The Seeking Kiss (6 page)

“Yes. In every way.”

So much sorrow reflected in his eyes, along with the firelight. Nissa had to swallow a lump in her throat.

“You are every bit as beautiful, Nissa. You and Hex both.” He paused, stroked her hair again. “You are meant for each other, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“We often know these things. We’ve talked to you about it before. And I know that you are for Hex. Being with us, together, was simply your introduction to him.”

“Do you really believe that?” Her heart was pounding, with hope, with sorrow. “That people, vampires, whoever, can be
meant
to be together?”

“I know it to be true. It is not some sort of religious thing, not pre-ordained by any sort of god. I don’t believe in gods, just as I don’t believe we vampires are evil. But it is a spiritual thing, the connection between two beings.”

“But then…what now?”

“Now I stay with you only long enough to take you safely through your transition into this dark life. If you want it still.” He gazed into her eyes, searching. “Do you, Nissa?”

Hex.

“Yes.” It came out as a whisper, her heart beating too hard, emotion choking her.

“Then you shall have it. And I will be there. But it will be Hex who gives you the Turning Kiss. And you will be his.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. “Aleron…”

“There is no need to be sorry. Don’t you see? Don’t you feel it?”

“Yes. I feel it. So deep in my bones I can barely stand to be without him for an hour, even when I’m with you, Aleron. And I am sorry. Sorry to take him away from you. Sorry that although I adore you in a very true way, I love him so fiercely…I can’t stand it, not to have him. Even if that means hurting you. It feels wrong. But I feel…helpless to do anything else.”

He smiled once more, his face hard and frighteningly beautiful, but his blue gaze soft on hers. “This is
right
, Nissa,” he told her. He took her hand and lifted it, brushed his lips across the back of her knuckles in a gentle, old-world gesture. “You are taking nothing from me I am not entirely willing to give, I promise you. I will be with you. I will help you. And you will always have a part of me, as I have a part of you. There is no need to be sad. I am never alone, if I choose not to be. And there’s the Midnight Playground. All the pleasures of the world await me there. And I am enough of a sensualist to appreciate such a place.”

His smile widened into a wicked grin, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

“Shall we prepare you for your journey into this new life, Nissa? Are you ready to come to us, to be one of us?”

Her heart was racing, hammering in her chest like the powerful roll of thunder. But she had never felt so certain of anything in her life. Other than her need for Hex. Her love for him.

“Yes. I’m ready.”

Chapter Six

Nissa stood naked in the center of the rug in the bedroom while Aleron himself brushed out her hair. When Hex came in, he smiled, that lovely flash of strong white teeth making her go liquid all over, making her nipples come up hard.

“Nissa. Aleron called me.”

“She is ready for you, Hex,” Aleron said, his hand coming to rest reassuringly on her shoulder.

Hex’s smile widened, and he came to her, took her in his arms. They were solid around her, her bare flesh rubbing against his clothes. She wanted him as naked as she was. She simply
wanted
him.

“Ah, I want you, too, my Nissa,” he whispered to her, leaning in to kiss her cheeks, her lips. “Has Aleron explained this all to you? The ritual of the Turning?”

“That we are going to the Midnight Playground. That you will both be with me. Yes.” Her heart was racing at the thought of being Turned. Of being eternal. Of being with Hex forever. “I don’t need to know any more.”

Hex nodded, then looked over her head to where Aleron stood behind her, his hand still on her shoulder. Hex laid his hand over Aleron’s, and she watched their gazes meet. There was love there. Tenderness. Her own heart swelled with love for them both.

They spent some time readying her. Hex dressed her himself in the most gorgeous black silk lingerie he’d brought for her, then a short leather dress. Aleron brought her a long trench coat made of the same butter-soft black leather, draping it over her shoulders. It felt like a ritual already, as she stood silently, allowing these two amazingly beautiful creatures to care for her almost as if she were their child. Except that there was nothing child-like about the purely sexual sense of expectancy in the air.

Finally, they were ready, the two men dressed mostly in black leather as she was, Hex in leather trousers and a black T-shirt, Aleron more formal in his billowing white silk shirt. They led her down carpeted stairs, through a long hallway, and out into the night, where a dark, sleekly armored car waited at the curb. The driver was silent as Aleron helped her into the backseat. And though she could see nothing of the driver but the back of his head, she could sense right away that he was a vampire himself.

She sat between Aleron and Hex, her hands in each of theirs, as they raced through the dark London streets. She was too filled with anticipation to speak, and they remained quiet on the drive.

They wove through the calm avenues of Highgate with its stately old homes, then through the lesser neighborhoods, passing storefronts with flashing neon signs and iron bars over the windows, dark, dilapidated apartment buildings, much like the one she lived in herself. She knew she wasn’t going back there. Where she was going remained to be seen. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was that she would be with Hex. She turned to him, and he smiled at her, leaned over to brush her lips with his, sending a warm shiver through her. And a wave of anxiety. She pulled back to stare into his beautiful face.

“Hex? Is this… Tell me this is the right thing to do. To leave my life behind. To be with you.”

