Let Them Eat Cake (15 page)

She moved slowly toward the deep pulse of malevolence, knowing what horror waited for her at its core.
“Mormo is on the western edge of town. There are fields just beyond the city’s limit on that side. Perfect.”
She knew Justin, Luke and her servants would get the mental message. The minute the Emp became aware of her, Maria sensed it and rejoiced. She accepted that the beast had turned her focus toward her, probably frustrated at the absence of any other paranormal beings in the city this evening. The Emp might feel the men, but they were traveling in a group. Maria was the only one out alone tonight.

The Vampire Council had been very successful in getting the word out, demanding every race stay inside or travel in groups over the next few evenings. Mormo’s choice was clear. Stalk a mortal, a group of paranormals…or Maria.

They hoped the lure of a single vampire would be the creature’s choice, as she must be wounded and weak from Luke’s attempts to kill her.

As Maria and the men planned, she swerved away from the Emp and headed toward the open fields, trying to draw the creature away from her city. She didn’t want to put anyone else in danger or expose the existence of paranormals to the humans. If they were able to engage the bitch in battle she didn’t want anyone else around.

“The Emp took the bait! She’s following me.”

“Be careful, Maria. We are still a short distance behind you.”
Justin’s loving concern for her safety rang loud and clear in her mind.

She settled to the ground in a small clearing just off a dirt road. The area was surrounded by trees and would hopefully be perfect for their plan.

She dodged the Emp’s first flying attack, screaming as she darted across the suddenly miniscule field. The beast took up too much space for Maria’s peace of mind. “You revolting, slimy-legged ass! Keep your disgusting paws off me.” The creature didn’t even bother trying to hide her true form, appearing in all her scaled and leather-winged grotesqueness.

Maria couldn’t suppress her snicker as Mormo shrieked in pain, stomping her brass-hoofed foot and shuddering in anger. Score one for the side of good. As it had been the last time Maria faced the creature, the face was a black nothingness and the writhing snake hair seemed to be undulating with a mind of its own. Mormo smelled like decaying chicken guts. Ugh!

“Jeez, you stink! Don’t you ever bathe? Or use deodorant? It would take a lake of steaming water and buckets of soap to make you smell good, so I guess you don’t bother, do you, bitch? Someone just beat you about the head and shoulders with a hideous stick and threw a bunch of gross snakes in to top you off. I bet when you were born your mother killed herself, you were so ugly.”

The Emp squealed and seemed to throw a huge conniption fit at Maria’s insults, stomping her feet and waving her clawed hands in the air while she made disgusting, guttural noises in the back of her throat. Maria had to dodge and run again when the bitch lunged for her by flying across the ten feet or so separating them. She could feel the air movement on her shoulder as the thing barely missed touching her. “
Hurry up, guys!”

Thank God the beast was clumsy on her misshapen legs. If she took to the air again, Maria would have to figure something else out. For good measure, when she evaded the sharp talons of the Emp’s claws and came to a stop across the clearing, she pulled the gun from her shoulder holster and shot the Emp several times, ripping through the black flesh of Mormo’s wings. She knew it wouldn’t really hurt the thing, but maybe the bullet damage would keep her from flying and besides…it made her feel good to hear the damn thing cry out in pain.

“Cadaver-breath, why don’t you get a monster pedicure and see if you can’t do something about those repugnant hooves you’ve got. I’ve never seen such revolting feet.”

The cavalry had arrived. Luke’s taunt as he appeared from the trees about ten feet to her left took her by surprise.

“Dear Lord, I’ve never seen such a hideous thing. You need some serious help, girlfriend.”

“As insults go, Matt, that was weak
.
”
Maria sent the taunting thought to her human servant without taking her eyes off the creature. Matt was a few feet to her right. The appearance of the two men worked as they had planned, confusing the beast as she was now confronted by the psychic essence of three non-mortals.

“How’s this?”

“Hey, you bowlegged, pus-hoofed freak of nature, somebody ought to put us out of your misery!”

As both Maria and Luke started laughing, the Empousai let out a high-pitched squeal and turned her body toward Matt.
“Oh, good one, sweetie.”
Maria had tears in her eyes she was laughing so hard. She tensed when she felt the wind pick up slightly and caught the sight of Justin and Brian as they stepped out from the woods behind the Emp.

Luke, Matt and Maria went into their practiced routine, vying for the beast’s attention as Justin and Brian slowly moved toward the Emp. Desperately the trio worked to keep the focus of the creature off the two men behind her, without forcing the bitch to disappear.

As Justin and Brian moved to within a few feet of Mormo, Maria continued mouthing off. She kept her attention on the creature, covertly watching as Justin raised his hands, the circular saw’s handle gripped in both fists. Justin had upgraded the high-powered saw after they bought it by adding a diamond blade used specifically for hard metal, then he modified it further by removing the blade guard. This left a lethal expanse of the blade’s sharp teeth exposed. They all seemed to be moving in slow motion.

