Toil and Trouble (11 page)

“But you are well aware what my saliva did to you?”

“It healed me.”

“My blood is much stronger, Poppet.” The idea of drinking his blood suddenly struck me as something…sensual and I wasn’t sure what I thought about it. Yes, Sinjin was a babe and a half but…

“Would it make me stronger?” I asked.

“Yes, of course.”

“Could I defend myself against Ryder?”

“Yes.”

“Would I be strong enough to kill Ryder?”

He cocked his head, considering it. “Perhaps.”

“Then it’s a bet I’m willing to take.”

He laughed and leaned into me as if he were about to kiss me. I closed my eyes—I just couldn’t help it, it was like an automatic response.

“I have not yet agreed, Love.”

I opened my eyes. So, he hadn’t meant to kiss me? Now I just felt like a dumbass. “I would protect you, Sinjin, against Bella,” I blurted haplessly, embarrassment staining my cheeks.

He smiled. “I do not need your protection. I am stronger than any in Bella’s legion.”

Okay, there was nothing I had to offer him that would in any way equal what I was asking for in return. So…sometimes you just have to beg. “Please, Sinjin…”

“There is one thing,” he said with an infective smile and I had to gulp down the thrill that invaded my stomach.

“I’ve sworn off men and I’m not into casual sex,” I interrupted, almost more as a reminder to myself.

He chuckled, not in the least bit offended. “Why have you sworn off men, Pet?”

“Because they are a pain in the ass and they’ve brought me nothing but misery. I’ve decided to become celibate.”

“Pity, Poppet, you are such a lush little package,” he said, eyeing me from head to toe. “Much as I would enjoy making love to you, my thoughts had run along a different course.”

“Which is?” I paused for a brief moment, suspicion getting the better of me. Who knew what desires frequented his mind. The real question was, would I agree to anything?

“I will train you and we will meet every night. But, in return, you will attempt to locate the prophetess each evening.”

I narrowed my eyes. Why was Sinjin suddenly interested in the prophetess? Hmm, whenever I started to think Sinjin might actually possess a magnanimous bone in his body, something laced with selfishness always reared its ugly head.

“I have no idea who she is or how to find her. I don’t even know if she is really a she and for that matter, I’m not even convinced there is a prophetess.”

“You have psychic abilities, do you not, Love?”

“Yes, but they are unreliable.”

He nodded. “That is good enough for me.”

“And if I’m not able to find the prophetess, what then?”

“No harm done.”

I eyed him, trying to solve the riddle of why he was interested in the possible existence of the prophetess. Of course he’d never admit his reasons to me but I wondered about them, all the same. “Did Varick put you up to this?”

He shook his head and reached for my hands. His were ice cold and I fought to pull mine away. “It will be yours and my secret, agreed?” he asked.

I nodded—what other option did I have? “Does this mean you’ll give me your blood?”

He didn’t say anything but brought his wrist to his mouth and smiled with a great show of fangs. He bit into his wrist and didn’t even flinch. Dark blood trailed out of the wound and down his forearm.

“Lick it,” he whispered.

I pulled my hair back and grabbed his arm. “Will it turn me into one of you?”

He chuckled. “No.”

With my fingers wrapped around his wrist, I paused. Could I really do this? I mean, I barely ate red meat...

“Look at me,” he said. “I want to watch you.”

So, he was getting off on it—that was okay, I guessed. I kept my gaze fixed on his and licked the blood from his elbow. It was salty and metallic and horrible. I licked up his arm, trying to keep myself from gagging. He clamped his eyes shut and threw his head back as I licked the two fang marks.

“Enough, Poppet,” he said and opened his eyes, pulling his arm away from me. His breathing was belabored. “How do you feel?”

He brought his wrist to his mouth and licked the two open wounds. Instantly they closed up and the skin looked as good as new.

I shrugged. “No different.”

“Sit,” he said and motioned to the portable chair he’d been occupying before I interrupted his feeding with Candy.

“I feel fine, Sinjin.”

“You will need the chair, Love, just humor me.”

I shrugged and took a seat.

“You must never allow anyone to know what we have just done, do you understand?”

“I promise, Sinjin. I’ll never say anything to anyone.”

Hmm, there was something starting in my stomach—a fluttering like a million butterflies. “I feel something,” I started, pressing my palm to my belly.

“Pain?”

I shook my head. The fluttering of the butterflies was becoming stronger until it felt like an insistent buzzing from somewhere deep within me. I suddenly felt warm and…elation coursed through me, feeling like a warm breeze on a cold day.

“I feel…amazing,” I said, a smile stealing my lips.

“Tell me more, Pet,” Sinjin said, kneeling down in front of me.

“It feels like,” I closed my eyes, trying to describe the feeling. “Like I’m flying.”

Bliss enveloped me and I couldn’t help laughing. The butterflies clustered within me and when I opened my mouth to laugh again, they escaped on my breath, floating out of me in an array of colors. I gazed at them in awe. “Do you see the butterflies, Sinjin? They’re beautiful.”

He chuckled and the sound was so infectious, I giggled with him.

“You are hallucinating, Pet.”

“You just can’t see them, Sinjin but they’re here, all over this tent.” I said, watching them as they swirled around the tent, settling on the fabric walls. I attempted to stand up, to walk over to them, but Sinjin’s hand on my knees stopped me. I relaxed back into the chair, noticing Sinjin’s hand as it moved up my thigh.

“You feel so cold, Sinjin.”

“Poppet,” Sinjin said and touched my chin. I glanced at his face and gasped; his eyes were ice blue and glowing.

“Your eyes!” I said. “And you…you are beautiful, Sinjin.”

“Thank you, Pet. Now focus, why have you sworn off men?”

I shook my head, not wanting to focus on anything other than the ice blue of his eyes.

