Cannot Unite (4 page)

His mate looked over her shoulder at him,
possibly alerted by his fidgeting. KayNan immediately pulled his
finger free of his collar and resumed the ‘man-about-town’ façade
he’d been advised to use. He didn’t know if it worked. She kept his
gaze locked for long enough he lost count of the rising numbers
displayed in a panel above the door behind her. Wow. This woman had
perfect eyes. Twin pools of dark. With ever-changing brown tones.
Mysterious. Deep. He’d never come across eyes like that. They
pulled at him. Enthralled him. Still. Looking into them was more
enjoyment than he’d ever known. Then again…he hadn’t much to
compare it to. It was even better than feeding from a human
untainted with drugs or alcohol. It made the ‘too-tight’ skin
sensation move to an itch that annoyed, and then demanded
scratching. He was actually amazed that he didn’t comply.

She looked away first and he sagged
slightly, as if released from some kind of tension – not unlike the
straps they’d used to hold him up when he’d been whipped. KayNan
stopped the memory. What was he thinking that for? The past was
just that – past. His tormentors dead. Long gone. Obliterated by
time and distance. And this was his present.

And this really
was
his mate!

He studied the top of her hair and then went
back to toying with his attire; this time running his fingers down
the collar on his coat, smoothing it along his abdomen, and then
tucking his hands finally into slacks pockets that fit so smoothly,
they must have been designed for that purpose. He didn’t know. He’d
had to have help from the bell staff to finish. KayNan had probably
over-tipped the fellow, but his tie was done. And it looked correct
to the packaging photo.

He should have spent some of the flight
reviewing the video feeds Nigel sent him. It had been too boring.
All about speech, and posture, and manners and dress and all sorts
of things that KayNan had fast-forwarded through. He’d wanted to
reach the good part – the bit on mating. The part that needed the
thing called a condom. He’d given up after scanning the videos
twice and pulled the video cable from the cabin wall. He’d have it
repaired later. Nothing was assuaging what he really needed. Every
moment elevated it, while the following moment dismayed and
prolonged. He’d ached to just find her. Be in the same area with
her. Absorb her presence. Watch her. He’d worry over how to
approach and speak to her later.

Good thing that waiter fellow had stepped in
and inadvertently assisted him. Who knew a lady was seated first?
KayNan supposed the dining etiquette portion of one video probably
knew. Another probably knew how to tie a four-in-hand tie, too.

KayNan had never worn fancy dress attire.
Actually, he rarely wore anything other than trousers. And yet here
he was, bathed, shaved, and attired in a suit that put a large dent
in his account – or so Nigel had warned. Nobody at V.A.L. would
believe it. KayNan didn’t quite believe it. But something had
worked. He was on his way to her room! Without one bit of quibbling
over it. That was strange, but the night was passing out
strangeness.

This cubicle they inhabited right now, for
instance.

KayNan had followed his mate to a dead-end
area that contained eight metallic doors – four on either side. His
mate had pushed a button and one door had instantly opened. He had
no choice but to follow her into a mirrored chamber larger than his
cell. There was a panel of lights behind the ceiling tiles. They
reflected off black tiles beneath their feet. A thick polished wood
banister ran horizontally along the sides, approximately waist
level. Nothing else. No pallet. No chair. Nothing. She didn’t
explain. He didn’t ask. He needed to get out more. Nigel hadn’t
said anything about this box.

He watched her punch some numbers into the
panel, and then the floor moved beneath them. She didn’t note his
quick move to compensate, sliding the leather soles of his dress
shoes to widen his stance. Nor did she notice his consternation.
The box was moving. It was an odd feeling. Not unlike flying. Only
in here, you couldn’t see where you were heading. This was blind
movement, almost like he was still aboard his private jet. The
movement ended with the slightest jar, then came a bell sound, and
then the doors opened before them without any notice and very
little noise.

The view had changed.

