In the Beginning... (42 page)

“Do you believe them? Is it possible the
bastard kept his...side dealings...away from his family?”

Aodhan thought for a moment of the videos he
had watched, of the evidence he personally had collected against
Leonard Taniss. None had any hint that any of Taniss’s sons were
involved. Yet. It was entirely possible that Leo Taniss had kept
his sons out of his murderous dealings with Dardaptoans. For his
female’s sake, and her cousins’, he hoped so. Still, if the second
generation Tanisses were innocent, that made what Aodhan and the
others planned to do to Mallory and her sister and cousins even
more reprehensible.

“How do I make up what I have done to
her?”

Auri stared at him for a
moment, sadness and longing on her face. “Just love her, brother.
As you would if she had been any other female chosen for
your
Rajni
.”

Aodhan nodded, then watched
his sister walk away. Auri so longed to be loved. She had been
there when her best friend, the healer Kindara, met her own
Rajni
. And had been there
for her friend after that
Rajni
had been murdered at Leo Taniss’s hands.
Understood how deep a
Rajni
bond went. And Auri had seen many of her age mates
find their mates through the last two hundred years. Female
Dardaptoans
scarcer than males
often found their Rajnis earlier, usually around
their two or three hundred years. But Auri was past that, and still
alone. Aodhan knew his sister wanted her mate and children, despite
her insistence that she was a warrior of
Equa
l measure to any male of their
Adrastos family house. Auri had always had such a soft spot for
children.

Hopefully, his sister would find her own
happiness sometime soon. Aodhan hated seeing the hope fade from her
eyes a little more each year she spent alone.

After he led her back to the damned suite
Mallory waited until he was gone to do whatever it was damned
vampires did for a living, then took another shower and scrubbed
herself clean. She couldn’t seem to remove the feel of his touch
against her skin, no matter how hot she ran the water or how hard
she scrubbed her body. Finally after nearly an hour under the
spray, she sank to the bottom of the shower stall, and wrapped her
arms around her knees. Giving up.

She didn’t cry. She didn’t
think she had any tears left to cry. It wasn’t him she was trying
to wash away, and she finally had to admit that to herself.
She’d
fed
from him,
had touched him and tasted his blood willingly. Willingly. God,
there was no way she could go home. Not and be around her sisters
and cousins. Some of her male cousins were still teenagers, the
youngest Taniss, Dylan, was only twelve! She couldn’t be around
them, couldn’t put them in danger.

And neither could Emily, Josey, or Mickey.
It wouldn’t be fair to any of them.

Mallory felt ill when the realization sank
in that she had to stay right where she was. She had to protect the
rest of their human family from what she and the others had all
become.

She pulled the remnants of
her strength around herself, and stood. She flicked off the still
steaming hot water then stepped out of the shower. She dried
herself and dressed, deliberately donning
the turquoise tunic and trousers identical to what she’d seen
him wear instead of the jeans and sweatshirt with Dardanos Resort
emblazoned across it he’d ordered her from somewhere.

If she was no longer human, she would no
longer dress as such. No, she’d wear this symbol of whatever it was
she’d become until the knowledge of the danger she presented others
was instinctive within her. She wound the white silk scarf around
her waist deliberately, and another around her hair, then studied
herself in the mirror.

Determination was evident in her face and
she squared her shoulders.

She had survived so much
worse than this
losing her mother when she
was seven, her aunt dying when she was eleven, being raped when she
was twenty-one
she could get through this
somehow.

Her first order of business was to find her
family and then learn as much about this place and its occupants as
possible.

She looked for her sister and cousins as she
explored the hotel, but didn’t see them. Where were they? Had the
men who’d kidnapped them kept them locked in their suites? Mallory
hadn’t been stopped by anyone when she’d left the wing decorated in
turquoise and gold, though she had passed quite a few people
dressed in clothing similar to hers. After an hour of wandering
through the hotel she decided to find a spot and just watch. To
study and learn what she could. A plush chair covered in orange
velvet was located in the corner of the lobby and she sank down
onto it. It swallowed her, obviously built for someone bigger than
her own near six feet. Were all of these creatures huge?

Aodhan was close to seven feet tall, and his
friends were all at least six and a half feet tall. Even the women
Mallory saw milling through the lobby were her height or taller.
Why? Something genetic?

She’d have to ask Josey about that. Mallory
was an accountant at heart, and had been working with her father to
eventually become Taniss Industries Chief Financial Officer.
Genetics were not her thing.

She closed her eyes at the thought of her
father and what he must be experiencing right now with both her and
Mickey missing. Longing for him hit her so hard she almost doubled
over. She hoped he was ok, that Rand and Becca were keeping an eye
on him. Hoped he was remembering to take his heart medication.
Despite looking twenty years younger than he actually was, her
father had a few heart problems. He’d had them all his life, and
Mallory lived in fear of the day his heart finally gave out. Having
two of his four children missing could possibly be killing him.

She didn’t know how long she
sat in the hotel lobby watching the people coming and going. It
didn’t take her long to realize that about a fifth of the
people
obviously guests
wandering through the hotel were human. That surprised her.
Unless the vampires were luring them here as a blood
source?

That didn’t make sense. Mallory was close
enough to hear some of the conversation from the front desk area.
Many of the humans were actually checking out of the hotel and
leaving. Was it a real hotel, then?

Every indication said yes, it was. But
Mallory knew instinctively that the men posted at the doors,
wearing grey tunics with turquoise stripes down the sleeves were
there for a reason. Her. And her cousins.

