In the Beginning... (33 page)

Cormac’s breath caught as
she got even closer. His hands trembled as he tilted the bottle up
and poured some of the cream into his palm.
Turn around.

He lifted the cream to her hair and began
massaging the soap into the strands. She tilted her head back and
he continued his ministrations. He both heard and felt her sigh as
it left her body. He worked his way down the long strands until he
reached the ends, about where the swimsuit back started. He ran a
finger along the material. It was a simple cut piece, elegant. He
slipped his fingers under one strap and slid it down her arm. It
caught around her elbow. She shivered.

He left the strap there and
pushed her hair off her shoulder, exposing the skin of her neck. He
brushed his teeth against her neck and shoulder once. Twice.
You like this, don’t you?

Nerves. Stimulus. The books
said the neck of a Dardaptoan is sensitive, the nerves prepped to
aid in feeding. Especially in women.
She
sounded so prim, so scientific. But she didn’t pull
away.

Did the books also say how a
male likes to
feed
from his woman during sex? Did they say how females view it as
a sexual turn-on?
Cormac nipped her neck
with his fangs.
Well? Did they?

She shivered again, her hands wrapping around
the forearm he had tight around her waist. But she didn’t pull
away.

His heart leapt in reaction
when she tipped her head to the side and granted him greater access
to the sweet skin he so wanted.
Jocelyn.
You scared me today.

I scared me, too.

Let’s not let it happen
again.
He nipped her again and again,
punctuating each of his words with a small love bite.
I’m old, a heart attack may be in my future if I
have to keep being so frightened.

He ran his tongue over the spots he’d nipped,
tasting a mix of shampoo, pool water, and Jocelyn on her skin.
Perfect.

His teeth sank deep and he pulled from her
skin.

Lightning pierced her neck and Josey fought
to stand upright. Had she ever felt anything so right in her
twenty-six years? She didn’t think so.

His hands were tight on her
as he tugged her even closer to his hot body. She could feel every
part of him pressed against her. Could almost define his muscles
where they pressed into her back.
All
of his muscles. She shivered again
and again as he continued to feed from her. His teeth were the most
erotic things she’d ever felt against her body and there was no way
she ever wanted them to stop what they were doing to
her.

He pulled away and the world spun. It took
her a moment to realize he’d turned her to face him. She didn’t
think, just slipped her arms around his waist and snuggled as close
to him as she could get. The water had turned ice cold against her
skin, but that didn’t matter. She had him to keep her warm. She
brushed a kiss against one of the tattoos on his chest, then sank
her own fangs into him. As naturally as breathing.

She fed from him as the
shower water washed the shampoo and the blood of that
elhydra
creature from her
hair.

He held her close, and that was all that
mattered in the world.

He had to lock his knees to keep from pulling
them both down to the tiled floor. Her mouth was insistent, her
hands doubly so.

He wanted nothing more than to tug her to the
tile and confirm for both of them that she was safe and whole and
right there with him. His hands started to do just that, yanking on
the material of her swimsuit, trying to slide the damned thing free
from her.

A heavy knock on the suite door was all that
stopped him. He stilled. She didn’t.

Jocelyn. You must stop now. The door.
Someone is knocking on the door.

Hmm? They’ll go away.

And if it’s your father? Do
you think
he
will
be satisfied with that? Somehow I don’t think he will.

It thrilled him, the obvious
reluctance she exhibited as she pulled away. Then her eyes widened
as she realized just how low he had tugged the swimsuit. He grinned
at her, and her gaze narrowed.
Answer the
door!

Do not be embarrassed. I’m sure you’ve read
all about copulation and foreplay for our people. You have to know
that this hunger we feel for each other is completely natural!

Go!

Cormac laughed as he grabbed a towel and
hurriedly wrapped it around his waist. The knock on the door had
gotten more insistent. Whomever was on the other side was not going
away.

It was probably her father, or one of her
other blasted relatives.

He didn’t bother with
clothes, just kept the towel tight around his waist. It was his
suite, and his
Rajni
. What did it matter if he wanted to be naked with her? He’d
lost his shorts sometime during the shower.

He swung the door open, not
surprised to see his wolven daddy-in-law, and his
Rajni
’s Border collie. The
dog—the canine—bounded into the room and nudged the bathroom door
open, in search of her mistress. “Where’s my daughter?”

Cormac shook the water from his hair,
dog-like. He couldn’t resist mocking the

Lupoiux. “Still in the shower. She was cold
and needed warmed up.”

The growl amused him. Still, this was her
father. And he loved her; would die to protect her. Despite being
Taniss, Cormac had to respect that. “She was chilled, shocked.
Scared and full of adrenaline. She’s better now. How’s her
sister?”

“Awake. Bruised and still a little scared.
But she’s in good spirits. Jade always is. She’s also worried about
Josey.”

“Tell the girl her sister is fine, and I am
sure Jocelyn will insist on checking on her sister shortly. Give
her a few more minutes to compose herself and get dressed.”

“Are you going to let me check on my daughter
myself?” The wolf’s annoyance was evident. But he apparently
respected the boundaries. Her father knew he wasn’t the main male
in her life anymore, and was apparently understanding of that. “Or
are you hiding something?”

“Feel free to stick around, pops.” Cormac
waved a hand to the sitting area. “We’ll need to get dressed,
first. Forgot to take dry clothes in there with us, first. You know
how it is.”

