Dark Magic (31 page)

"As soon as Gregori returns, we can go out and get you dinner," Savannah said softly as he accepted the steaming mug of coffee.

It was already dark. Gary had no idea what had happened after he arrived at the house the night before. He cleared his throat nervously. "What exactly happened last night? All I remember is getting to the house with you and then waking up an hour ago. I'm assuming that I slept the day away." There was a wariness in his voice, in his mind, that hadn't been there before. It was a singular experience to realize someone had taken all control away from him.

"I didn't wake you until we were certain it was safe. Last night Gregori had an encounter with two of the undead's servants and a lesser vampire. He defeated them, of course, and destroyed them so they couldn't rise again. It was safer for you to remain here. We weren't holding you prisoner. We simply wanted to keep you safe." Amusement crept into her voice. "I don't think Gregori really knows what to do with you."

Gary's heart jumped. He cleared his throat. "I hope you mean that positively."

Savannah's eyes laughed at him. "Do you really think he'll harm you? He can read your mind. If you were an enemy, he would've killed you back in that warehouse." Wickedly she leaned across the table. "Of course, he really is awfully unpredictable, so you never know what he might do or where he is—" She broke off, laughing, as her arm was flung into the air as if something had shackled her wrist and jerked her backward. Savannah was dragged by something unseen from the kitchen. She was laughing, her blue eyes dancing with mischief.

Gregori tugged at her wrist, taking her out into the sanctuary of the courtyard with its dense, overgrown plants. Flowers tumbled from the overhead arbors and trailed along his shoulders as he emerged fully into the night. "You are deliberately scaring that young man to death," he accused.

She lifted her face to his, stars from the night sky in the centers of her eyes. "Well, really, how could anyone doubt you?" As her palm caressed the hard line of his jaw, one fingertip touched his perfect mouth.

"Stop thinking you have to protect me, Savannah. It is enough that I have you. I do not need anyone else." He bent his head to find her mouth. On rising, he had taken her twice with his insatiable appetite, yet his body was again stirring to life at the thought that she would rally to his defense.

The moment his mouth claimed hers, she felt the earth moving in that peculiar, shifting way, the white streak of fire rushing through her bloodstream to pool low and hot. Her body went liquid, boneless, melting instantly into his. His arms crushed her close. "Feed,
ma petite
. Feed for me."

Her lips burned over his throat in obedience; her tongue stroked his pulse there. It was sensuous. Erotic. His body tightened with alarming need. His pulse jumped beneath the exploring caress. Gregori caught her slender form and held her even tighter to him, enclosing her in the protection of his arms.

Savannah took her time, enticing, teasing, deliberately arousing him further. She reveled in the feel of his body thrusting hard and aggressively, his hips pressed into her. As her teeth pierced deeply, he made a sound, a hoarse, inarticulate cry, as the white lightning sizzled and danced through his body like a whip of pain and ecstasy, until it was impossible to tell where one sensation left off and the other started.

Then he felt the disturbance in the night air, a whisper of movement, and he knew they were not alone. Holding her protectively, his body sheltering her from prying eyes, Gregori raised slashing silver eyes to the man wandering into the courtyard. Gary hadn't spotted them yet; his gaze was full of wonder at the unexpected beauty of the yard. Gregori sank deeper into the shadows, swirling a cape of invisibility around them. His hand found the nape of her neck, pressing her mouth to his skin.

Her feeding was stirring his body to greater demands. He could not imagine watching her feed from another male when he was burning with fire from the simple act. Slowly, reluctantly, Savannah stroked her tongue across the tiny pinpricks and lifted her head. Her eyes were drowsy, as if they had made love, her lips tempting. A small dot of red clung to the corner of her mouth, and Gregori instantly dipped down to taste it with his tongue.

His mouth shifted so that he could explore hers, at first demanding, then in a slow, careful kiss that seared her with tenderness. Savannah smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. "We are not alone,
mon amour
," he whispered into her ear.

She laughed softly with regret, throwing her head back so her long braid swayed. "Weren't you the one who invited him to stay?"