“Answer me, Love,” he insisted.

“Because my feelings are hurt,” I answered, just as an incredible orange and black butterfly landed on my hand. It beat its gossamer wings as if showing off for me, prancing along my arm, just as proud as any show dog.

“Why are your feelings hurt?” Sinjin continued, stroking my hair. “Who hurt you?” His voice was laced with anger, possessiveness.

“Rand,” I responded absently, admiring the beautiful Monarch as it reared up and spread its wings, clearly impressed with itself and showing off.

“What did he do to you?” Sinjin demanded.

“Nothing, that’s what the problem was,” I said, my voice sounding far away. “I wanted to have sex with him and he refused me.”

At the mention of the word “sex”, Sinjin gripped my thigh tighter. “Why could he not do it, Love?”

I shook my head, uninterested in the conversation. My little monarch had flown away, having grown bored with me and joined its brethren along the walls of the tent. Then, as if my little friend had whispered to them, they fluttered from the walls of the tent and surrounded me, their paper-thin wings tickling me. They were nothing short of wondrous.

Sinjin tilted my chin, forcing me to look at him, instead of the butterflies. “Why would he not make love to you, Poppet?”

“He was afraid we’d bond.”

Suddenly, the butterflies scattered, having grown impatient with Sinjin’s questioning. Damn him!

Sinjin stiffened beside me. “Are you and Rand bonded, Jolie?”

But, I wasn’t concerned about bonding or not bonding. I was only focused on getting the butterflies to come back. “You scared the butterflies away. I don’t know where they went.”

“Love, it is very important you tell me if you and Rand are bonded.”

“Why does it matter so much?” I asked, annoyed.

“Because if you are bonded, I should never have given you my blood and you should not be here now.”

“We aren’t bonded,” I answered, still searching the tent for any sign of the butterflies but they’d disappeared just as quickly as they’d arrived.

“Are you certain?”

“Yes, he stopped before we had the chance to bond.”

Sinjin nodded and offered me a relieved smile. “Good, I am happy to hear it.”

I yawned and leaned back into the chair, snuggling against his hard chest and suddenly became dizzy. “Why do you care so much, Sinjin?”

“If you and he are bonded, you and I can never be a possibility.”

I laughed at the thought of Sinjin and I together although I couldn’t put my finger on why it was so funny. Instead, I tried to stop the room from spinning. “It’s funny sort of,” I said, gripping the chair as the room started settling back into place.

“What, Pet?”

“I can’t get laid. No matter how hard I try.” I covered my face as I giggled, finding the situation increasingly hysterical.

“I would not have failed you,” he said, smiling and rubbing his hands up and down my thighs.

I took off my jacket, throwing it on the ground as I reclined back into my seat. “Your blood makes me feel so good, Sinjin. Why didn’t you tell me it would make me feel like this?”

“I did not know it would.”

I glanced at him again and traced the outline of his face with my finger. “Do you think I’m attractive, Sinjin?”

He nodded. “Beautiful.”

I rested my palms against his chest. “And you would have had sex with me?”

“Say the word,” he answered, gripping either side of my waist in his large hands. The cold of his touch penetrated through my sweatshirt and I shivered.

“So, what’s wrong with Rand?”

Sinjin sighed and dropped his hands from around my waist, as if the last thing he wanted to discuss was Rand. “Bonding involves a new set of rules, Poppet.” He paused, standing up as his attention fell to the ground. “You do not want to bond yourself, do you understand? It is dangerous.”

I shook my head. “I’ve heard all that—I could die if something happens to him, blah! Do you know what I hate, Sinjin?”

Another bout of happiness welled up within me and I had to close my eyes to keep it all in.

“No, Poppet, tell me.”

“I want more of your blood.”

He chuckled. “You had enough, Love. Tell me what you hate.”

“All the rules in this Underworld. Why are there so many rules?”

“It is just our way,” he said and started for the mouth of the tent. “I must feed, Jolie, it is becoming too difficult to be near you when I am hungry.”

I pulled up my shirt and bared my stomach. “Bite me, Sinjin, you gave me your blood so I’ll give you mine.”

In an instant he was on top of me, gripping both sides of my waist as he leaned into me. He moved down the length of my body and brought his face to my stomach, inhaling as he rested his head against my skin and closed his eyes. “No, Poppet, I have just given you my blood. It would be a waste for me to take it back.”

I closed my eyes against a bout of exhaustion that warred within me and ran my hand through his hair which was rabbit fur soft. The feel of his lips as he kissed my stomach tickled my skin and brought an aching need to the pit of my belly.

“But you must feed?” I asked.

He kissed my stomach again, his fingers massaging my sides. “Yes.”

“Are you going back to Candy?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to have sex with her?” I wasn’t sure why the question slipped from my mouth. I hadn’t even been considering it. But, once it was out, I realized how much I needed to know the answer. I opened my eyes and found Sinjin studying me intently.

“Not if you request me not to.”

“I don’t want you to,” I said and suddenly felt extremely tired again. I pushed him away and stood up, intent on starting the short trip back to Pelham Manor where I could crawl into my bed and give in to the incredible desire to sleep. “I have to lie down, Sinjin.” As soon as I took one step, my knees buckled and I collapsed. Sinjin caught me and gently laid me on a mattress in the corner of the tent.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked, fear lacing my voice.

“Shh, My Love, it is my blood bonding with yours. You will be fine.” He then craned his head out of the tent. “Dragos!” he yelled.

Moments later a tall and light haired vampire materialized at the tent’s entrance and faced Sinjin expectantly. So, the Master Vampire had servants at his beck and call? Interesting...

“I need to feed,” Sinjin informed the vampire. “Watch her and make certain no one enters this tent besides me.”