Three Days of Night (10 page)

Morgan, who only wore a simple necklace, laughed and said, “Well, you can’t sneak up on anybody.”

“Who said I was trying?”

I started toward the door and he stepped in front of me. My eyes followed the trail of dark hair that ran down his abs and disappeared at the top of the golden belt. I could get used to this whole men in skirts thing. And the bare feet? That was pretty fucking hot, no matter how I thought about it.

“While you were gone tonight, Hud told me what he said to you. He told me that these three days were his gift to you.”

“Did he tell you that he offered himself as part of the gift?”

“He did.”

Chapter Nine

A gong rang somewhere down the hallway. I assumed it was to signal that dinner was served. Either way, it interrupted our conversation and now Morgan had his attention focused on food. I couldn’t believe Hud had told him about his offer to me. Then again, he
did
offer to let
all of us
sleep in his bed. Wasn’t that the same thing? And why did that sound so good?

The main hall was enormous. I’m guessing it would be called the main hall. Hell, I’d never been in a palace before. Several long red carpets were spread down the length of the floor with tables on top of them set with every kind of food I could think of. And several I couldn’t identify. There was a large fire pit in the middle of the room. The smoke that rose from the fire was the same pale shade of blue as Hud’s skin.

I looked to the head of the main table and found Hud. There were no chairs, only large gold pillows. He looked incredibly graceful as he gestured for us to join him. I couldn’t imagine sitting gracefully on a massive pillow like that. I realize that everyone thinks of vampires as graceful and ethereal. But that takes centuries to master, and probably someone to teach you. I’m one hundred and fifty years old, turned at twenty-six. That means I’ve only had one hundred and twenty-four years and no teacher to learn to be a vampire. Not to pat myself on the back too much, but I am masterful at this, just so long as I’m not nervous. Morgan I was somewhat used to, but the djinn definitely made me nervous.

As I dreaded trying to sit down, I saw D enter from the other hallway. He was wearing the same style skirt as Hud and Morgan, only his was silver trimmed in gold. It accentuated his marble white skin. I smiled at him in greeting and as usual he returned my smile, even though I knew he didn’t really understand why. Poor D. I had never been able to explain to him why people smile. He just sort of played along.

“Please be seated, make yourselves comfortable. Vivian, join me here if you would?”

It didn’t surprise me that Hud knew my real name. I was assuming Morgan told him all that since he knew who I was talking about when I referred to Morgan by name instead of his well-known moniker. Hud gestured toward the cushion to his right. It wasn’t quite as difficult to sit on a big pillow as I’d imagined. However, when I looked up I wondered if I’d done something wrong. All eyes were on me. D was beside me and Morgan was seated on the djinn’s other side.

Hud looked me up and down as a slow smile curled his blue lips.

“You have no objections to the clothing I selected?”

What he really meant was, did I have a problem wearing a thong in public.

“I’ve had a long time to get comfortable in my own skin.” I glanced over at D and smiled at Morgan. “And I kind of like seeing men in skirts.”

Hud laughed and the sound was like a balm to my senses. I hadn’t known I was so stressed until his nearness began to put me at ease.

“It’s called a galabiyah.”

“Yeah, well skirt is easier to pronounce.”

“Isn’t that Egyptian? I thought djinn were Arabian,” D asked.

“The style is Egyptian and djinn became famous due to the beliefs of the Arabians, but we have no nationality.”

I had never heard these races of people discussed except in history books, so this was fascinating to me. It made me wonder, not for the first time, how old Dr. Death really was too. Pity he couldn’t remember.

Hud winked at me and I had the strangest urge to giggle. I hadn’t giggled since I was a child. What was it about his charm that reduced me to a laughing teenager?

“I like the bells,” he teased. Before I could respond he turned his attention back to Morgan and D. “Would you like someone to serve you or do you prefer to serve yourselves?”

Morgan waved off the comment. “I can serve myself.”

“I’ll do the same,” D agreed.

