Microsoft Word - Blood and Sex from CE.rtf (22 page)

He wasn’t going to wait around for her to ditch him for whatever asshole Khalil handpicked. If she didn’t think he was good enough for her, no one else was going to either.

Rain spattered his face. Then another drop hit his arm, before a slow shower started. The sound of the drops pinging off garbage cans and whacking concrete filled the air. He let go of her arms and took a step back.

Her eyes opened. “I want you, Blane.” She took a breath. “But I don’t know what that

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will mean. For me.”

Blane stepped back to her and wrapped her in his arms. “Does it matter? The worst Khalil will do is disown you.” He kissed her rain-soaked forehead to hide the lie. That wasn’t actually true, but they didn’t have to worry about what her promised suitor might do right now. “I’ll go to Michael about it.”

“What about Vincenzo?”

“Tell him to fuck off.”

“I promised to meet him tomorrow night.”

“Don’t go.”

“I can’t just stand him up. It will open too many questions.” She swallowed hard and put her head on his chest. Her hair was as wet as his shirt. “I’ll go and tell him in person.”

“I’ll go, too.”

“We’ll discuss it later.”

Which obviously meant she was going to argue. He smirked and pushed the wet hair out of his face. “Don’t think you’ll be going without me.”

Her mouth brushed his jaw.

A shiver ran through him. Damn, she was good.

Blane pulled her mouth up to his and planted a slow, deep kiss on her lips. Her body molded to his, and her hands went to his back as she opened for him. The taste of fresh blood lingered in her mouth, making his teeth ache until he pulled back. “So why did you stop?”

“With the human?”

He nodded, sending raindrops into her face.

She looked away from him, but he wasn’t sure it was from the water. “It wasn’t what I

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wanted.”

“What did you want, Christiana?” Blane already knew, but he needed to hear her say it.

When Christiana could admit what she needed, he would give it to her. It was the only way they could work.

Her mouth went to his neck and her teeth scratched slowly over his vein.

“You’ve got to say it, Princess,” he whispered.

“You,” she whispered back.

He chuckled. “I think we need to go back to the room.”

She leaned back. “I can’t do it. I’ll be bound to you.”

“Not if I don’t drink from you.” Drinking from each other would complete the
vincolo
between them, mating them eternally through the magic in their blood.

“I’m feeling it now, with just last night.”

“Hmmm.” She shouldn’t feel anything from just one tiny drink. He hadn’t intended to bond her in any way, but he did pass out. “I need to ask Michael.”

“No. Don’t. Maybe it’s just me being emotional.” She gave him a soft kiss on the lips. “If we tell him, he’ll feel duty bound to tell Khalil.”

“All right.”

She took his hand. “I want to go to the room, but I need to pick something up first.”

“What?”

“I had a mask made for the ball. If we go back to the room, I don’t think we’ll be coming back out tonight.”

“Is that a promise?”

She shrugged.

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Blane smiled. It was too easy to imagine all the things they could do to keep them busy all night long.

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Blane followed her into the tiny mask shop on the side street. Inside, masks decorated every wall and surface: everything, from the simple kind he’d seen on the Lone Ranger to the huge ornate ones popular at Carnavale and Mardi Gras. A few even hung from the ceiling. As they walked up to the counter, it became obvious that the most expensive ones were kept behind the counter in a large glass case. They sparkled in the overhead light with what appeared to be real gems.

Christiana asked in Italian for her mask. The tiny, graying woman pulled a blue one with a line of blue feather plumes across the top from the case.

Christiana squealed. “This is perfect. Look at this.”

Her hand stroked the string of gems that hung off one side, then trailed along the weaving paths along the face. She put it up in front of her face and the feathers bent forward, framing her eyes. “It matches my dress.”

“Cool.”

She laid it on the counter, thanking the woman. Then she turned to him. “Do you have a mask?”

“No.”

“You can’t go tomorrow without one.” She rattled off something in Italian, then pointed to a long wall of masks. “Come on. We’ll find you one.”

He followed her down the aisle, standing still to let her hold up one mask after another until she finally stopped. She smiled at him, holding a black and silver mask in front of his face.

“This is it.”

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He watched her bounce up to the counter with the little mask in her hands. It was small and covered only the nose and eyes, with no feathers or hanging bits. Of course, he’d feel childish wearing it, but watching her this relaxed and happy, it was the least he could do.

Something about the masks appealed to her. Even if he didn’t understand it completely, he was glad to see her this happy.

“Christiana!”

Blane looked toward the deep Italian voice to see that ass she’d been dancing with and groaned. Not him again. He had to be Vincenzo. He was too annoying not to be.

She smiled. “How are you?”

He grabbed her shoulders and gave her that two-cheek European kiss. “Well. I came to check on you. I was told you had been ill after what Isabella had done.”

“I didn’t feel like going tonight. My escort here, Blane, took me out to dinner.”

The fucker didn’t even look at him. If it weren’t for the little woman behind the counter, Blane would have ripped his head off right there and now.

“Would you like me to walk you back to your room?”

“No. Thank you.”

The little woman announced the total of her bill and Christiana paid it, but Blane kept his eyes trained on the vampire, who watched her every move so carefully, studying her.

“May I carry those?”

She glanced from him to Blane, then back. “Thank you again, but I can carry them.” She grabbed the packages and smiled at him. “It was nice to see you, but I’m still feeling a little dizzy. I’ll see you tomorrow night?”

“Of course. I look forward to it.” He offered her a bow.

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Christiana nodded her head and started toward the door.

Blane shot him a look, then followed her.

“Want me to carry those?”

“Thank you.” Christiana smiled up at Blane as he hurried to catch up on the sidewalk outside the mask shop. He was beginning to sound like a gentleman. Was his true nature beginning to peek through or just a little healthy competition?

She handed him the boxes with the masks inside, then walked beside him down the street.

“What else should we do tonight? I’ve always wanted to ride in one of the gondolas.”

He laughed. “I know.”

She arched a brow at him, but he only watched her. She’d said something before about gondolas. What was it?

Oh
.

She cringed. When they’d been in the limo, she’d been begging to ride in the gondola.

And she’d told him about her human life. When she should have been keeping her mouth shut.

This was starting to become too much.

“What’s wrong?” Blane wasn’t watching her, but looking straight ahead as they walked.

What was she supposed to say? He didn’t want to know more of her problems.

“Christiana, just tell me.” He smiled down at her, but it looked forced. “We’re friends.

Just be honest with me.”

She took a deep breath, then let it out. “I shouldn’t have said so much in the limo.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s the most real I’ve seen you.”

“But it’s not exactly dignified.”

“Don’t you get tired of trying to impress everyone?”