"I believe that was you," he corrected through clenched teeth. She was a fever in his blood. A madness he had no hope of curing. He wanted no cure. He bent to find her breast through the thin material of her shirt.

The night air was soft and cool against his skin. The bats dipped and wheeled above them. The scent of blossoms was all around them as their bodies tangled together. Savannah laughed at him, the sound joyful, echoing in his heart. "Be careful, Gregori, we wouldn't want you to lose your illusion of the big bad bogey man." Her fingers laced together behind his neck.

"You are being a little instigator," he accused.

She nibbled at the lobe of his ear, teasing it with the tip of her tongue. The aroma of coffee was drifting nearer. The soles of Gary's tennis shoes swished softly along the tiles of the patio. His clothes brushed against the fronds of huge ferns as he neared the shadows where they were secreted.

Gregori found himself suppressing a groan. Savannah brought his head down to circle his neck with her arms, finding his mouth with hers, taking her time, enjoying herself, a teasing taste of satin fire that burned through his body and threatened to consume him, threatened his control.
You are playing with fire
, ma chérie.

Mmm, and it's so delicious, too
, she murmured softly, losing herself in the sheer pleasure of his dominating mouth.

Gary was just on the other side of the arbor, the screen of honeysuckle and trumpet vines heavy between them. Gregori took command of the situation, reluctantly lifting his head, a dark promise in his glittering eyes, a soft groan escaping his throat.

Gary had thought himself completely alone. He looked around the courtyard carefully, his fingers tightening around the coffee mug. He could hear Savannah's soft laughter. Sexy. Tempting. He shook his head. The woman was a menace. He would hate it if she were his. Only a man very strong and able to do without any male friends could have a siren like her. She was more than a handful; she was a disaster waiting to happen.

Are you reading the human's thoughts
, ma petite femme? Gregori's satisfied voice whispered in her mind.
Even one such as he knows you are wild like the winds
. With great reluctance he loosened his hold on her.
Go inside the house
.

Her eyes widened in mock surprise.
You mean he might think we were making love? We would have been if he hadn't wandered out and interrupted us
.

Push me further
, chérie,
and I may do something you will not like
.

She laughed out loud, totally unafraid as she sashayed through the courtyard. As she passed Gary, she leaned over and blew warm air into his ear.

Savannah
! Gregori roared her name, a distinct threat.

I'm going, I'm going
, she said, completely unrepentant.

Gregori waited until she was safe within the confines of the walls before he emerged from the shadows. Gary's heart was a loud thunder in Gregori's ears. He smiled, that gleam of a predator's smile. "For all our time together so far, I do not think we have yet been properly introduced. I am Gregori, lifemate to Savannah."

"Gary, Gary Jansen. Your—um, wife, Savannah, said I could wander around."

"Savannah is my wife," Gregori confirmed, sounding stern and menacing in spite of the fact that his voice was velvet-soft.

"So," said Gary, so nervous he was beginning to sweat.

"Come back into the house, and we will decide what to do." Gregori was already gliding past him in that silent way he had.

Gary followed. Savannah was by the fireplace. Once again her skin had a healthy glow. Something burned in the depths of her violet eyes as they rested on Gregori's impassive face. Gary saw those silver eyes flicker over Savannah's face. No longer bleak and cold, they warmed to molten mercury, tender and fiercely protective. When Gregori looked like that, it was impossible to fear him.

"I have considered several alternatives to our problem, Gary," Gregori said softly. "I will lay them out before you, and you will choose which of them you are the most comfortable with."

Gary relaxed visibly. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"You are going to be hunted by vampires and those humans involved in the society alike," Gregori told him. "Any place you usually frequent you must therefore avoid. That includes your family, your home, and your job. Those are the places they will be waiting for you."

"I have to work, Gregori. I don't exactly have a huge savings account."

"You can work for me. I have many businesses and could use someone I trust. Arrangements can be made to move you to any of the cities here in the United States where I have offices, or—and it might be a safer alternative—in Europe. The offer stands whether you decide to keep your memories of us or whether you ask that they be removed."