The commercial foyer of her hotel had
altered. Where there had been dark tones and mirrors and lots of
chairs and sofas arranged into intimate circles, the box had
transported them to a long hallway intersected every so often with
ornate doors beneath equally ornate cornices. She stepped out. He
was at her heels. The moment they exited, the doors closed behind
them, and the machinery whirred again. KayNan had it pegged now. It
was the elevator thing they’d advised him to use when he’d first
arrived here; especially since he’d booked the top floor penthouse.
A few of the staff had raised eyebrows when he’d asked for the door
to the stairs instead, but they’d had that expression since he’d
arrived and checked in. He supposed it was lack of luggage. Or
maybe it was due to his attire, although Nigel had assured him that
a trench coat covered all sorts of inadequacies – such as
insufficient wardrobe choices.

His mate started walking a bit quicker.
KayNan elongated his step to compensate. Her heart kicked up a
notch, which meant his did the same. The heart thing she suffered
happened only occasionally now – not like it had in the dining
area. And he knew the source for sure now: him. The knowledge was
heady. Exhilarating. Adding even more to his sense of
anticipation.

KayNan watched the sway of her hips beneath
her skirt. That was enticing. Actually, everything about her called
to him in the most primal way. She wore a denim jacket with a large
embroidered flower of some kind across the back. It highlighted her
slimness. That was enticing, too. She had long, dark hair. Thick.
Wavy. Shadow dark, but with hints of gold. Her hair rippled down to
graze those same hips. Equally enticing. Occasionally he caught a
glimpse of an ankle. She wore barely-there sandals on her feet.
That was another huge bit of enticement. He was probably in luck
that he only had the back view to contend with. He’d never seen a
small woman with the extent of bosom this woman claimed. This mate
of his was womanly. Voluptuous. Curvaceous. He couldn’t wait to
feel her crushed against him.

Hmm.

These halls were carpeted with a
less-expensive weave than his floor, but they still sucked up
noise. He had to concentrate and use his vampiric powers just to
hear their steps. And then he expanded upon them, catching the
rhythm of her pulse as it matched his. The sound of her lungs
inhaling and then exhaling. The whoosh of her blood as it moved
along her veins. Succulent. Warm. Perfect. Parts he’d long
forgotten and totally ignored stirred beneath his fly. KayNan
jerked his head down in surprise. Then his hands. It was true!
Everything he’d heard of the mating…was true!

He shouldn’t have done that.

Craving hit him, nearly buckling his knees.
Need and desire and yearning lengthened his canines, sent a
blizzard of shivering across his skin, and stopped his stride.
KayNan pulled his hands away to make fists and when that didn’t
seem sufficient, he crossed them over his chest and held them
there. Everything on him locked in place, vibrating to a hunger
he’d never felt before. It sent a red wash to color everything in
sight, while every muscle fought the bonds he put on them.

Harder. More. Again. He shoved his fists
against his shoulders. Pulled his chest and abdomen tighter. Locked
his buttocks and thighs. And his newly awakened groin got even
harder. Bigger. Pressing against seams and fabric restrictions
until even that felt erotic. Or Nigel had ordered him the wrong
size of slacks, too. It was probably visual. And nothing he did
seemed to work.

This wasn’t possible.

His mate appeared unaware of his absence.
Unmoved by his trauma. Ignorant of his torment. Or she was so
caught in the spell he’d cast, she didn’t even notice that he
wasn’t at her heels. KayNan watched through slit eyes as she
stopped at a door, inserted a card thing into a slot, and then
pulled it out. He lifted his head. Oh. Shit. That’s how it worked?
Rather like an ATM? He knew about ATM’s. Prowling the neighborhoods
about an automated teller machine was excellent hunting ground.
There was always a victim about. Either getting cash, or looking to
rob for the same green paper. Either way, they were easy
pickings.

KayNan should’ve known that’s what the card
they’d given him at check-in was for. The moderator on that stupid
video feed probably knew. He’d have to reimburse the hotel for the
doorjamb upstairs; but only on one side of it. His suite had a set
of double doors. One was now shoved into place and held there with
the door stopper shoved into the top of it. That had worked and the
bellboy hadn’t even noticed earlier.

