Vampire Trinity (11 page)
Authors: Joey W. Hill
“Slide your hands down to your throat. Overlap them.”
She turned to her back and did it, collaring herself with her fingers, and gasped at the immediate thought of it being his hand, holding her there as he often did, just enough pressure on the windpipe as he leaned down and sampled a breast, or nipped at the inside of her thigh, trailed his mouth over her navel and the quivering line of her upper abdomen.
“Now down over your breasts. Cup them, bring them together. Offer them to me. Arch your back. Don’t touch your nipples.”
It was hard not to do that, because she was itching to make a pass over them, imagine his mouth, his teeth, or the pinch of his fingers, but she did it, holding that position as the silence drew out. Was he touching his cock? Somehow she knew he wasn’t, though she was sure he was hardening. This was about his Mastery of her, and all his focus was on it, such that she could feel his intensity even from this distance.
“Down your stomach now, to your pussy. Spread your legs. Are you naked?”
“Yes.”
“You fucked Gideon before you went to sleep? His seed is still inside you, marking your thighs?”
“Yes.”
“Next time, you tell him to clean you with his mouth. He shouldn’t be leaving his Mistress messy like that.”
Her breath whispered between her lips, curving in a soft smile. “Daegan.”
“Cup your hands over your cunt. Seal in the heat, your desire. Let it feel the pressure of your palms. No fingers inside of yourself.”
As she did, a gasp shuddered from her, her clit spasming. “Now.” His voice had dropped even lower, and she heard it then, the note of the primitive male animal, the one he unleashed with her when he was at his most possessive and feral. Vampire. “Who do you belong to?”
“You,” she whispered. “Come home, Daegan. Please. I need you.” She swallowed, hard, and said what she’d never said to him. Never said to anyone in her entire adult life. “I love you. I hate you. I can’t be without you.”
“Will you still be angry with me?”
“Yes,” she admitted. “But I can’t get over it until you come back.”
His chuckle shimmered over her like dark, erotic notes of music. “Spoken like the Mistress I know . . . and love.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. “Daegan.”
“More than life itself,
cher
. I will take your anger, your hatred, your love, and I will not fail you. I am yours, Anwyn Inara Naime. And I have been, since I walked into your club.”
cher
. I will take your anger, your hatred, your love, and I will not fail you. I am yours, Anwyn Inara Naime. And I have been, since I walked into your club.”
“Come home.”
“I’m only a dream or two away.” He paused. “How is Gideon doing?”
“Debra took him from behind tonight, while he was inside me. It was a new experience for him. Messed him up some, but he’s out running it off.”
“But Brian did not touch him. Or you.”
Her body quivered under the cup of her hand at that tone, deadly and ferocious. “No. He didn’t. Only to place the sensors on me. He touched my throat lightly when he did that, but nothing else. You were right about him, Daegan. He’s a good man.”
“He was Gideon’s suggestion. It is Gideon who deserves the credit for his presence.”
“Mmm. I didn’t let him touch Gideon because Gideon doesn’t desire men. I know what the vampire world is like, but whenever I have control over it, I’m not going to let a submissive . . . a servant of mine be forced to do something entirely against his nature just for my sake. He has no desire to be touched by a male. Not generally.”
“Not generally.”
She suppressed a smile. Gideon believed no male touch aroused him. He’d rationalized anything that had happened with Daegan as an ancillary symptom of his arousal for her.
She wasn’t going to force the issue or the truth. She was saving that pleasure for the specific, very territorial male who
had
aroused Gideon, no matter how much Gideon tried to block it from his mind or bury it.
had
aroused Gideon, no matter how much Gideon tried to block it from his mind or bury it.
4
W
OMEN.
Once they knew when Daegan was coming home, Gideon wasn’t surprised that his Mistress went into major to-do mode. The top three on the list were: she wanted Chantal to do her hair and toenails; she wanted to go with Gideon to pick Daegan up at the airport; and she wanted to drive.
