,” he gently urged, “take a deep breath for me, baby.” She did as he asked, and he felt her body relax ever so slightly, but still - he could hear her heart racing and her body still trembled against his, which only caused his panic to rise. He felt completely helpless and it was not a feeling that he was at all comfortable with. What the fuck was happening?

After what seemed to Desmond an eternity, she took another deep breath and let her head fall back to look up into his eyes - which were glowing brightly with pure fear.

“I think…I think it’s passing,” she murmured, so softly that if it hadn’t been for his vampire hearing, he would not have heard her at all.

“Thank all that is holy,” he breathed, burying his face in her silken hair and inhaling her wonderful scent greedily - his body finally relaxing with the rush of his breath.

After a few minutes, he felt her stir slightly in his lap. “Yowza,” she said, snuggling a little closer to him – loving the feel of being held securely in his strong arms. “What in the
hell
was that all about?”

Desmond leaned back and looked into her face, his brows knit together tightly in concern – his eyes taking in every aspect of her flawless features . “I’m not certain,” he murmured, “the only thing I can guess is that the poison has not yet completely passed through your system, and your fey blood is warning you of the danger when a demon is near.”