Dr. Death always ate with everyone else. But something told me that if he stopped eating, he wouldn’t die of starvation. The men started to eat and I watched for a moment. It had been so long since I’d tasted food that I couldn’t remember what it was like. Some things stood out, most of it was a blur. Odd, but I didn’t really miss it. I’ve read that some vampires couldn’t stand to watch humans eat because they missed food so much, even after hundreds of years without it. Clearly, I am not one of those vampires.

Morgan started talking about things that needed to be done to the ship and D offered his input. It took me a few minutes to realize that Hud wasn’t speaking. Not only that, he was still smiling at me.

“What?”

He rested his chin on one hand and leaned forward. The effect was strangely adorable. Although that’s a word I wouldn’t have normally used to describe a seven-foot, blue hunk. Even when he leaned over his muscles flexed and caught my attention. My eyes were constantly drawn to his abs, just above his belt. Maybe it’s because I wanted so much to see what was just beneath that belt.

“I have prepared something special for you,” he said.

For a second I thought he was going to get naked. I mean, he couldn’t be talking about food. Then, with a wave of his hand a golden dish appeared in front of me.

“What’s this?”

“Warm Icarum blood. Enjoy.”

I was surprised. “How did you know my favorite? And how did you get this here?”

He laughed. “All-powerful, remember? And don’t worry, no one died.”

I lifted the lid and let the aroma of the blood wash over my senses. It was definitely Icarum. “Thank you, but you’ve only answered half of my questions.”

“I can read the minds of those physically close to me. I can’t tell the future exactly, but I can see the future of those same people. Sometimes.”

His admission made me nervous.

“Can you see
my
future?”

“Yes, and you don’t really want to know, before you ask.”

Morgan laughed. “Well, that can’t be good.”

The djinn shrugged and my attention went back to him. “It’s not entirely bad.” He reached over and took my hand. A thrill like I’d never known coursed through me at that simple touch. I looked up and was lost in his eyes. Their deep blue depths seemed to envelope me and I let them.

 “Enjoy these moments while they last. They will end all too soon. Choices will be made and destinies will be altered,” he said.

When I spoke my voice was soft, almost a whisper. “Now I’m worried.”

Hud lifted my hand to his lips. “Don’t be,” he said as he kissed my hand. And just like that I wasn’t worried. I remembered his words. They sounded ominous to me, but I no longer worried about them. What would be would be. Time would go on as it always had. But in three days, my life would be changed.

Hud only released my hand long enough for me to drink the blood I’d been served. While I drank I nodded my head toward Morgan and asked, “What about
him
?”

Morgan looked at us then and smiled. It was as if he was daring the djinn to tell his secrets.

“There is more to him than you know.”

I raised a brow. “That’s it? That’s all I get?”

Hud smiled. “They are not my secrets to reveal.”

Morgan went back to eating and talking to D. He seemed to be satisfied with Hud’s answer, but I wasn’t.

“Will I ever know?”

“Yes.”

I understood by the tone of his reply that knowing Morgan’s secrets would change things. It was just as well that I didn’t know, because I was not yet ready for things to change. When I pushed back the empty dish, Hud took my hand once more. Only this time when I looked at him he had changed. There was still that welcoming look in his eyes. But there was something more as well, something ancient, and hungry.

“Have you decided on your sleeping arrangements?” His voice was like a warm blanket that wrapped around me when he spoke.

“I’ve told you, I don’t sleep.”

His pupils dilated slightly and when he licked his lips, I knew exactly what was on his mind. “If you do not sleep, how do you plan to spend the night?”

Only two weeks ago Morgan had asked me the same question. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to give the same answer. But I damn sure wanted to.

“Do you have music here?”

His smile was a sin all its own. “I have anything you want.”