OMEN.
Once they knew when Daegan was coming home, Gideon wasn’t surprised that his Mistress went into major to-do mode. The top three on the list were: she wanted Chantal to do her hair and toenails; she wanted to go with Gideon to pick Daegan up at the airport; and she wanted to drive.
The first part was easy enough. Pleased with her mood, and wanting to make sure she could hold on to it, he’d accompanied her upstairs, sat on the comfortable couch in the staff break room. With his booted feet crossed, long legs stretched out, he perused an entertainment magazine and listened to her talk to Chantal and some of the other “girls” during pre-opening. It was just girl chat, but for all they’d dealt with these past few weeks, he found it soothing and somewhat charming, though he never would have admitted that. Chantal did the hair and had Ella do the nails, since Ella also worked at a nail salon.
As he watched them and her mind was distracted, he mused over the challenges of the upcoming days. They’d be dropping Brian and Debra off at the airport the same night they picked up Daegan. Brian’s work on the injection had improved to the point that for the past seven days her seizures had been low-level and easily predicted, between her vitals’ monitoring and Gideon’s perceptive senses. The restraints had been employed every time. In each case Gideon had had enough lead time to get her to a secluded environment, if she was no farther from one than her upper office. An added bonus was that the longer they spent together, the less vocal the nasty gremlins were. As long as their minds stayed closely interlocked. With Daegan back, it was just going to be a matter of continued practice and guarding against dangerous complacency.
Not much chance of that, though. For all the improvements, she still got antsy if Gideon got too far out of range. The flip side of the improvements was, when he was away from her, the gremlins were far more vocal, like trapped wild animals who’d been pent up in a cage. He’d started doing most of the necessary errands while she was sleeping, during the strongest hours of daylight, because if he left near evening, or worse, in the evening itself, the effort of keeping her reality separate from the nightmares they whispered in her brain, the images they delivered in front of her eyes, could exhaust her, as well as override Brian’s serum.
He knew it could make her despair, and he ached for her. He and Brian both reminded her it hadn’t been that long yet, such that they couldn’t know how things would improve as time went on. Still, it was as if, as they got hold of the one thing they could manage, the one thing they couldn’t was becoming stronger.
She was struggling with what every person who found their life significantly altered by a handicap faced. Depression, mood swings, intense flashes of anger. But he had to admire her grit as well. She worked through it, just as she had those first horrible seizures before they had the sire’s blood. In between those bouts, she was humorous, determined, clever and always ready to use sex as an outlet for her frustration. He was happy to help.
She’d caught that thought, for she glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes glittering with humor.
What are you reading?
What are you reading?
He lifted the magazine. Reading tabloid trash was something he’d done to pass the time as a vampire hunter, those brief pauses in safe places like grocery stores and newsstands. Truth, he’d gotten a bit hooked on it. It was mindless fantasy, no connection to his reality, and often had pictures of scantily clad starlets with augmented breasts. Most of the time they looked like they were ready to hurl themselves into a catfight.
She rolled her eyes at him, went back to talking to the women.
A lot of the staff had come through here to briefly hang out, talk to her, but this core group of women had stayed, surprising him at how close they were to his Mistress, who’d seemed so isolated to him up until now. James had expanded her alibi, said she was having some ongoing family issues that were limiting her working hours to brief visits during the pre-opening late-afternoon hours, while she handled most management tasks through her computer. He was impressed that they didn’t pry, but they all managed to convey sympathy and support, with warmth and obvious affection for their boss. She needed that, and he could tell she enjoyed her time with them, though it was a little odd to see her having “girl time” with women she’d commanded to strip and oil down his body on his earlier visits to Atlantis. The Dommes who’d tried to break him were giggling and acting like any gaggle of women he might see out together at a Starbucks.
He wasn’t oblivious to their speculative glances, or Janet’s appealing smile, which made it clear, if he weren’t involved with Anwyn, she’d be more than willing to keep him company.
