Until the Sun Falls from the Sky (39 page)

His thoughts still on that tendril, Lucien saw they were home.

He hit the garage door opener and parked the Porsche next to the Cayenne. He was out of the car over to her side with her door open when she pretended to wake.

“We’re home?” she asked in a false drowsy voice.

Lucien bit back a smile. “Yes, pet.”

He helped her out and she started to wander sleepily to the door to the kitchen. He caught her and slid an arm along her shoulders, pulling her close and guiding her the rest of the way.

“Tired?” he asked with sham solicitousness as he halted them by the door so he could hang his keys on the hook on the kitchen wall.

She faked a yawn.

Then she answered, “
Definitely
.”

“Let’s get you to bed,” he murmured and she nodded.

He walked with her close to his side all the way to the bedroom where she pulled away. He moved to turn on the bedside light and she sat on the bed, bending double, her hands moving to the straps of her shoe.

He shrugged off his suit jacket and walked to the chaise.

“I take it you aren’t fond of opera?” he asked, throwing his jacket on the chaise and sitting to take off his own shoes.

“Um…” she hesitated, sliding her shoe off her foot, setting it aside and then going after the straps of the other one, “no.”

Pleased she hadn’t attempted to lie in order to tell him what she thought he would want to hear, Lucien stood and unbuttoned his shirt. “I think I got that.”

She rose from the bed without a reply or even looking at him and started toward the dressing room.

Using his natural speed, he slid off his shirt, dropped it on the chaise and was at her side before she walked three steps.

His hand caught hers, she quaked to a stop and looked up at him.

“Where are you going?” he queried.

“To take off my dress and put on my pajamas,” she answered.

“No pajamas,” Lucien replied, her eyes grew wide and he turned her so her back was facing him before he continued. “I want to feel you against me tonight, pet.”

Her body turned to stone as his fingers went to her zipper but she didn’t resist.

He slid it down and she stood ramrod straight. The material parted and then fell away. She was wearing nothing but a pair of sheer lavender-colored panties edged in the same colored lace. Her hands went up to shield her breasts as he turned her again and pulled her to him, her arms caught between their bodies.

“Take off my trousers,” he ordered, his fingers drifting up the soft skin of her naked back.

She blinked.

Then she asked, “What?”

His fingers found a butterfly clip in her hair. He squeezed the wings gently and pulled it out.

Then he repeated, “Leah, take off my trousers.

She hesitated a moment then, stiltedly, her hands went to his belt.

His fingers found another clip and he carefully pulled it out.

“So, I take it you’ve decided?” she whispered, his belt undone, she moved to the fastening.

“Decided what?” he asked, taking out another butterfly and watching, with no small amount of fascination, as her shining hair slowly tumbled to her shoulders.

“That I’m to be your whore.”

So deep in his study of her hair he was startled by her words and his eyes moved from her hair to hers.

“Why would you say that?”

She slid his zipper down. This, evidently, was her answer.

With one hand, he found more clips and also bobby pins which he pulled out as well. The other hand he wrapped around the back of her neck.

He didn’t take his eyes from hers.

“Lovers disrobe each other, Leah,” he said softly.

He heard her heart bump unevenly, she tore her eyes from his, looking at his shoulder as she slid her hands along his waist and tugged his pants down.

They barely hit the floor before he stepped out of them, had her cradled in his arms and at the side of the bed. He yanked back the covers, depositing her in it. He dropped her hair bobs on her bedside table, moved over her and settled at her side.

“Sit up and turn your back to me,” he demanded, she hesitated again before she complied, bringing the covers up to her chest as she did so.

His hands went back to her hair.

“How many pins do you have in here, sweetling?” he muttered as all the butterflies were out but there seemed hundreds of pins still in.

“I have a lot of hair,” she whispered.

He stopped pulling out pins, his hand moving to her neck, across her throat, and down. He curled his fingers around her upper arm and pulled her back to his chest, his face buried in her thick, soft, now wildly wavy hair.

“Mm,” he murmured into the locks, “that you do.”

Her hands came up, fingers sliding into her hair. “I’ll finish it.”

He pulled back, letting her go and pushed her hands away.

“I’ll do it.”

She blindly batted at his hands. “It won’t take me a second.”

“I said I’ll do it.”

“Really –”

He leaned in deep, taking her with him and dumping the pins and clips on the nightstand. Then he caught her wrists in a tight hold and pulled them around, crossing them at her front.

Against her ear he repeated firmly, “I’ll do it.”

She stiffened a second before her body went slack.

“Okay,” she whispered.

She pulled the covers up to hide herself and then sat still as he finished with the pins.

After some time his fingers slid through her hair, searching for any pins he’d left behind. Finding none, he deposited the last of them with the others. His hands going back to her hair, he gathered it all in his fists. Transferring it to one, he pulled it aside and kissed her bare shoulder.

She trembled against his lips. He smiled against her skin.

“Can I go to sleep now?” she asked.

“No,” he answered.

Her body jerked and she twisted her head to look at him.

“But I’m tired,” she lied.

“Yes, I know.” He tried not to grin.

“You said we could go to bed.” Her tone held a mild accusation.

“We’re in bed,” he pointed out.

“I thought you meant to sleep,” she told him.

“I didn’t.”