I rose to my feet slowly, watching as his eyes followed my movement. Two steps and I was beside Hud. The rest of the room stood still. I put my hands on his shoulders and my breath caught. Just to touch him was incredible. I took his hair in my hands and he moaned. This meant my theory was correct, he really could feel everything his hair touched. I brushed it gently aside, letting the long blue locks fall over his chest in order to expose his back. He sat so still that for a moment he looked like a perfect blue statue. His skin was remarkable. To touch him was to have a new addiction. I ran my hands up and over his back, admiring both his muscles and the smoothness of his skin.

When I stood up I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing my breasts against his back. He leaned back into my arms and we stayed there for a moment, cheek to cheek, listening to his breath.

“You can read my mind, because I have opened myself to you. You know what I want. My every desire is yours to see. Play whatever song you like. Take my fantasies, show them to me. Something tells me you already know the perfect song.”

One minute I was touching him and the next I wasn’t. The room had changed. I had only seen ancient Egypt in pictures, but still I knew that’s where we were. The floors looked to be made of gold and so was the throne in front of me. Hud sat there in all his splendor, dressed like a pharaoh and looking like sex incarnate. There were six steps separating his raised platform from where I stood, making him appear even taller.

I looked to my right and saw D holding a gong. He too was dressed for the time period, complete with dark eye makeup. When I turned around I saw Morgan standing by the door. He was the sexiest guard I’d ever seen, wearing only a golden skirt and a come-on smile.

I looked down at myself and realized I was wearing a black cloak. As I moved I could also feel that I had very little on underneath. My first thought was that I was naked. But as I wiggled slightly I could feel jewelry. Was this
my
fantasy or
his
?

Before I could think about things anymore, D rang the gong. Music started to play and I couldn’t stop myself from dancing, even if I had wanted to. I’m not sure how to describe the tune. It was a combination of old and new. It was deeply sexual and its melody quickly put me into a trance.

My hips began to move and with one slow rotation I opened the cloak to reveal my thigh. I arched my back and the hood fell off. I continued to move my body to the pulsing rhythm, all the while rotating my head slowly, letting my hair fall all around like a thin red curtain. As I moved I could feel hands inside my cloak and I knew that they belonged to Hud. He hadn’t moved from his throne, but he touched me just the same.

I closed my eyes and gave in to the music. I moved in ways I hadn’t know I could, grinding and thrusting in ways I’d bet even Morgan hadn’t imagined before. It was exciting, raw, and intoxicating. I felt powerful and sexy. And I had never felt more wanted. It was beyond what I could have imagined.

When I opened my eyes the scenery had changed. The music still played, only now I was dancing around a fire. The same moves, the same vibration hummed through my body. Only now Hud was touching me and not just with his mind. I threw open the cloak and let it fall to the floor.

I pressed my palm flat against his chest and noticed that my flesh glittered as if I’d been sprinkled with little flecks of gold. His heart was beating hard beneath my hand. The air was warm on my naked skin and so was the feel of his body as he pressed against me. He slid one leg between mine, causing my bare pussy to rub along his thigh.

“More,” I whispered.

Just like that D was behind me and Morgan was at my right side. And they were naked. They covered me with their hands, worshiped me with their bodies. I was overcome with sensation. My mind was spinning. I had visions of naked bodies entwined and candlelight spilling across the room. The full moon shown through the window and illuminated Hud’s skin. I whispered his name and—

“Vivian, are you all right?”

D’s voice didn’t quite register. He put his hand on my back and repeated the question. I was sitting at the table. The empty golden dish was in front of me. D and Morgan were still dressed and they were both watching me. I started to move and realized that Hud was still holding my hand.

I turned to him and his only response was a smile.

“I think so,” I answered at last.

Conversation resumed and the more I studied Hud the wider his smile became. I leaned forward and spoke for his ears only.

“I never left the table, did I?”

“No.”

“What the hell just happened?”

“I did what you asked me to. I showed you your fantasies.”

“If what just happened was only a vision, then why am I sweating?” I looked down at my arms and saw that I was still wearing body glitter.

“The mind is a powerful thing. Just imagine what I could do with my body.”