Vampire Thirst (23 page)

“The question is, Z,” Tardieh cupped her face in his hands and captured her gaze. “Do you want to be with me?”

“Yes.” The word came out of her mouth without a pause for concern. It rang as true as the blue sky above.

“So what are you afraid of?”

“Of you wanting things from me that I can’t give, of you getting tired of me...”

He snorted, “It’s more likely that you’ll get fed up of me much sooner.”

Zoricah smiled. It felt so right to be in his arms. Her heart swelled.

She pursed her lips, then said, “I’ll carry on fighting. I’m not becoming a housewife and I refuse to go to charity galas.”

Tardieh laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, Z.” He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her on top of him. “If I wanted a submissive wife, I’d have got married centuries ago.”

He lifted his head and brushed his lips on hers. His tongue probed inside, asking for a dance. He slid one hand down her spine and cupped her naked buttock. His engorged shaft pressed against her navel, demanding entrance. Heat pooled between her legs. Since their first encounter, Zoricah had not been able to deny Tardieh anything. She wasn’t going to start now. She opened her legs wide and straddled him. His hand ran up her flat stomach and unhooked the lace of her midriff fur coat. Her breasts fell free, but before the night air reached them, they were covered by his delicious mouth and large hands. Tardieh sucked, fondled, nibbled, until her nipples were pebbles and her core was dripping. She rubbed her hips against him. The friction took her mild sensations to the next level.

Tardieh released her breast and nibbled on her earlobe. “I need to be inside you, my love,” Tardieh whispered. His breathing was as heavy as hers.

Zoricah’s heart swelled at the sound of his endearment. She lifted her hips up and descended slowly, enveloping him tightly. Bit by bit, he slid inside her, filling her up, stretching her to the limit. His hands grasped her hips, while her nails dug into his taut chest. They moved as one. Thrust after thrust, she rode him. The desperation that had consumed them in the dark alley was gone, replaced by certainty – a confidence brought by the recognition that they were meant to be together.

Zoricah rolled her head back, closed her eyes, and let herself be loved.

They’d deal with whatever doubts her mind still held later.

Chapter 13

Phillip’s nose finally stopped bleeding. That fucking vampire king was going to pay for ruining his perfect face. The day would come when Phillip would give
him
a face lift. He just had to be patient and get himself out of that mess he was in.

He angled his wings and landed on the roof top of the Calle de La Sangre. Alejandro would be able to help him contact the doctor. As soon as his feet touched the concrete floor, the rooftop door burst open and two bulky vampires stormed out, followed by their short master.

“Where the fuck have you been?” the Spanish pimp blurted.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Phillip asked, after noticing several pink scars on the vampire. They were on the last healing stages, but still very noticeable. That meant only one thing – apparently Phillip hadn’t been the only one to have taken a beating.

“I could ask you the same, draco,” he answered. “So, you need to go back to London.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“None of your fucking business, pimp.”

At Phillip’s harsh words, the two bodyguards puffed up like fighting cocks.

Fuck. “Look, Alejandro, I need to talk to the doctor urgently, OK, and he’s not answering his phone,” he lied.

“He never answers his phone. He knows they are all bugged,” Alejandro snorted, then touched his cheek with his hand, as if his face hurt with the movement.

“So, you understand why you have to help me, then.”

“That’s not the point,” Alejandro replied. “I want to know what you need to talk to the doctor about. No answer, no ride. It’s that simple.”

Fucking Soartas! Phillip considered his options. If he told Alejandro to go fuck himself, his ego would feel better, but he’d be in a deeper shit than now. So he had no choice.

He exhaled a sharp breath and blurted the answer out. “The vampire king and that fucking demigoddess whore have captured Sony and seized the last glass chambers. They are closing in on us. We need to move, and fast.”

Alejandro slowly shook his head. “You’ll fry for this, draco. The doctor will never forgive you for that, especially if Sony sings all our songs to Tardieh.”

“Not if I deliver a bird who will sing an even better song to the doctor.”

“Like who?”

“Are you taking me to London or not?”

Alejandro cocked his eyebrow but motioned to his bodyguards to get ready. Then he strode toward Phillip and grabbed him by the arm. “Where to?”

“I was told I need to be at the Pig & Whistle soon,” Phillip answered with a lazy smile. “My informants tell me my little bird is already looking for me.”

