The Dark Vampire: Last True Vampire 3 (42 page)

“It’s going to have to wait a while longer, unfortunately.” Ronan checked his phone and stuffed it back in his pocket. “I’m two hours late to pick up Saeed. If I don’t get my ass in gear, Mikhail is going to blow a blood vessel.”

“Go,” Jenner said. “I’ll explain to Mikhail.”

Ronan reached down to give Jenner a robust pat on the back. “Later.”

Jenner jerked his chin in response.

“Bria,” Naya said. “If you need anything, call me.” She turned and took off at a slow jog to catch up with her mate.

Minutes passed and Bria remained still, held tight in Jenner’s arms. The security she felt, the peace and contentment, calmed her by slow degrees until her breaths no longer hitched in her chest. Weariness stole over her. A bone-deep exhaustion of both body and spirit. She wanted to sleep, right here and now with nothing more than Jenner’s strength to support her.

“I never should have left,” she said again quietly against his chest. “I’m sorry.”

“I knew I’d pushed you too far.” Jenner’s gruff voice washed over her. “The second I walked out the door, I regretted laying down that mandate.”

“I should have trusted you,” Bria countered. “You were only trying to protect me.”

“And I should have known that you’re strong enough to protect yourself. I underestimated you, and I promise that I never will again.”

Bria’s heart swelled with emotion. So many highs and lows in one night. “Let’s agree to never underestimate each other again,” she said.

“Sounds good to me.” A space of silence passed and Jenner lowered his mouth close to Bria’s ear. His warm
breath brushed the outer shell and she shivered. “Let me take you home.”

She nearly asked him for another minute. The thought of leaving this place where she’d watched the creature that had once been her father die filled her with sorrow. It was all she had of him, no matter how morbid the memory, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to leave it behind. Jenner brushed her hair away from her face and laid his lips to her temple.

There was nothing here for Bria but sadness and death. From the moment she’d woken a vampire Bria had sought nothing but happiness and life. It was about damned time she got on with it.

She pulled back to look at her mate. He was her strength. Her happiness. Her love. “Let’s go home.”

Mikhail
paced the confines of his study. It was nearly sunrise and the night had gotten so damned far out of hand, there seemed no hope of reining it back in. He’d planned to turn Saeed, to take the first step toward resurrecting the infrastructure of power within the covens. Saeed would be the first coven master to be turned, but if Ronan didn’t hurry the hell up and get him to the house they’d have to wait until sunset tomorrow to begin the process. Mikhail wasn’t interested in wasting another minute, let alone another hour.

From the sounds of Ronan’s phone call, Mikhail would be in for an earful when they arrived. Gods, was there to be no peace for any of them? Danger lurked around every corner. He laughed at the thought that the Sortiari was no longer at the top of their list of concerns.

The sound of his cell phone distracted Mikhail from his thoughts and he circled back around to his desk to retrieve it. The “unknown” that flashed on the caller ID gave him pause as he swiped his finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear. “Yes?”

“This is Tristan McAlister.”

Gods-damn it. Perhaps Mikhail had counted his birds before they’d hatched. The director of the Sortiari couldn’t have called at a worse time. And how had the bastard gotten Mikhail’s number? McAlister was certainly crafty. Mikhail expected Ronan at any minute. The urge to tell the director to fuck off burned in Mikhail’s throat, but he swallowed it down. He could be civilized. For now. “What can I do for you, Mr. McAlister?”

The director gave a short laugh. “Call me Tristan.”

That he thought they could be cordial after centuries of war and genocide truly spoke to the director’s arrogance. The utter destruction of his race might have been water under the bridge for the guardians of Fate, but Mikhail wasn’t so forgiving. “What can I do for you, Mr. McAlister?” Mikhail repeated.

The director cleared his throat on the other end of the line. “All right then, I’ll get straight to business. We’d like to see the child.”

A finger of dread stroked down Mikhail’s spine. He already had so much to worry about. Saeed, Jenner, Gregor . . .
gods, Chelle.
Not to mention his pregnant mate, who was due to give birth at any moment. This wasn’t a development he was even remotely interested in addressing yet. “I’m not sure that will be possible at this time.” There was no use in pretending that he didn’t know what child McAlister referred to. Vanessa had been on the Sortiari’s radar for months.

