My ribs may never be the same after being crushed against Gavin's body, which was trembling with rage. He glared over the top of my head at Merrill, who stood steady, the usual expression on his face.
"This happens and no one tells me?" Gavin almost shouted.
"Wlodek's instructions. I'm sure he's already informed you of that," Merrill said. I was glad Wlodek had given the order; I didn't want to be on the other end of the phone when Gavin exploded.
"Wlodek tells me I may not kill René," Gavin paced while still holding me in his arms. I wanted to ask him to put me down; my face was held against his chest and my body tight against his. "I tell her he is safe, charming, even, and he does this? He has much to answer for."
"Gavin please put me down." I couldn't stand it anymore—my cheek would more than likely have an imprint from the fabric of his suit.
"Lissa," he shifted me in his arms so he could look at my face, "tell me you are well. That he did no lasting harm."
"I'm still afraid of him, Gavin, but I was afraid of him before." I looked into Gavin's eyes. They were normally such a beautiful brown, but they were clouded with anger, now. Gavin carried me to the island, setting me down there. He stood between my knees, which hung over the edge, pulling me against him. Merrill left us at that point; I heard his footsteps as he walked away. Gavin started kissing me. And he didn't stop kissing me, even while he lifted my top over my head and clipped through my bra with partially formed claws. His teeth and eventually the tips of his fangs against my ni**les were doing something to me. Yes, I was afraid. But that wasn't the only thing I was feeling at the moment. Gavin was giving me a different kind of fire; one that made me want to press myself against him. I was completely naked in his arms and he, still fully clothed, floated me through the manor, up the stairs and into my bedroom.
How strange and sensual it is, having someone with centuries of experience love you. Gavin held nothing back. There was no part of me that he failed to explore, kiss or nip. When we joined, his body worshipped mine in sinuous, erotic thrusts, urging my body to twine with his, matching and mirroring his movements. Too bad most human women who've had a lover of the fanged variety don't recall the sex—women everywhere would be hunting vampires just for the multiple orgasms. One of the most intense moments came when Gavin sank his teeth into my femoral artery to drink. The climax was incredible. Like a gentleman, he waited for me to regain consciousness before continuing. Gavin was gentle when we joined the second time, punctuating thrusts with kisses until I was nearly mindless as the climax came.
Gavin convince me to drink as much of a pint of blood as I could afterward; he finished off what was left of it and then insisted I bite him. I couldn't take much but his body convulsed against mine. I learned that vampires do indeed ejaculate, only it is nearly clear, much like my tears.
* * *
"Are we holding back from taking the world apart tonight?" Franklin ventured to ask Gavin when he and I made it downstairs the following evening.
"For now." Gavin pulled me close and nipped my neck a little.
"I see." Franklin went back to his cooking.
Gavin was home for three days before he was sent out again and he wasn't pleased that Wlodek had another assignment for him so quickly. During the three days he was with me, I learned a new term: Vampire lust. Gavin's had been held in check for a while and during his three days off, he had me in bed as often as possible (or as often as he could get me to say yes, that is). Merrill explained, (without my asking because it was embarrassing) that it was tied to the need for blood. "Wlodek has always held the theory that it is payment for the blood we take—giving the donor sex of one kind or another, along with intense orgasms." He'd smiled slightly while he said it. I wondered about the little blonde in the picture by his bed and was curious if she'd ever gotten the benefit of Merrill's lust. No way was I going to ask, though. No way. Merrill never spoke about her so it was a private matter.
Two days after Gavin was called out, Wlodek asked to see me. Merrill drove me over, as usual. Maybe someday, he'd trust me enough to drive myself. That someday wasn't yet. "First, there's this." Wlodek handed a thick, cream-colored envelope across his desk. I rose from my chair to take it. He gestured for me to read it so I pulled the note from the envelope.
"Little rose," the letter began, "it was never my intention to frighten you as I did. Aubrey is my child; he was only following my instructions when he said those things to you. I assure you that they were only meant in jest, mostly aimed at my cousin, who sometimes needs a bit of a jolt to keep him from complete stuffiness. When I saw your little body brought back into my home in such dire condition, I nearly melted in the floor. You have my apologies and I will continue to send them to you until you pardon my abysmal behavior. Gavin is my cousin and only true family remaining; therefore, you are family as well. I should have realized this before playing my little joke. Please forgive me.
Yours ever, René."
I knew two things when I handed the note to Merrill to read—René most likely was sincere in his apology, but he was also lying. Aubrey wasn't his. I did know who made Aubrey, and it wasn't René. Of course, I couldn't say that and tip my hand. That was a talent I was going to keep to myself if at all possible. Of the three that had been in the room that night, only Devlin was René's and Aubrey was Devlin's. The thing was, Aubrey was nearly as old as Devlin, which might mean that Devlin had turned Aubrey before the five-year training period was up. Vampire intrigue, indeed. If René knew I held that piece of information, he truly would try to kill me, I think.
"What do you intend to do about this?" Merrill held the note up as he asked the question.
"Do you know how many panes of glass were in that window and how big they were?" I asked sweetly.
"Why do you wish to know that, child?" Wlodek was curious too, I could tell.
"Because I want to send René a gift, along with an acceptance of his apology," I said. "Enough panes of glass to re-do his window, all taped with an X for the next person to break through."
"I'll handle it," Merrill nodded, pulling out his cell, which was vibrating. "I'll take this outside," he said and walked out the door. Wlodek handed over some very nice stationery he pulled from a desk drawer, I wrote out a quick note to René, telling him there was nothing to forgive and noted that I was sending a gift. Wlodek read the note with interest before sealing the envelope and promising to get both items to René as soon as Merrill purchased the glass. Wlodek placed the note in a drawer, picked up his gold pen and gave me a smile. "Thank you for the painting," he indicated the David portrait of Napoleon that now held a place of honor on one of his walls. It replaced a Meissonier, which I didn't like as much.