They were security; she
could see it in the way they stood, the way they watched everyone
coming and going into the hotel. The way they’d studied her when
she’d first entered the lobby, and the way they’d tensed. They had
fighting experience, most likely martial arts like he did. And just
under their tunics she’d seen the holsters. These men were armed,
but to keep people out, or to keep people
her
in?

Mallory made a note of where each man was
positioned and studied each man’s mannerisms. There had to be a
weak link among the security staff somewhere, and though she’d
determined she was not going anywhere for a long while, having that
knowledge would only come in handy.

“Well, kitten, have you
enjoyed your day
exploring in the
hotel?”

His voice came from beside and behind the
chair and Mallory turned to look at him. He wasn’t alone, the man
Cormac was at his side, looking dark and dangerous. Criminal. Poor
Josey to be held captive by such a man. There was no gentleness
about the Dardaptoan dressed in green, and Mal feared for her
cousin.

“Where’s my cousin?” Mallory asked, ignoring
the hand Aodhan held out to her. “Have you hurt her again?”

Aodhan was thrilled to see her dressed in
his colors, despite the wariness still in her green eyes. She stood
challenging Cormac, her spirit that of a true warrior. A
fighter.

“Your cousins are all quite well, kitten.
Including Jocelyn. I believe she and her dog are exploring the
gardens at the moment. Come, we will take a walk ourselves, then
will have dinner this evening. I’ve arranged something
special.”

“Bully for you.” She said
it, but her words lacked heat. Aodhan was resolved to ignore her
reluctance to be with him as long as that reluctance existed. The
Goddess decreed they be together. No one on the planet better
suited him than this once-human girl. And what was a few days or
even weeks of her resistance, considering they would be together
for centuries? He nodded at Cormac and the other man left, probably
to search out his own
Rajni
.

Aodhan brushed a kiss against red curls,
ignoring the way she stiffened beneath his hand. “I hope you enjoy
fine dining, kitten. This resort features four restaurants,
including one that is quite divine. Our chef routinely takes
classes in France. He makes the best seafood. After dinner, we are
going to the elementary school. Their theatre club is putting on
one of my favorite fairytales.”

Startled green eyes stared at him. “You have
an elementary school here?”

“Of course. Not all of our children in this
city are homeschooled, although more are than most. Many have
parents well into their five hundreds, kitten. Tradition is strong
here. We also have a 20% human demographic in this city. We have
human children in the schools.” That surprised her, he had no
difficulty seeing that. “We are normal people, Mallory. We just
have slightly different DNA than humans. We have the same basic
needs, and we love our children deeply. You will see.”

He led the way to the
restaurant, keeping his hand on her back. For some reason, he felt
as nervous as a schoolboy on his first date. He had to smile at
that
it was his first date with
his
Rajni
. Why wouldn’t he be
nervous?

They didn’t have
reservations, but Aodhan didn’t need them. Being
Equa
n
of the Adrastos family had its perks. He held out the chair
for his female and waited for her to be seated. He’d
never dated a female before, but he was damned
determined to do this right. His female deserved it.

She was the most beautiful woman in the room
and he told her so, ignoring the way she shook her head. She would
need to get used to hearing him say it; he meant it, too.

He tried to make small talk with her over
the course of fish and fruit, but she was reticent. At first. Most
likely because he refused to let go of her hand where he’d captured
it on the table. He needed to touch her. As the meal went on, she
relaxed some. By the time they reached the elementary school, she
was relaxed enough with him that when he laced his fingers through
hers and led her to the section of the auditorium reserved for the
heads of each House, she barely seemed to notice.

She enjoyed the children’s
production of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, laughing at the kids’ antics and
holding her breath when some of the more nervous children said
their lines. Compassionate. Aodhan enjoyed watching her
watch the children.

She would be a wonderful mother to their
children someday. He wasn’t sure he wanted to rush those children,
though. Maybe they would take a decade or so and spend that time
together loving each other and learning as much about one another
as they could?

Maybe that was something he would have to
discuss with her after she warmed up to him?

After the children’s production they
returned to the hotel suite. She watched him warily, like a
frightened cat, cornered in a back alley. He knew what she feared;
how could he not?

How was he to help her realize he would
never hurt her again?

“If you’d like, I’ll give you some privacy
while you change for bed.” He said the words in as coaxing manner
as he could. “The servants put your clothing in that chest there.
It was my great-aunt’s. She never married and was one hell of a
warrior. Fought in the Roman Civil War in the first century
A.D.”

She looked in the direction he pointed. “It
can’t be that old.”

“It is. And been carefully preserved, used
through generations of my family. It is yours now. Get changed, the
night grows late, and there is much for me to do on the
morning.”

“What exactly is it that you do, exactly?
Besides kidnapping unsuspecting accountants?”

“I am head of this tribe’s
security. It is my job to ensure everyone in this city is kept
safe. From
Dahr
Rydere down to the smallest child.”

She stared at him for a long moment. “I
won’t have sex with you.”

“I know. Not yet. But you will sleep beside
me every night. That is where my

Rajni
always belongs.”

“I’m not your
Rajni
or anything
else.”

“Do you always deny the obvious, kitten? Go
on. Go change. If you don’t, I’m going to assume you prefer to
sleep naked, and I’ll do the same.” He leered at her, teasing.

Green eyes widened and she scurried to the
bathroom. He laughed. One day...one day she would sleep against him
naked. He would guarantee it.

Less than ten minutes later
she returned bundled in a thick
vestis
and
pardus
sleep set. Her hair was braided
and hung halfway down her back. Her face was scrubbed clean. She
looked so young; he so wanted to debauch her.
He yanked the blankets back, exposing the mattress. “Get
in.”
She hesitated.