Only if you want an appendage removed. With a dull steak knife.
Meow.
Gideon gave her an arch look as Anwyn shot him a warning glance.
I’m all yours, sweet Mistress. Just nice to know I have options. She does have incredible tits. Not better than yours, of course . . .
Gideon gave her an arch look as Anwyn shot him a warning glance.
I’m all yours, sweet Mistress. Just nice to know I have options. She does have incredible tits. Not better than yours, of course . . .
You do know I can read your mind? You better put down that shovel before the hole gets deep enough to put you in it.
He gave her another grin, returned to his reading, an article about a teary-eyed starlet who’d broken up with a top action-hero actor after a grueling six weeks of marriage. Against the cushion of female chatter, he realized he was almost relaxed. Knowing she was safe and everything was okay for now didn’t happen often, these lulls. And not just with her. When he’d been on his own, he’d had one here or there, like when he’d visited aquariums or parks where he didn’t have to be hyper-vigilant. But he’d always been alone there. He didn’t feel alone now.
Of course, Daegan was coming back. That thought tightened up his gut, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about it. Relieved, because Daegan could handle anything that came at her that might get past Gideon’s guard? Or apprehensive and disappointed, because he’d sort of had her to himself for a month, no competition for her affection? The explanation didn’t quite fit, because from the beginning, while he’d occasionally felt like that third wheel, he’d oddly never felt it necessary to challenge Daegan’s claim. What went on between the three of them was different from that, as if he and Daegan fit the “apples and oranges” idiom, two different things she needed.
Or maybe he was just kidding himself, and Daegan’s return just underscored the fact his days of truly being needed were numbered. Those gremlins quieted down when Daegan was in her mind as well, though not quite in the same way.
He was the understudy, whereas the main player was returning home tonight. Sourly, he turned the page, and wondered if he had room to criticize the teary starlet, since he might never reach six weeks with Anwyn . . . or any other woman.
“Okay, I said I wanted to do this. Demanded it. Now I’m scared to death. I feel like such a girl.” She stared at the car keys in her hand. “Brian said this would be okay, right?”
“You are a girl, thank all the gods, and yes, he said it would be fine. He’s dedicated his every waking moment to testing you like a lab rat, to the point you should have whiskers and a tail. He’s 99.9 percent positive you are deep in the green zone for the next five to six hours. It’s eleven o’clock at night. We’re making a
very
brief stop to drop Debra and Brian at the main airport, and then we’re going to go pick up Daegan at a private airstrip, where there will be few people. The risk is minimal. I have the restraints in the back. If we get a hint of something going south, we can get them on you and put you in the backseat until it passes. But unless you have an unexpected stressor, you should be fine.”
very
brief stop to drop Debra and Brian at the main airport, and then we’re going to go pick up Daegan at a private airstrip, where there will be few people. The risk is minimal. I have the restraints in the back. If we get a hint of something going south, we can get them on you and put you in the backseat until it passes. But unless you have an unexpected stressor, you should be fine.”
“Should, minimal risk, less than a hundred percent positive. That’s all I’m hearing. I should stay here. I’m going to bring on that stressor just thinking about it.”
“Okay.” Gideon shrugged, took the keys from her hand. “I’ll go get him. And while I’m out, we’ll stop at the Blue Room, your competition. Daegan and I will see if we can’t find a Mistress with some balls. You know, you say I need a pretty firm hand, and since you’re becoming a real chickenshit—”
The keys disappeared from his hand, and he let out a yelp as his testicles were given a sharp pinch by a hand that was gone as fast as it gripped him. She appeared at the driver’s side, eyes shooting daggers at him. “Get in the car,” she ground out.
Gideon grinned at her, a baring of teeth. “And she’s back.” He sobered, drew close, even though he knew he was risking further retaliation, temper still in her gaze. “You can trust Brian on this one. The past few days, he’s been spot-on, right?”
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