She saw Brian lift his hand to turn on the switch. The slight click alerted the Empousai to the men’s location behind…just as they’d all feared. Maria held her breath as Mormo tensed as if to turn around. But by having Brian turn on the saw, Justin didn’t have to readjust his grip and he was ready to move instantly. He lunged forward and swept the exposed blade against the creature’s calves.

Nothing happened.

Chapter Twelve

The Empousai turned on the two men behind her. Maria started to run to their aid. “Oh, shitohshitohshit, now what?” she screamed, as her mind searched frantically for another solution. She could sense everyone scrambling to do the same.

But that movement was the beast’s final act. In one pass Justin had sliced through her calves. When the Emp turned, her body moved…but her feet stayed in place. Mormo crashed to the ground and burst into flame.

The end result was almost anticlimactic. The rush of adrenaline-laced fear left Maria lightheaded.

Minutes later, she looked down in satisfaction at the charred ashes of the Empousai. A foul stench permeated the air, the disgusting cinders the last reminder of the monster who’d terrorized her territory. A breeze blew up, swirling the remains and scattering them to the wind.

She glanced back to look at her mate. “Justin?” she queried. And laughed at the sheepish delight on his face. He couldn’t move a lock or change his clothes. But he was born into the night to control the weather. Something she would never manage.

“It’s just so much fun to play with the wind, my pet,” he said, as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. The circular saw lay discarded behind him.

“If you two are through fooling around, we still have work to do.” Luke’s disgusted tone brought Maria back to the task at hand. The monster’s bronze foot lay in the dirt, the only sign of the battle they’d fought against evil. The donkey half of the pair must have gone up in smoke with the rest of the body.

Brian had been right. Cut off the bitch’s feet and she disintegrated to ash. Hallelujah!

“So what are we supposed to do with this?” she asked in disgust, as she used the toe of her boot to push the one bronze hoof through the dirt.

“Oh, I don’t know…how about if Matt and I turn it into a candlestick and give it to you for your wedding?” Brian drawled with his usual insolence.

“Ugh! No thanks,” she replied hastily. “Luke?”

He shook his head and shrugged. “We could always send it to the Absolute Sentinel Council. Along with instructions on what to do if another Empousai ever shows her ugly body anywhere in the world.”

She and Justin shared a quick look of heat. Good. Get rid of the damn thing and they’d have enough time to be alone before the two of them would go meet with Justin’s parents. They would be telling Bill and Nancy tonight of their plans to marry. Nancy had called to chat yesterday, something she’d never done in all the years Maria had known her. Maria really liked Nancy, and it seemed the sentiment was returned. Justin’s mother seemed to want to relay little tidbits from his boyhood, and at the end of the call she’d told Maria how wonderful it was to see Justin smile again with real warmth, after the cold pain she’d seen in his eyes when he’d come home from overseas. With that comment, she’d let Maria know she had his family’s support.

Maria spared a small moment of thought on her outrageous happiness and how perverse that was—the two-hundred-year-plus Queen of France acting like a giddy bride who welcomed and needed her lover’s parents’ approval. She didn’t like the fact that Bill and Nancy were mortal. The thought of them having only a few more years on this earth sent her into a deep depression. She wondered if…well, she intended on bringing it up for all of them to discuss tonight. There were older pairs of vampires out there.

She wondered if now would be the perfect opportunity to put her little surprise into action? She and Justin had just enough time to quench the ever-present hunger they shared for each other. The rush of adrenaline and danger left them burning with the need to reestablish life and their bond.

She still couldn’t believe she’d found something as rare as a vampire’s true mate bond with Justin. Bound by blood, by soul…he would never get territorial with her, never grow beyond what they shared to search for something more.

Veronica had said the ties between them would only grow more intense.

Their individual gifts would also grow stronger with time. As true mates their strength would be communal and her age was an asset. Because of their bond, Justin didn’t come into his abilities as a “new” vampire, but as one with over two hundred years of living. He would just need to learn to control it.

And Luke said that someday soon they’d both be able to walk in the sun. She still couldn’t believe she’d missed that important little tidbit of vampire lore.

She didn’t hear the others leave. All she saw was Justin, stalking her with a wicked gleam in his bright blue eyes. She felt the ever-present arousal swell and flood her body with awareness and yearning.

“Justin,” she warned, holding up her hands. “I am not about to let you fuck me in this field over the dead remains of the Empousai.”

He laughed, willing to chase her. Catch her. “Have you forgotten so soon that I seem to have become as strong as you, my love?”

Ronnie had warned her about this. He would forever feel the need to dominate and control her. Well. She had a few tricks up her sleeve.

She shot into the air and headed back to his house. They had decided to turn the little Victorian into a love nest of sorts. It would be somewhere to spend time away from the ever-present ears and eyes of her bookends when the two of them got rowdy. It would work until she talked to him about her idea of a new place with plenty of room for them all.

And boy had she planned rowdy. She just needed to maneuver him into place.