A green light flashed from the slot,
lighting his mate’s hand for an instant. Then he heard a click. She
turned the handle and pushed on her door. That was another
surprise. The doors opened inward? Damn that, too. He’d have to
reimburse the hotel for both doors, after all. What did he care? He
had funds. He could probably buy the hotel
and
the block
of real estate it sat on. It didn’t really matter. All that
mattered was getting his mate in her room, seeing some of this
restrictive clothing removed – from both of them – and then getting
buried in her sweet flesh.

Oh…hell.

The dawning realization of the card slot and
door machinations had almost worked at controlling what had seemed
uncontrollable. He’d managed to stand erect. He’d lowered his fists
from his chest, forced his hands open, and then watched his fingers
fumble at fastening the lowest button on his suit coat. The coat
actually helped camouflage the size of his erection. Good. He
didn’t wish the lust he suffered known just yet. Maybe these
menswear designers did know a thing or two about the masculine
physique after all.

“You coming?”

She looked down the hall at him to ask it.
Her voice sweet. Her lashes fluttering. He thought his heart
stopped. No. That was what happened to hers, because it was
immediately echoed in his chest. Because they matched. It had to be
the same thing she experienced. Exactly.

He skimmed the span between them, arriving
almost before their hearts had resumed a ragged rhythm. She was
agitated, too? It was too much to absorb. Her eyes were wide.
Probably at his speed. Maybe at his proximity. He didn’t care. She
slid a hand along the inner wall, keeping her eyes glued to his. A
lamp flared somewhere in her room, showing her movement had been to
find the light source switch. She smiled up at him. Just slightly.
Innocently. She caught her lower lip in her teeth after the gesture
and added to his torment. And then a blush bloomed across her
cheeks, sending a solid roar of sound through his ears.

“I’ll…just be a moment. Okay?”

He thought that’s what she whispered as she
ducked through a door that must contain her bathroom area. Anything
else was absurd. Her room was a far cry from the luxury and
spaciousness of his. The penthouse suite contained all sorts of
rooms, one including a grand piano and wet bar, while one sleeping
chamber had an oversized King bed with so many pillows and plush
comforters it was hard to find the mattress. Her room seemed almost
like an afterthought in comparison.

KayNan advanced into the one room, looking
over two double-sized beds, a long dresser with a television on it,
a plush armchair tucked beneath a writing desk that held the
aforementioned lamp and a landline telephone. Over in the far
corner beside the floor-to-ceiling window was another chair, this
one fashioned with high arms and back; thick with cushions. The
color scheme and fabric matched those in his suite but there the
similarity ended. The chair had a footstool before it, padded with
the same design. A laptop sat on the footstool, the top open, but
the screen black. A blue, pin-dot light kept appearing, showing it
was in stand-by mode.

KayNan’s breast pocket vibrated suddenly,
surprising him. He shoved against the bottom of the pocket, sliding
a slim cell phone out. A thumb motion slid the front open, making a
receiver. He put it to his ear.

“Yes?”

“KayNan! Thank goodness!”

“Nigel?”

“Yeah. Listen. You may not have much time.
We’ve got trouble.”

“We?”

“Beethan and crew are already in transit. I
had a brain-fart earlier or I’d have called sooner.”

“A what?”

“Never mind. I didn’t put your little
sweetie on an alert until now. It’s all my fault.”

“What is?”

KayNan heard the door opening behind him.
His mate was coming out of the bathroom. Maybe she’d even taken
some of that clothing off. And Nigel just wouldn’t quit
talking.

“Your honey did a bit of research today
online. She’s got a bit more beneath the surface than I
suspected.”

“So?”

“She did vampire research!”

“Everything’s fine, Nigel.”

“No! It’s not! She’s armed.”

“No. She’s under my power.”

“It’s an act! I’m telling you, I’ve read her
queries. If she’s under your spell, it’s faked!”

“No,” KayNan replied.

Nigel made some reply that sounded like it
came through clenched teeth.

“I’m signing off now, Nigel. Good bye.”

“Just watch your back! You hear me,
KayNan?”

He felt her behind him. KayNan pulled the
phone away and swiveled, and just managed to get his hands up as
pure acid got tossed at him. The Holy Water hit, eating holes into
skin he hadn’t protected. Burning. Paining. And then pure agony
lanced through him as she slammed a huge ornate crucifix against
his abdomen.