“I think that the both of us are interested in maintaining peace. Why undo all of the progress we’ve made to that end by turning down a simple invitation?”

Progress?
Is that how the Sortiari saw it? Mikhail wanted to laugh. “Are you saying that if I deny you access to the child you’ll consider it an act of aggression?”

McAlister huffed. “I’m not interested in fighting with
you. It’s a simple request, wouldn’t you agree? Besides, you can’t keep her from us, Aristov. Fate will not be denied.”

Of course not.
And that’s what worried Mikhail. Soon Vanessa’s mother would be fit enough to care for her. What then? His resources weren’t what he needed them to be. His forces, scant. He simply didn’t have the bodies to protect Claire and their child, his property, covens of dhampirs from slayer attacks,
and
a human child and her mother.

“You can’t possibly think we’d harm her?”

McAlister’s question hung in the air. Mikhail knew that the Sortiari had ordered that Vanessa be spared when Gregor had taken Claire. The guardians of Fate seemed to change their minds on a whim, however, and that had Mikhail worried. He swallowed down a derisive snort. For something that should be carved in stone, Fate certainly was a fickle bitch.

“You’ll forgive me if I’m inclined to make my own conclusions as to your motives.”

“We’ve made no move to remove her from your custody.”

This time Mikhail did nothing to hide his derision. “As though you could have.” Gods, he wished the Sortiari would remove themselves from the city once and for all. The world was vast. Why set up shop in his backyard?

“You forget who we are, Mikhail.”

“Don’t think I’ll
ever
forget who you are or what you’re capable of!” Mikhail snapped. “What of your slayers, McAlister? Will you be bringing them along?”

McAlister sighed on the other end of the line. “You have no reason to worry about the berserkers. They answer to me and they’re under control. There will be no more attacks on any dhampir covens.” Either McAlister was bluffing or he had no idea that Gregor was planning
a coup. “Surely we can compromise. I’m amicable to meeting in a neutral location. You may bring your mate, and one other representative besides yourself. And likewise, I will bring two members of our organization with me. The playing field will be level and after I’ve had a chance to meet the child and speak with her—in your presence of course—we can go our separate ways.”

Claire would
not
be in attendance. For all Mikhail knew, McAlister was using Vanessa as an excuse to learn more about his mate. Rumors swirled about her uniqueness. No doubt the Sortiari’s curiosity had been piqued as well. “I will bring two representatives along with myself and the child. I will meet with you in one month’s time at a location of
my
choosing, at sunset.”

McAlister harrumphed. The bastard actually had the nerve to act offended by
Mikhail’s demands. “Why a month?”

Mikhail wasn’t about to leave Claire’s side until well after their child was born. “I have other matters that require my attention. Surely a man in a position such as yours understands that?”

Silence stretched between them. “All right, then. One month. I’ll contact you one week prior to finalize the arrangements.”

“Very well,” Mikhail responded. The sound of the front door opening and closing drew his attention. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll bid you a good day.”

“No,” McAlister said. “I think we’ve settled everything for now. Good day.”

He disconnected the call and Mikhail tossed his phone down on the desk.

A long sigh slipped from between his lips and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger.
One more potential crisis to worry about—

“Better late than never, huh?” Ronan strode into Mikhail’s office with Saeed and two other dhampirs behind him.

“You’re certainly cutting it close,” Mikhail groused. “The sun’s about to rise.”

“Blame Jenner,” Ronan said with a grin. “He’s the one out killing necromancers and wendigoes hours before dawn.”

Mikhail raised a brow. It certainly had been a busy night. “Where is Jenner?” He’d no doubt be receiving another call from Thomas Fairchild, since Jenner had nearly turned the male’s coven upside down in search of his mate earlier in the night. “Is Bria with him?”

“She is,” Ronan replied. “You probably won’t see him until sunset tomorrow, though. Believe me when I tell you it’s been one hell of a night.”

Mikhail had no doubt.

He turned to Saeed. The male exuded strength. His dark eyes met Mikhail’s and he gave a shallow nod of his head. Mikhail mused that Saeed must have looked much like Osiris, the vampire who’d sired them all. The male had strength, intelligence, and a quick temper that made him a formidable dhampir. No doubt he’d make a truly fearsome vampire. Thank the gods, he’d sworn allegiance to Mikhail.