She landed in the back yard and quickly ran through the door she’d opened mentally, down the hall to race up the stairs and into the bedroom. She laughed as he burst into the room behind her and came to a quick halt.

The bed was part of her surprise. The large antique four-poster came equipped with sturdy posts. You had to climb up three stairs to get onto the huge sybaritic dream of a mattress. And she’d added thick, red silk cords around each strong beam.

She used his astonishment to her advantage and flicked her wrist. The swift motion of her hand stripped him and sent him flying to land sprawled on his back. Another quick flick and his arms and legs were bound tight.

“Oh, yeah,” she purred. “You’re mine now.”

As she walked toward him, candles blazed to life, casting flickering shadows over her pale skin as her clothes melted away with a thought. She froze in total erotic appreciation of the sight before her. Justin lay on the bed with his muscled arms and legs flung wide, his thick cock hard and springing from the dark blond curls.

“Maria,” Justin growled low in his throat as he tugged against his bonds.

“Ummm,” she hummed, as she climbed up on the bed and crawled up his body. “Yes, my love? You were saying something about your impressive strength?” She moved over him and settled her ass on his stomach, smoothing her hands up his muscle-bound chest and over his bulging biceps.

“I can see what you mean,” she murmured against his skin as she used her tongue to trace those muscles. “Very impressive.”

She could feel Justin pull and struggle, trying to break the cords. Well—she smiled in satisfaction as her mouth found his nipple—he could pull all he wanted.

Veronica had sent her an early wedding present, along with a note explaining how she’d been able to get a fae friend of hers to come up with these little wonders. He wouldn’t be able to break the ties, and the bedposts had been reinforced internally with steel bars.

“I’m going to start by licking every inch of this oh-so-impressively strong body,” she whispered. “I may stop once in a while over an especially enticing vein to sink my teeth into you and taste your hot blood.” She sucked his nipple into her mouth and rolled it between her teeth.

She had to keep herself from laughing as he swore at her and strained and pulled against the cords. She made a mental note to hide the ropes as soon as they were finished. They were getting married in a few days, and if Justin got the chance to tie her up, she didn’t think they’d surface in time for her to walk down the isle.

She sat up and ran her hands up his side, delicately stroking the arch of his ribs. His skin felt wonderfully smooth and warm under her fingertips. He shuddered and moaned under her hands. She traced his pecs and followed the intertwining muscles to his massive shoulders, bent to use her tongue to play over the thick bundles of biceps and triceps, the hard knots in his forearms cabled with tendons as they stretched above his head.

She leaned into him, letting her breast brush against his lips. And gasped as he took the invitation and pulled her nipple into the heat of his mouth. Moisture pooled between her thighs and she ground her cunt into the hard plan of his stomach, pulling away from him to slide down and fulfill her earlier promise to lick every inch of his body.

By the time she’d licked and laved her way over his incredible legs and played with his belly, Justin was groaning in earnest. His body thrashed and a fine sheen of sweat covered his skin. She loved the salty-sweet taste of him. And now she could devote her attention to the surging shaft between his legs. His cock was fully erect when she took him in her mouth and suckled him deep.

His hips rocked her up off the bed as he thrust upwards.

“Maria!” he shouted.

She reached under him to grab his firm butt and hold on tight, controlling his force as he pushed into her mouth. She kept her lips and tongue in motion while her fingers traced the contours of his ass, played with his balls and tickled the tightly puckered ring of his anus.

“Marrriiiaaaa,” he cried. “Stop, baby…please. Sit on me. Ride me hard. I want to be buried in your tight heat when I come,” he begged.

She worked her head up and down a few more times in a slow form of torture, considering his pleas. She wanted him. Needed him to fill her. She pulled back and released his heavy erection. She climbed over him to position her entrance over the swollen head of his cock and met his burning gaze.

With her hand she guided him, and opened their link in her mind.

Their mating bond snapped into place. Suddenly Justin was Maria. He felt himself, the width of his own cock pushing through her tight passage. Filling her, pushing against buried nerve endings. He felt the pulsing beat deep in her sex, the fire in her nipples and the ache in her throat.

The echo of her pleasure drove his own need even higher and he pushed it back to her. Showing her how it felt to have her own wet silk walls clasping his cock as she sank down on him.

Maria’s eyes flared in surprise and desperate hunger as she leaned back to grab her ankles and roll her hips hard. She slid up and down his long shaft, and he could see his thick length slip in and out between her thighs in lush, erotic torment. In one quick swoop she fell forward, grinding her hips down as she pulled his head to the side by his hair.

“Yes!” He screamed into the dark room as she plunged her fangs into his neck, gasping at the warm velvet feel of her lips. The burn of pleasure flashed through him and he pumped his ass in frantic counterpoint to her drawing mouth.

The orgasm ripped through them and Maria moved her mouth away to howl her pleasure. She released his bonds with her mind and settled in to fall asleep on his chest.

She never saw the look of satisfaction on Justin’s face as he rolled up the cords and hid them under his pillow.