Chapter 14

Zoricah lay back in the large tub and let the warm water loosen up her muscles. She rotated her shoulders and stretched her spine. By Apa Dobrý, she was sore. Tardieh had always been a virile lover, but this time he hadn’t given her a moment to catch her breath. They’d spent the rest of the night and the whole next day in bed, only stopping for food. She ate, he watched – he didn’t need any more feeding. Zoricah ran her fingers along her intimate folds. The evidence of his bite in the alley was still there, along with a couple of newer ones on her inner thigh. She stopped counting after the third, but she vaguely remembered...Zoricah looked down at her chest. Yep, he had also marked her breasts. Both of them.

With a lazy smile on her face, she slid out of the tub and wrapped a soft towel around her.

“Are you sure you need that?” His low voice came from the door.

Zoricah looked up to find Tardieh leaning on the threshold, arms crossed over his chest, eyes gawking at her through thick lashes. He wore a loose pair of cream slacks with a forest green t-shirt. Her heart was filled with something much too big to be described with words.

“I don’t think Dona Dolores will thank me for staining her carpet,” she answered lightly.

He closed the distance between them and pulled her against him. “I’ll be more than happy to help you dry off,” he said, then ran his tongue along her collar bone.

A low growl reverberated in his chest. She wrapped her arms around his waist and tipped her head sideways, giving him more access.

“Joel got some info out of our guest of honor,” he reported, kissing her neck.

“Huh-hum.”

“His name is Sony and he’s well known in the European drug scene. He confirmed Yerik was working with a doctor called Burvis.” He nibbled on her earlobe. “And that this doctor had hired him to keep a close watch on you.”

“Gooood,” she mumbled, then her fuzzy brain registered his words. “Wait, why
me
?”

“He couldn’t tell, but he said the deal included bribing all your informants generously.”

“That bastard Phillip!”

A soft knock on the bedroom door made them both pause.

“Tell Captain Dolores to go away,” she joked.

“Captain Dolores?” Tardieh chuckled, then kissed her softly and went to get the door.

Zoricah started drying herself off again. Hmm, maybe she should wait until Tardieh came back. It was a waste of energy to dry herself just to get back into the bathtub with him.

“Z,” Tardieh’s voice came from outside the bathroom door. His romantic tone from before had vanished. Something was wrong.

“Hikuro is here. You should come out.”

What?
“I’ll be right there.”

She got dressed as quickly as she could. With a horrible feeling churning her gut, she opened the door and found both vampires standing by the sitting area of the bedroom.

“Is everything alright?” she asked.

Hikuro averted his eyes.
That’s a first.
 

“Yes, Sam and Yara are fine, but…” Tardieh said.

“But what?”

Tardieh nodded to Hikuro to proceed.

“Sam was on her way to meet your informant when she had an episode.”

Zoricah froze. Her nerves were raw with worry, but her years of military experience kicked in. Her mind started working and her heart never got past the normal beating rate. “Where did it happen?”

“Near the orphanage she grew up in,” Hikuro replied. “We went back the next evening and bumped into two razbians in a truck. They were transporting a few weird-looking chairs and glass containers to a place in Broxbourne, northeast London.”

Zoricah’s eyes darted to Tardieh’s. Broxbourne.

Tardieh picked up the large manila envelope and dropped the photos onto the coffee table in front of the L-shaped couch. “Is this the place they went to?”

Hikuro stared at the photo Tardieh had in his hand, then nodded. “Yes, it’s near the Sports Ground.”

“Fucking Hiad,” Tardieh cursed, but his eyes lit up.

Zoricah exhaled in relief.
Yes,
they were certainly closing in on the bastards.

The muffled sound of a phone vibrating reached her ears. She pulled it out of her leather jacket, which had been washed and pressed by ultra-efficient Dolores.
Who presses a leather jacket? Seriously.
She checked the caller ID and frowned. It was Yara.
Shit.
Something was definitely off. They had agreed not to contact each other after the attack on her house in Camden Town, but as per their internal protocol, before leaving London, Z went to one of their safe houses, ammo’ed up and got a spare cell phone that would be used only in case of an emergency.

“Yara?”

“Sam’s disappeared,” Yara said on the other end of the line.