“I apologize for the delay,” Mikhail said. “As you can see, our small numbers make for complications when trouble arises.”

“Then hopefully my presence here will put you on the road to righting that weakness,” Saeed answered in his smooth, deep voice.

“I think it will,” Mikhail said.

“This is Sasha and Diego.” Saeed indicated the dhampirs who’d come in behind him.

Mikhail offered them both a nod of acknowledgment. Saeed had brought the male and female to feed him once
his transition was complete. Mikhail had warned him that his need for blood would be ravenous and was glad to see that he had taken the words to heart.

“I don’t see any point in wasting more time; do you? Sunrise isn’t far off, so I think we’d better get to it.”

Saeed nodded. “I’m ready.”

“You’ll stay?” Mikhail asked Ronan.

“Yeah. Naya’s wiped, I’m sure she’s already in bed and I told her that I wouldn’t be home until sundown.”

“Good.” Mikhail held his hand out to indicate the doorway, and Saeed and his coven members stepped out into the hallway. Mikhail followed after them. “Let me know when Jenner shows up.”

“Will do,” Ronan said.

Another vampire would soon fill their ranks. Mikhail couldn’t help but be pleased.

The blackout blinds would come down over the windows in Jenner’s apartment in less than an hour to shut out the sun for the rest of the day. He wasn’t tired, though. Didn’t feel the onset of exhaustion that usually weighed upon him in the moments before daybreak. A dry burn chafed his throat and unsatisfied need built within him.

They’d been separated for little more than twenty-four hours, but if you’d asked Jenner he hadn’t seen his mate—felt the comfort of her body or tasted the sweet nectar of her blood—for years. His emotions had run the gamut: fear, rage, despair, sorrow. . . . His chest ached from the buildup. Jenner’s limbs quaked, his hands balled into fists. If he didn’t purge soon he’d fucking explode.

He needed Bria to survive. And he’d almost lost her tonight.

She stood at the living room window and looked out at the city lights below. Her dark hair tumbled over her shoulders in a riot of curls that Jenner couldn’t help
but want to comb his fingers through. With her shoulders thrown back, her spine straight, she was the very picture of strength. His Bria.
His.
For the hundredth time he marveled that Fate had seen fit to tether his soul to such an extraordinary female.

Jenner came up behind her and buried his face in her hair, inhaling the intoxicating lilac scent. His arms came around her and he hugged her tight against his chest. Bria’s hands came to rest on his forearms and she let her head fall back against his shoulder, baring the delicate column of her throat to him. Jenner’s thirst blazed and his secondary fangs throbbed in his gums.

He put his lips to the creamy skin at her neck. A soft kiss followed with a slow flick of his tongue that caused Bria to sigh. The sweet sound tightened his sac and hardened his cock in an instant. There wouldn’t be a day of his existence that his body didn’t yearn for hers. One hand ventured up to cup her breast and Bria arched into his touch. Through the fabric of her shirt her nipple hardened beneath his palm, and Jenner stroked the peak, swirled his fingers over it until it further pearled under his ministrations.

Bria let out a low whimper and her muscles tightened against him. Jenner released his grip on her long enough to strip off her shirt and remove her bra. He brought his gaze up to the large picture window and stared with appreciation at her reflection in the glass. Her eyes met his and a rush of molten lust shot through Jenner’s system. Cupping both of her breasts, he teased her, plucking at the rosy tips until Bria’s breath came in quick pants and her moans of pleasure grew louder.

He reached down and slid her pants and her underwear down her thighs. Bria kicked the garments from around her ankles and Jenner sucked in a sharp breath at the sight of his mate’s naked reflection in the glass. So brazen. So
unashamed. The complete opposite of the female her uncle had hoped to raise. Jenner reached down between her thighs. His fingers met her slick arousal and an appreciative groan built in his chest. She was ready for him, dripping, and it caused his cock to throb hot and hard behind his fly.

Bria’s expression melted into one of ecstasy. Her lips parted with her quickened breaths and her eyes held his through the reflection in the darkened window. Jenner couldn’t remember a time he’d ever been so gods-damned aroused just watching Bria’s expression, her body as she reacted to his touch. She opened her legs wider and Jenner found her clit with the tip of his finger. He swirled a slow circle while he rolled her nipple with his other hand. Bria gasped and her knees buckled, but Jenner’s grasp on her kept her upright.