“But –” she started but didn’t finish. He moved her to face him, tugging the covers out of her hands at the same time lifting up to lean his back against the headboard and pressing her torso to his side.

“We’re going to talk,” he announced.

She tilted her head back to look at him. “I’m really tired, Lucien.
Really tired
.” She stressed the words vocally
and
by pressing her soft body deeper into his. “I don’t think I have it in me to talk.”

His hand came up to cup her jaw. “That’s fine, sweetheart, you aren’t going to be talking.”

Her body grew tense.

“It’s been some time since you’ve had a lesson,” he told her and saw surprise slide across her features.

He watched her struggle with her reaction. Then he watched her lose.

“Have you come to a decision?” she asked, her voice edging toward a demand.

“About what?”

He heard her teeth grinding and controlled his laughter.

Barely.

“Earlier tonight, you said you were going to choose,” she reminded him. “Have you come to your decision?”

As much as he was enjoying this, Lucien let her off the hook.

“That’s what your lesson is about.”

He watched her face working again, heard her teeth grinding again before he felt her weight settle into his side.

“I’m all ears,” she muttered, now her voice held mild irritation.

His hand at her jaw slid into the side of her hair and he pressed her cheek against his chest. He then took her wrist, pulling it across his abdomen, resting her arm there. Finally, he placed his hand on her neck, thumb stroking her throat.

“Did you learn anything about the history of concubines while in class?” he asked.

Her felt her head move indicating a negative against his chest.

Of course she didn’t.

Lucien smiled over her head and continued, “The role of official concubine started just after The Revolution when mortal and immortal representatives met to negotiate the Agreement which would dictate how the two cultures would co-exist. Eleven Elders, or oldest living vampires, represented our culture. Ambassadors from eleven European countries represented yours. For mortals, the primary concern was to stop hunting. For immortals, the primary concern was to ensure safe feeding but also to find a way that vampires could feed and still have a place in society not in shadows. As I told you before, many vampires already had what amounted to concubines, women who shared their blood willingly. It was agreed that this would be the practice from that point on. The Agreement was written and both immortals and mortals signed it.”

Lucien paused and Leah nodded that she understood and he should carry on which he did.

“Concubines were recruited from the highest-born families in Europe, aristocrats, the daughters of wealthy merchants even some lower-born royals. This was facilitated secretly by command of monarchs across Europe. It wasn’t essential that the women came willing. Most often they were sold into the life.”

He heard her take in a sharp breath and his hand at her neck gave her a reassuring squeeze.

“They might have been sold into the life, Leah, but once there not one attempted to leave it.”

“Okay,” she whispered when he paused again for her to give indication that she accepted this fact.

“The first family to come forward and sign the agreement was yours,” he told her and added, “The Buchanans came willingly.”

“I knew that,” she said softly.

“Did you know that they’d already been concubines for five generations?”

Her head tilted back and he met her gaze.

“I didn’t know that,” she replied softly.

He nodded. “Not only concubines to vampires but concubines to kings.”

He watched her face pale, felt her body get tight and she pushed up and away.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, so appalled for once she forgot her own nudity.

“Leah –”

Expression still horrified, she talked over him. “I come from a family of whores.”

His arms curved around her and he pulled her up his chest so they were face-to-face.

“You must remember, those times were different,” he warned, locking eyes with her. “And the Buchanan women were different. They wanted something else from life. Strong women couldn’t live their own lives back then, no women could. Your ancestors did what they had to do to guarantee themselves a certain amount of freedom, freedom that included safety and comfort and they didn’t care what people thought. These are traits to admire, then and now.” She continued to look horrified and dubious so he went on, “I knew your Buchanan ancestors, pet, they made their own way without men ruling their lives. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.” His voice dipped low. “And they would have liked you, particularly you. You remind me of them, Leah.”

She wrinkled her nose and Lucien thought it made her look adorable so he smiled.

“I’m giving you a compliment,” he informed her.

“Okay,” she agreed without actually agreeing, clearly wanting to be off the subject.

He disregarded her nonverbal cue. “They ensured, for centuries, that all of their line would live safe and well, even you. And I don’t mean now with me, I mean your whole life as provided by your mother.”

“Seems to me men provided that life or at least vampires did. In our case, Cosmo took care of us.”

“Yes, but for seven years your mother took care of Cosmo.”

She made a noise that sounded like a snort.

He gave her an impatient squeeze but softened his voice. “What your family does is no small thing. Without your blood, your mother’s, your entire line and all those like you, given willingly, we would need to hunt.”

He watched as understanding dawned then her brows drew together and she replied, “All those people at the Feasts, Wats and Breed... you wouldn’t go hungry and you wouldn’t need to hunt.”

“You’re correct,” he allowed. “But survival feeding is very different than partaking of an elegant repast. The vampires who remained after The Revolution as a whole crave the finer things in life. You saw them, Leah. Wats and Breed are
not
the finer things in life. Concubines definitely are. To find
that
, if not given willingly, we’d hunt.”

Her eyes moved from his and she muttered, “Snooty.”

“Look at me, pet,” he demanded and when she did he went on. “That isn’t it, there’s more. You said three weeks ago that there were not many people I could be myself with and you’re one. Do you have any idea what it’s like, second-to-second for centuries, hiding who you are to live in the mortal’s world?”