Her father flushed, then
growled again. Guess Daddy wasn’t too keen on the
Rajni
bond, after all.
Cormac laughed again.
Best hurry, female.
You’re father doesn’t seem too appreciative of my particular type
of humor.

Are you kidding me? I didn’t
know you
had
any
humor! And don’t fight with him, please?

I won’t. But I can’t promise not to poke at
him a bit. I usually kill Lupoiux on sight, you know. But it would
be extremely bad form to kill my new father-in-law!

He is not your father-in-law, that would
indicate you and I had married. We have not, and we will not!

A marriage ceremony is
entirely unnecessary between those of
our
Kind. But if you would like one,
I’m sure one could be arranged. A white dress—you look beautiful in
white. I’ll even let the puppy here give you to me!

Never going to
happen!
She paused a moment, and he got the
sense that she was rinsing the soap out of that long mass of hair.
He fought the urge to close his eyes and moan. He’d wanted to do
that for her.
Cormac?

The moan was harder to bite
back.
Yes, female of mine?

I need some clothes. I can’t come out in
front of my father in just a towel. He’ll know…that…you and I…

This time he laughed
aloud.
He already knows. He already
knows.

Josey felt her face flame, and she tipped
her head into the stream of water, hoping to cool her
embarrassment.

Her father had
never
caught her with a
man. Not even when she’d been in high school. She had dated
occasionally as a teen, until the attack on Mal. After that she’d
focused on her studies so that she could be the best doctor she
possibly could. She’d only dated once in a while when in college,
as well. She’d only slept with two men in her entire life, and both
of those had been longer term relationships.

And now her father had
basically caught her doing the naughty in a
shower
with the freaking vampire
man?

How was she to face him? She
wasn’t even sure that she wanted to face herself. She rinsed the
shampoo from her hair, then toweled off quickly.
Are you bringing me clothing, or not?

I’m getting it.
Although…
Although what?

There’s nothing that says
you
have
to wear
underwear, right? You don’t really
need
one of these ridiculous scraps of
silk between your legs, do you?

Oh, god!
Just bring me some clothes! Anything!

How about I bring you what
I
want
you to wear,
and that I
want
to
take off of you tonight?
His lechery was
more than readily apparent in his tone. The fire in her cheeks
burned even hotter.

Until she realized what he was trying to
do.

She hadn’t thought of the elhydra even once
since he’d carried her into the shower. Hadn’t felt the
debilitating fear and helplessness that had had her shaking like a
leaf when he’d first carried her to the suite.

Damn him, he’d been distracting her.

She felt her heart soften toward him, just a
little.

Her father avoided looking at her for a
moment, his own cheeks red. From anger at the vampire man, or from
the same embarrassment Josey still felt?

Josey tapped him on his knee
before sinking to the chair opposite him. She tapped her head
against her forehead, beginning signing. "
Daddy, how is my sister?"
She ended
with her fists together and index fingers extended in the symbol
for sister.

Her father looked at her then, and spoke.
"She is fine, better. Barlaam has her and is caring for her. I
think that makes her happy."

Sadness was in his eyes. Because of what had
happened to her sister, or something else?

She continued
signing
, "What bothers you?"

"Besides losing both my daughters to
Dardaptoans? That I have done nothing but fail to keep you both
safe? I will be ok, kiddo. I promise. I just want to check on
you."

Josey nodded then signed
again.
"I am fine. Better and
safe."

Her dad nodded. "I'll leave you alone, then.
I want to check on Jade before dinner. I think she will probably
sleep the rest of the afternoon and evening."

Cormac stared at the boy in front of him,
wanting nothing more than to rip the throat from the traitor and
feed it to Aodhan's wolf Tajic. Only that he had promised the boy
be given a fair trial kept him from doing just that.

Rydere's cousin, young Jambu, had confessed
to paying the Redd Gothan pack to attack Jierra. To kill her.
Cormac did not understand it—Jambu and Jierra were age mates, had
been close friends all of their lives. Why would the boy do
that?

He spit on the traitor, then
stormed away. If he stayed in Rydere's office with the boy much
longer he
would
kill him.

Aodhan stood outside,
guarding the
Dahr
like he always had. Like he always would. He stared at Cormac
for a moment. "Have you the desire to kill him, I cannot say I
would stop you."

"Despite what my female
thinks, I am a civilized man. I gave my word to the
Dahr
that I would not
interfere with a trial, despite it being my right to demand blood
payment for my female and my House." And he had made that promise
when the demon attached to his sister had first appeared, young
Jambu in tow. The demon had found Jambu in discussions with the
Redd Gothan pack, found him arguing about
payment
for services rendered.
Apparently, Jambu had not wanted to pay the Lupoiux mercenaries for
attacking a blonde woman. Because the beasts had attacked the wrong
woman. It was supposed to be his niece.

Jambu's reasons had yet to
be identified. But the
Dahr
would not stop until he got those reasons. When he
did, he would release that information to Cormac. Let him know if
any other threat existed to his woman or his House. Until then,
security for all of the Jareth House had been tightened.

He wasn't letting anything else happen to his
female, his sister, or his niece. What had already happened to them
was enough.

The damned demon had taken
his little sister to an entirely different realm. He understood why
she had accompanied him, he honestly did. But that didn’t mean he
had to like having her out of his sight. Didn’t have to like
knowing someone
else
was responsible for her safekeeping. And she’d be gone for
goddess only knew how long. That didn’t sit well with him at all.
And he’d never been to the demon world of Relaklonos. If he had to
go there to retrieve her, he wouldn’t have the faintest idea where
to begin.