Savannah leaned against the wall, shocked at Gregori's proposal. Feather-light, she touched his mind. Instantly, Gregori's attention shifted to her.
Be silent, Savannah
. It was a clear command. Although his face was as impassive as ever, she could feel the imperative smoldering in his mind, and for once she fell silent, watching him closely.

"I don't want you to erase my memories," Gary said. "I've told you that. Besides, I think I have the right to help you with this mess instead of being shipped off to some foreign country like a child."

"You do not know the dangers, Gary. But perhaps that is a good thing. If you insist on keeping your memory, I can do no other than protect Savannah and our people. I would have no choice but to take your blood so that I could monitor you at will."

Gary paled visibly. Slowly he put down the coffee mug, his hand trembling. "I don't understand."

"When I am nearby, I can read your thoughts, but I must be close. If I have taken your blood, I will always know where you are, I can track you easily to anywhere on this earth, and I will know your thoughts. If you ever betrayed us, I would know." Gregori leaned forward, his brilliant silver eyes holding Gary's captive. "Understand this, Gary. If I had to, I would hunt you. I would find you. And I would kill you." There was complete conviction in his voice, in the depths of his eyes.

Gary could not look away. He felt as if that penetrating gaze could see right into his soul.

"It is something you should think about," Gregori continued almost gently. "It has to be your decision alone. Whatever you decide, we will respect it, and we will do our best to protect you. You have my word on that."

"You once told me the vampire was the biggest deceiver of all. How do I know you speak the truth?"

"You do not. You can only feel what is right or wrong. That is why it is necessary that you take your time before deciding. Once the decision is made, we will all have to live with it."

"Does it hurt?" Gary asked, curious, his scientist's brain already seeking data.

Savannah detected the slight smile in Gregori's mind, the sudden admiration for the slightly built human who came to his feet and began to pace the length of the room.

"You do not have to feel a thing," Gregori said quietly, his voice strictly neutral. He didn't want to influence the human in any way.

"I guess it would be too much to ask to let Savannah bite my neck." Gary made an attempt at humor. He was rubbing his neck, every Dracula movie he had ever seen going through his mind.

A low growl rumbling in Gregori's throat was his answer. Savannah burst out laughing. She could sense Gary's growing agitation. He pushed a hand through his hair. "Do I have to answer you now?"

"Before we leave this house," Gregori replied softly.

"That really gives me a long time to think it over," he grumbled. "So, if you remove my memories of you, I would go back to my normal life and not have a clue I was in danger. That's kind of a convenient way to get rid of me, don't you think?" Sarcasm dripped in his voice.

The silver eyes slashed. Gregori stirred, a menacing rippling of muscle, the predator unsheathing his claws. Savannah laid a detaining hand on his arm. Her thumb feathered lightly back and forth across his forearm. Almost at once the tension in the room eased. But those predator's eyes remained unblinking on Gary's face. "If I wanted you dead, Jansen, believe me, you would already be gone. Killing is easy for someone who has lived as long as I have."

"It isn't like I meant to offend you, Gregori," Gary said. "This isn't easy. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. At least I don't think it has. We haven't met before, have we?"

"No," Savannah answered gravely. "We would have told you. We really are trying to be as honest as we can. This is a tremendous offer, Gary, one I didn't think would even be considered. You have no idea what an honor it—"

"Silence, Savannah. He must make up his own mind without persuasion. It is his decision alone to make," Gregori reprimanded.

He doesn't comprehend the honor you have extended him
, she argued.
If he knew, he would be less agitated
.

S'il vous plait,
Savannah. Let him decide
.

Gary held up a hand. "Don't do that. I know you're talking together. I'm nervous enough. Okay. Okay. Do it. Get it over with. Bite me in the neck. But I'm going to warn you, I've never done this before. It won't be too good for you." He attempted a wan grin.

"Be certain. There can be no doubt. You must know that you trust me. There might be times when I will have to take human life. You cannot change sides in the middle of the fight," Gregori warned.