“What? Where are you?”

“I’m in a phone booth a few blocks from Sam’s. It’s been two nights since she went out to meet Phillip and never came back.”

“What is it?” Tardieh asked, concern marring his green eyes.

Zoricah hit the speaker button. “Yara, are you sure Sam went missing?”

“By the gates of fuckin’ Hiad! And Hikuro’s gone too, Tardieh.”

“She’s not missing,” Hikuro replied.

“Is that Hikuro?” Yara shouted.

“Yara, Hikuro has just teleported over here,” Tardieh explained.

“Good, so maybe he can explain where the fuck my friend is.”

Zoricah was well acquainted with Yara’s Latin temper, but her sharp words made Tardieh and Hikuro cringe.

“She was with me,” Hikuro replied somberly.

“With you?” Zoricah raised a brow at him.

“While we watched the building in Broxbourne, a car pulled over near the razbians’ truck. Sam recognized the driver as the head of the asylum she was imprisoned at, Dr. Burvis.”

“Dr. Burvis?” Zoricah asked, wide-eyed.

Tardieh nodded, then added, “We found out that Yerik was working with someone called Burvis here in Europe,” Tardieh clarified for Hikuro and Yara. “And that he hired Phillip to keep an eye on Zoricah and report back on her every move.”

“We met with him,” Hikuro announced.

“With Phillip?” Yara asked on the phone. “Sam missed the appointment.”

“Sam tracked him down to a pub near Islington,” Hikuro replied.

“That doesn’t explain why she’s still missing, blood sucker,” Yara exploded. “What did you do to my friend?”

“Yara, calm down,” Zoricah warned, but her short-tempered Brazilian fighter had a point. Zoricah turned her attention to Hikuro. “Where’s Sam?”

“She’s back at her rehab center, safe and sound.”

“Liar, I was there!”

“Yara,” Zoricah warned again. “Go back there and check if everything is OK, will you?”

Zoricah hung up the phone, then squared off to Hikuro. He avoided her eyes again. By Apa Dobrý, that vamp was hiding something from her. His story had more holes than Swiss cheese.

She crossed her arms and stood in front of him. “So, explain something to me – Sam missed the meeting with Phillip but managed to find him? When?”

“Last night.”

“Phillip was in Madrid last night.” Tardieh said the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

“That can’t be right. I followed Sam to the pub. The sleazy bastard was definitely there,” Hikuro answered. A slight sneer crossed his stone face.

“Unless he found a way of flying to London in less than an hour, there’s no way he could get there and back on the same night,” Zoricah stated.

“He could’ve been teleported across,” Tardieh pondered.

Crap. That could have definitely happened – which meant there were more vampires involved in that mess than she had wanted. “That explains one hole in your story.” She turned to Hikuro. “There’s still an evening and a whole day to be explained.”

Hikuro blinked at her blunt statement. It was obvious he didn’t like being interrogated, but for the first time, Zoricah saw a shadow of irritation crease his forehead. Good, she had hit a nerve.

“Sam was very upset at the sight of her old psychiatrist, so I took her to my ryokan in Japan…to calm her down,” he explained slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

“And there you stayed, the whole evening and a day?”

He lowered his eyes.
Whoa! Was he blushing?
A second later, Hikuro lifted his chin and rested his hands behind his back. Very stoic, very official.

“There’s something else I need to report,” he said. “But I’d rather do it in private, my lord.”

Typical.

“There’s nothing you can tell me that Zoricah can’t hear, Hikuro,” Tardieh replied, then brushed the back of his fingers along her cheek. “After all, she’s going to be my queen.”

Zoricah glanced at Tardieh. His green eyes reflected the love she felt deep inside her own heart. She covered his hand with hers. When she looked back at Hikuro, instead of the usual aggravation she had learnt to ignore, Tardieh’s Doilea Ministru reflected something she couldn’t put her finger on. Was it longing?

Tardieh placed a hand on Hikuro’s shoulder. “Please, my friend, tell us what happened.”

“After I…” Hikuro paused and shifted on the spot. “After we spent the night together, I found myself somewhat…err…different.”

Zoricah lifted an eyebrow. The Soartas must be playing a prank on her. Hikuro, the cold, stone-faced vampire ninja, was about to admit his love for Sam?
No way!