“Ah, Nissa… This
is
right.” His hand went to her cheek, his thumb tracing along her jaw. “This is right because there is something in each of us that responds to the other, like two ends of a magnet. It’s right because you feel it, too, even though you’re scared right now. It’s right because we love each other.”

“I do love you, Hex.”

“I know it. I feel it. And I love you.”

He moved in, his lips coming down on hers, and the kiss was soft and sweeter than anything she’d felt before. That sense of wanting him was still there, but love shone through, brilliant, dazzling her heart and her mind.

The car came to a stop, and Aleron helped her out. As she stepped onto the curb, a small thrill went through her. The Midnight Playground towered before them, its stone façade as solid as ever. But no longer as mysterious to her. She now knew some of the secrets held behind its gates. Knew in some unfathomable way that this place would be a sort of home to her, a refuge. That she was about to become one of
them
.

Heart pounding, she let Aleron and Hex lead her through the gates, then the tall doors and into the club itself, no one stopping to question them. Inside, the club looked the same as before, but everything more brilliant to her, as though touched in a golden light.

“It begins already,” Aleron whispered to her. “Do you feel it? As though your body senses the impending change.”

“I feel it. Yes.”

They took her down a hall, then down a flight of wide, marble stairs she hadn’t seen before, her booted heels clicking on the hard surface. Hex held tightly to her hand, making her feel safe, even as her pulse raced, hot and thready in her veins. They went through another pair of heavy doors, and into a large room. In the center was a high dais of sorts, a pedestal made of carved marble. When Nissa looked closer, she saw figures of gorgeously fashioned angels and demons, and smiled to herself. On the dais was a bed draped in black velvet, and strewn with pillows in gold silk. The room was crowded, and as Nissa looked at each of the ethereally lovely men and women there, she realized they were all vampires, all gleaming, flawless skin and glittering eyes like a hundred jewels in the soft light coming from a low-hanging chandelier made of thousands of small crystals. Music played so softly she could barely hear it, something gentle and trance-like.

She could feel the collective energy in the room, a hundred hearts beating with purpose, with excitement.

Hex turned to her. “They are ready to welcome you, Nissa.”

Her eyes burned with tears. When had she ever belonged anywhere, but to her lost Nana? When had she ever felt the need to? She’d lived her life as she’d had to, never needing anyone, anything. Always taking care of herself. And now, even before her Turning, she felt a powerful sense of community with these strangers. And she understood why Aleron and Hex had wanted for her this public Turning.

Hex leaned in close to her side. “We sensed that loneliness in you, Nissa. We knew this would be good for you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled at Hex, and then at Aleron, who squeezed her hand.

They moved toward the dais, the crowd parting for them. Heads nodded as they passed, smiles with a flash of sharp, white teeth. She could not get over how utterly flawless these people, these vampires, were. And she was about to become one of them.

Aleron and Hex lifted her onto the dais, then both followed. Her pulse was hot, wild in her veins as they slowly undressed her. Then, naked, they laid her down on the bed. She felt no sense of self-consciousness on the small stage before their audience of vampires. She felt nothing but a keen excitement at what was to come, and even more when her two lovers stripped to their beautiful, gleaming skin and came to lay with her, one on each side.

She could feel the buzz of energy in the room as Hex and Aleron began to stroke her body. Pleasure raced over her skin at their every touch, fingers and palms skimming over her arms, her sides, her thighs. Then Aleron pulled her into his arms and kissed her, hard, his tongue pushing between her lips, searching her mouth. She wound her arms around his neck as desire rose in her belly, between her damp thighs. His skin against hers was firm, smooth, but cooler than usual, as though he were already separating from her. And she felt sad and exhilarated all at once.

He kissed her harder, his tongue driving deeper, his arms so tight around her she could barely breathe. She was panting into his mouth, exchanging his pure, sweet breath with her own.

He pulled back and said quietly, “I love you, Nissa, as I would love one of my own. But you are for Hex. And I give him to you, and you to him. Do you accept this gift?”

She nodded her head, overcome by desire, by emotion. She saw for one fleeting moment sadness in Aleron’s brilliant blue eyes, then he smiled at her, lifted her wrist to his lips and bit into her flesh.

Lovely, pleasure racing through her veins, as though his hands were between her thighs, on her breasts, all at once. And those snapshot images once more of Emeline—her lovely face, broken by age, but still softly beautiful. Aleron lying with her in a field at night, beneath a starry sky, holding a cup of wine to her lips, pledging his love to her. Undying love, for he would not die. But she would. Sorrow flashed, dark and heavy in her heart. But Aleron pulled away, a small droplet of her blood clinging to his lips.

“Do not be sad, Nissa. I have had love. And now, you shall have it too. Take Hex, and all I feel for him, all I feel for you. And know I will be happy that you two are together.”

He shifted, handing her over to Hex, who had sat quietly behind her. Now his strong arms wound around her. And as Aleron transferred her to Hex’s embrace, the two of them leaned in, and Hex kissed her blood from Aleron’s lips.

