Desire After Dark: Lords of Pleasure (18 page)

Luc frowned but didn’t pursue the matter, for which she was grateful. But she knew the second they were alone he was going to have questions. She hoped not to have to lie to him more than she already had—by omission, but still.

The auburn-haired assistant led them away from the foyer down the right-hand wing, toward a large door on the left, close to the end. Kass knew the way by heart, and she understood Benji was only escorting them because of Luc. The assistant didn’t dare let her bring the vampire in without being announced.

The god didn’t take well to surprises.

Benji knocked and then stepped inside. “My lord, Kassandra is here…and she’s brought Luc Fontaine with her.”

“Really? Tickle me fucking pink.” She could almost see him scowling. “Well, send them in, gods-dammit!”

The assistant jumped at his master’s shout and opened the door wide, ushering in the visitors. “Here they are, my lord.”

“You can go, Benji.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Kass stood her ground under the god’s inspection, not daring to show how truly frightened she was becoming. She was grateful for Luc at her side, despite what he might learn.

Odin was a big, imposing man. Long, silver hair fell past his broad shoulders and framed a face of a man in his late thirties—and a stunning face at that. If he wasn’t seated behind his desk, he’d stand around six-seven, and when angry, he was scary enough to make the toughest soldier shit his pants like a toddler.

Steely gray eyes set off by dark brows bored deeply into her now, as if he were taking a peek into her soul. He was leaning back in his chair, his limbs deceptively loose as he tapped a pencil’s eraser end on the desktop. When he finally spoke, his voice was like the roll of distant thunder, promising dark and treacherous territory ahead.

“I visited the Fates and received counsel. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? What your actions have caused?”

“I thought so. But now I’m not sure,” she admitted, casting an uneasy glance at Luc. Her vampire looked tense, ready to spring if the god made one hostile move toward her.

“Oh, the trouble you’ve wrought is all upon yourself, have no doubt.” Sitting up straighter, he pinned Luc with his gaze. “You will wait in the sitting room across the hallway while I finish speaking to your wayward Valkyrie.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m not asking, young vampire,” he said in a deceptively pleasant tone. “Go now, before you learn more than you ever wanted to know about the gods. I’ve not harmed Kassandra in all these centuries, and she’s safe with me now.”

She knew what Odin meant—if Luc didn’t leave, he’d tell the vampire everything. And she wasn’t ready to face that yet. Turning to him, she grabbed his hand. “Just wait for me, okay? I’m going to endure a good chewing out by my boss, and then we’ll go home. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

Luc wasn’t looking at her. His eyes never left the god’s, nor did he give an inch. He only gave in for her sake, and only with the greatest of reluctance. “All right. But I’ll be across the hall if you need me to kick his ass.”

After one withering glare at Odin, he left, shutting the door behind him with more force than necessary. She waited a few seconds before tackling the issue at hand.

“I know you’re furious with me.”

“Anger doesn’t cover what I’m feeling, Kass.” He sighed, wiping a palm down his face. Suddenly, with the fierceness gone, he looked exhausted. “You seriously fucked up.”

“That’s the way you see it, but I don’t know what else I was supposed to do.”

His balled-up fist pounded the desk. “You should have let the werewolf tear him limb from limb! Then you were supposed to bring the vampire to Valhalla to serve me as the Fates decreed! If you had, none of this—”

“He’s my mate,” she told him softly.

The god stared at her for a long moment, before lowering his head into his hands. “Son of a gods-damned, cock-sucking bitch.”

Yeah, that about covered it.

“I couldn’t let the werewolf kill my mate. I’ve waited for so long for someone to love, and then to find him like that…” She gave a bitter laugh, heartsick at the memory of what happened to him. “I couldn’t lose him.”

“You said love,” he said thoughtfully. “
Do
you love him?”

Gods. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, recalling their lovemaking. Until then, she couldn’t have said. But now?

“I’m falling for him, and I believe he feels the same about
me.” Opening her eyes again, she tried to calm her pounding heart. “So tell me, what did the Fates say? I admit that I messed up, but now you know why. Does he still have to die? Please, I’ll do anything,” she began, her voice breaking.

“The thing is, someone has to pay a price for the act you’ve committed,” he said, his voice uncharacteristically gentle, which scared her more than anything. “Clotho spun two more life threads, and Lachesis cut them. One short and one long, to represent both you and Luc.”

The blood left her face. “B-but which one of us got the short thread?”

Odin stood, then came around the desk. His expression filled with regret, he clasped her shoulders to steady her. “The Fates have decreed it is for you to choose.”

Horror swept through her, and dizziness swamped her brain. She would’ve fallen had the god not guided her into a chair. He knelt, rubbing her hands, and the gravity of the situation began to sink in.

“Me?” The question sounded in her own ears, as if from far away.

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“There is no choice,” she whispered, her throat clogging with grief and misery. “I won’t let anything happen to him. Not now, not ever.”

Odin gave her a sad smile. “I never believed you would choose differently, my stubborn warrior.”

“When—” She choked on the words, and had to start over. “When my time comes, where will I go? To Hades?”

“You know I’d never allow that. You’ll come here, to serve as one of my soldiers.”

For eternity. Without love. Without her mate.

She nodded. It was done. And now it was more important than ever that Luc not learn the truth, despite her previous resolve to tell him. She would have to lie outright. Because if he knew, he might try to sacrifice himself to save her, and she wouldn’t risk that.

He must go home, to New Orleans—soon.

Until then, she’d have to make enough memories to keep her sane during her long, lonely existence in Valhalla.

Luc paced the hallway, listening to the murmur of voices from inside the office. Whatever was going on between Kass and Odin, it was much more than a simple “chewing out” by the boss, as she’d put it.

He could reach out with his vampire hearing and eavesdrop. It would be simple. Then he’d know what was going on and what she was keeping from him. But there was the issue of trust.

Kass was his mate, and he’d told her during the session in the dungeon that he did in fact trust her. If they were ever going to build on the bond that had started to flourish, he had to trust her to handle things, and to tell him about it when she was ready. She was a warrior and had existed long before Luc drew his first breath. She had a lengthy history with Odin. It stood to reason that she knew what she was doing.

Okay. So, he wouldn’t listen in. But it was difficult to resist, so he walked to the sitting room before he changed his mind. And continued to pace. He started when he heard the door finally open, and he hurried across the hall. Kass emerged alone, shutting the door behind her. For one unguarded second, her beautiful face was the picture of sadness.

Then the next, she saw him and smiled warmly. Had he imagined it?

Three steps and she was in his arms, kissing him so passionately, he almost forgot his worries. But not quite. He drew back and studied her closely. “What happened?”

“We worked it out,” she said, beaming at him.

“That’s not what it looked like when you came out.”

“Oh, come on.” She poked him in the ribs with one finger. “Of course I wasn’t thrilled when he was finished serving up my ass. Since when is getting called on the carpet any fun? How about we get out of here and make some real fun of our own?”

She wanted him to let it go, so he would. For now.

“Sounds good. Where to?”

“Would you like to see some of our realm? I would love to show it to you. The countryside is beautiful, and the open market in the town near our palace is really neat. There are all kinds of booths and every type of food you can imagine.”

He perked up. “Food? Now we’re talking.”

“I figured that would make you happy. Sightseeing first?”

“Sure. As long as we won’t run into any werewolves.” He was only half joking.

“There are no werewolves here, but there are plenty of other creatures that the inhabitants of your world should be grateful they don’t have.”

“Such as the banshees Benji mentioned? I always thought they were myth.”

“Oh no,” she said seriously. “They exist. They’re horrible creatures, and we definitely wouldn’t want to meet up with one. They are omens of death, and their wailing is atrocious.”

“Gods,” he muttered. “I’m glad we don’t have those.”

“Be glad you also don’t have trolls, ogres, or minotaurs—among hundreds of other beings the earth realm believes are legends.”

He made a face. “Don’t you have any that are cute and lovable?”

“Of course we do—I just can’t think of any at the moment.” She took his hand. “First, let’s get out of here. Close your eyes again.”