Her heart was thundering, her body aching with need. Hex pulled her in closer, kissing her harder, and she tasted her own blood sweet on his tongue, and a strange craving went through her. For Hex, yes, but also for blood. It was beginning already, as Aleron had said.

Hex kept kissing her, until she was breathless with desire, her body hot, her sex damp. His hands were on her, and so were Aleron’s. She was held by them both in a tight embrace, safe, loved. Then Hex pulled back.

“Are you ready, my love?”

“I’m ready.”

“I will make you mine, Nissa. We will belong only to each other after this. Forever.”

She nodded, swallowed hard, and Aleron’s arms tightened around her.

“I am here with you,” he whispered to her.

Hex gave her one last kiss, a sweet brushing of his lips, and then he bent his head, kissing her throat, soft, sweet kisses, making her shiver.

“Say goodbye to the life you have known,” Aleron told her, “and prepare yourself for this final journey.”

She heard the low murmur of a hundred voices, felt a surge of energy from the audience, could sense them pressing in, closer to the dais. But all that truly existed for her were Hex and Aleron. Her lovers. Her mentor and the one who would be hers for life.

Eternal life.

It was really happening.

She let her head fall back in surrender, and smiled as Hex sank his teeth into her neck, into the carotid artery. There was no pain. Pleasure swarmed her as her blood pumped hot into his mouth, and down his throat. Her mind spun, images of her own life flickering behind her closed eyes—her Nana’s sweet face, the smoking and neon-lit streets of London, her favorite childhood doll, the smoothed pile of dirt that was Nana’s unmarked grave, the dimly lit bar where she’d worked all these years, her first lover, her last lover. And then she saw Hex’s life, the Arizona desert where he’d grown up, a priest trying to explain to him that his mother was dead, his father beating him, the strange images of all the places in the world he had seen, beauty and misery side by side. And she understood him completely for the first time. Understood that his truest nature was for him to remain sweet, free of bitter regret. Instead, he took on life as it came to him, was true to himself, no matter what, and she understood that this was why she loved him.

The pleasure rose, intensified, until she grew delirious with it. And the images faded away, leaving her in a sensual pool of dark, liquid scarlet, glittering like a handful of jewels. Her blood was sharp and tangy in the air, and she could taste the scent of it in the back of her throat. And Aleron held her safe in his arms.

Finally, Hex pulled away, used a silk handkerchief to wipe the blood from his face. He was panting, breathless, as he moved in to kiss her once more. She was weak, limp in Aleron’s arms. Hex held his wrist to her lips.

“Drink, Nissa.”

But she was too dizzy, too warm and safe, with her beautiful lovers. She wanted to slip into the dream of Hex’s life once more.

“You must drink,” Aleron told her.

“I can’t…”

“Nissa.” Hex grabbed her face, held it in his strong hand, and she smiled at him.

“I love you, Hex,” she whispered, even saying the words almost too much for her.

“I love you. And that is why you have to stay with me.”

She sighed, her body growing warmer. She wanted…what? She felt good, lovely, as though she were floating. And Hex was there with her, and Aleron. What more was she supposed to want?

She let her eyes flutter closed. Too lovely to move. To do anything.

“Nissa!” There was alarm in Hex’s voice. “Stay with me.”

She heard the murmur of voices all around them, soft and vague.

“He loves you.”

“Stay with us, Nissa.”

“Stay with Hex.”

And Aleron was saying to her, “Fight it, Nissa. Be strong.”

“Nissa. Look at me, my love. Look at me.” Hex’s hand was hard and hurting on her face, forcing her eyes open. “I love you. I love you!”

Her heart melting, bursting. And all she wanted was to be with him.
With
him.

“I love you, Hex,” she whispered.

“Then be one of us. Drink from me.” He lifted his wrist to his own mouth, bit into it. She could smell the blood immediately, his blood. Like honey. Like something which belonged to her, and her alone.

He held his wrist to her open mouth, and her tongue darted out, tasted. Ah, sweet. Sweeter than anything she had ever tasted. And pleasure flooded her at a dizzying rate, filling her up, drowning her body in need.

She drank. And the more she drank, the more she needed. The blood was hot on her tongue, sliding down her throat, and she swallowed so hard, so fast, her throat ached with the effort. Desperate with need now, she sat up, held onto his arm, her hands biting into his flesh. Hex groaned, but it only served to drive her hunger for him, for his blood.

Strength began to gather in her body, along with a desire so keen it nearly hurt. Her eyes flew open, and she saw Hex’s gaze on hers, his eyes like two pieces of amber lit from within. And as she watched, as desire built upon desire, everything began to change.

Hex had always been beautiful, but now he was absolutely radiant. His skin was so polished, she could see and feel every silken plane of it in a way she’d never felt anything before in her life. She felt Aleron’s arms around her, holding her safe, his skin as much an epiphany as Hex’s. And she knew in some strange way that she was aware of their mood, of their thoughts, and it was nothing like seeing those memory bites when they’d drunk her blood in the Seeking Kiss. She understood it would always be like this.