He did, and instantly the floor vanished from under his boots. Thankfully, the loss of equilibrium, the stomach-dropping feeling, lasted only seconds before they were on solid ground again. He opened his eyes and had to blink at their surroundings.

The scenery before him was like a television set with the brightness turned on a bit too high. The trees and rolling hills were a vivid, emerald green, the wildflowers almost neon. The sky was a fairly normal blue—he’d seen it while at the pool, after all—but the rest of nature was unbelievable.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” he breathed. “How do you stand the vibrant colors?”

“I’m used to it. In fact, the tints of your world are muted to me.”

“I can imagine, when this is what you’ve always been around.”

She smiled. “Come on.”

Taking her hand, he let her drag him along, pointing out every rock, tree, and flower. The comforting buzz of insects and tweets of birds were active all around them, letting him know that nothing dangerous was lurking nearby. At least that much was similar to home.

“You said there are good creatures here,” he ventured. “Name one.”

She thought for a few seconds. “Brownies.”

“Huh? The only brownies I know are the kind you bake in the oven.” At her look of disgust he laughed. “They’re a dessert, sort of like chocolate cake but more chewy, and cut into squares.”

“Oh! Well, our brownies are small, humanlike creatures who dwell in people’s houses and come out only at night. They clean, wash, and do other housekeeping duties in exchange for gifts of food. They especially love honey. To have brownies living in your home is considered the highest of honors.”

“Why is that?” What intriguing creatures.

“Because they’ll serve only the kindest and most considerate of home owners.”

“What a nice thought. Do you have any residing at the palace?”

She snorted. “Are you kidding? What kind and considerate qualities would you say my sisters possess?”

Well, he wasn’t touching that one. Instead, he made a noncommittal noise in his chest and pretended great interest in a stream ahead of them. Further inspection revealed the shallow bed to be home to all sorts of interesting fish—brightly colorful, as he’d expected.

They spent a while longer enjoying the scenery, and best of all, kissing—lots of kissing.

What red-blooded vampire wouldn’t take the opportunity to plunder his mate’s delicious mouth while he had her alone, away from the decadence of her palace and the other residents? Not that he minded, usually. But this was fantastic, just being with Kass, getting to know her better, strengthening their bond.

After one marvelously slow kiss, he drew back and cupped her face. “I meant to say thank you, earlier.”

“For what?” she asked, curious.

“For deciding I’d earned the right to feed from you. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.” He debated how much to tell her. Gods knew he didn’t want to scare her off. “I—I don’t want to take blood from anyone but you from now on, unless I have no other choice. And I don’t want to have sex with another, unless I’m with you.”

Her eyes widened, and her lips parted. “Why?”

Because you’re my mate, my heart. Because we’ve bonded, and I’m yours.

Rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks, he settled for a very important part of the truth. “Because I’m falling for you, Kassandra. I think you felt that from me when we made love this morning, and if I’m not mistaken, you feel something for me, too.”

“I do,” she whispered. “But Luc—”

“We can still play with others, if you want. Like the scene with Legion—Satan’s balls, that was hot! But I’d like us to play together.”

“I’d love that, too, us playing together, but I don’t want you to close yourself off to feeding from others, or having sex with them while you do.”

“But—”

She silenced him by placing her fingers over his lips. “I might not always be there to see to your needs, and I want you to feel free to take care of them. There should be no guilt involved in the best part of being what you are—a vampire lord with appetites that must be satisfied.”

It didn’t escape his notice that she referred to him as a vampire lord, not her slave.

He frowned, unsure. “You won’t be jealous? I got the distinct impression you weren’t happy when I took Maya by the pool.”

“I was, a little. But I was also very turned on, watching you and knowing you were performing for me,” she admitted. “More importantly, I would never want you to deny your nature. It was fun pretending you’re my slave, but we know that’s not really true. I want something more real, more honest.”

“So do I, but I’m still not certain about this.” He’d always been sexually free, and this was quite a gift to be able to share this sort of openness with his mate. But something about Kass was off.