Chapter 6
Chapter Six
“Well, that was a bust.” I dropped my purse on a side table and draped my linen jacket over a chair before heading to the bar. I selected a merlot that was already open and poured a glass. “Do you want a drink?”
“I’ll take a glass of wine.” Lucas removed his tie and laid it over my jacket. “At least we were able to confirm the De f?rste dage was listed for restoration in Boston and here, just like on the West Coast.”
“I suppose.” I handed him the wine then took a seat overlooking Manhattan and the river beyond. “I was hoping Philipe’s college friend would know more. He could be lying, but he seemed pretty concerned he hadn’t heard from him in a couple of decades.”
Lucas opened his phone. “I have a message from Sergi. Check your burner.”
I jumped up and pulled it from my purse. “I didn’t even think to check. I have coordinates.” I gave them to him, then picked up my wine before I sat on the arm of his chair, looking over his shoulder as he typed the numbers into his GPS tracker.
“Hazel Green,” Lucas said.
“Where’s that?”
“Alabama, about seven hours from New Orleans.”
“Why not just go home?”
“You’re assuming the custodian is still with Philipe or that they haven’t moved again.” He set the phone down and took my glass.
“True. I suppose even with the size of New Orleans, it would be difficult to hide there for decades.”
“From Sergi’s message, she’s been moving every few years.” He pulled me onto his lap facing the windows and placed his hands on my shoulders, his fingers gently kneading.
I leaned into it. “That feels so good.”
“Your muscles are a knot. You need to relax. We still have a long way to go. You knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”
“I know. I’d feel better if someone had spoken to Philipe in the last decade.” I lowered my head as the massage deepened, the warmth of his hands spreading a light tingle through me.
“Our focus needs to be on his contacts now. If we’re close to a library, we’ll stop in just to confirm the pattern is consistent, but it’s no longer our top priority. The Renaud family will have heard of our visits.”
“But they haven’t stopped us. You said this last curator was friendly.”
“And appeared honestly perplexed with the discrepancy in the records. But it’s best we don’t take any chances.” He pulled down my dress zipper a few inches, slipping the straps down my arms, his massage now working its way across my entire back.
“Do you think there might be some members of the Renaud family breaking the rules?”
“I would rather think it’s more about keeping something potentially dangerous from reaching any of the Houses. The Renauds taking sides in Council politics would be almost as earth-shattering as telling the vampire world that dreamwalkers still exist.”
Featherlight kisses followed his hands that continued to work the knots. A couple of minutes later, the zipper was pulled all the way down and my bra was unhooked.
“Am I getting a full-body massage?”
“You need to relax before dinner.” He moved his hands farther down my back as the dress fell to my waist.
His fingers traced my spine, his thumbs releasing pressure points, and as good as it felt, it was the stirring between my legs that demanded my immediate attention. I wiggled, feeling the press of his cock against my ass.
“Dinner in New York. It’s pretty exciting.”
“I guarantee it will be memorable.” He reached around to cup my breast, his massage no longer focused on my muscles.
I leaned back, letting my head drop to his shoulder, and I closed my eyes. His fingers tweaked my nipples as he kissed the soft spot between neck and shoulder, dragging the tips of his fangs up my neck until they nipped at my ears. Then he moved a hand south, his knuckles brushing against my ribcage and over my belly, sending shivers of delight following his touch.
His fangs scraped along my back from shoulder to shoulder. A finger slipped under my lace panties. And I thought I’d come undone.
He teased me until I couldn’t think. But I could feel. I sensed his need as he lifted me onto him. His strong arms wrapped around me, and he hugged me tight, gently rolling us back and forth until he was fully sheathed.
But he didn’t stop. And I let the ripples of desire and my own hunger for him wash over me until I was nothing but raw emotion.
Then he pulled me off him. “Don’t worry, baby. Just turn around.” The shock to my system was short-lived as he helped me get settled before he pulled me onto him. Now we were face to face. His eyes glowed with his inner beast, which only made me want more of him.
I couldn’t look away, and for a moment, I thought he might be mesmerizing me. He pressed the flat of his hand on my belly then ran it up my body, goosebumps erupting in his wake, until he stroked a thumb along my neck. The glow in his gaze never diminished, only growing hotter. I was witnessing his desire through his eyes. I wasn’t sure how long I could hold everything in as I let the sensations ripple through me.
Then his lips were on mine, his tongue searching as his kiss deepened. Our rocking motion became frantic, and we gripped each other, afraid to let go, needing the soft embrace of skin-on-skin. My first cries of release shook me; the second wave spread a heat through me that made me gooey inside.
His arms never let me go, even when his body stiffened, and he let out a low growl that always made me smile.
We collapsed onto the soft carpet, his body covering mine, his lips pressing light kisses along my upper back.
There were no words for how he made me feel. His warm foreplay, his ministrations after sex. Without words he made me feel cherished, his hands now roaming over me in long, languid movements.
We never spoke of emotions—feelings. What could either of us say? Our relationship was problematic, so we shoved it away, living only for the moment. And then he curled me into him, his arm possessive as he tightened his hold.
And for the moment, I felt safe from the world.
We walked along 5th Avenue, stopping frequently as I window-shopped. He laughed as I pointed out one outrageous dress after another, assuring him I would look marvelous in each of them. We were still laughing when we rode up the elevator, his hands roaming over me.
“You were right.” My hands did some of their own perusing as I squeezed his ass.
“About what?”
“I won’t forget that dinner. It was so romantic.”
Dinner had been at a penthouse restaurant that overlooked Manhattan. Candles lit the table, and the bucket of champagne kept the alcohol flowing. The meal itself was five-star, and I rubbed my tummy. The espresso afterward took the buzz away, and the walk back helped settle the food. I was ready to get busy again. This time we were going to take full advantage of our king-sized bed.
We’d made two steps out of the elevator before Lucas pushed me behind him. I hadn’t seen anyone, but I didn’t waste any time pulling the dagger out of my clutch. I stepped to his right as he moved into a defensive posture.
Two vamps waited at the end of the hall. They didn’t look friendly. I couldn’t believe they’d be so bold to attack us in a hotel where humans could leave a room or step out of the elevator at any moment. The vamps moved toward us. They didn’t appear to be in a hurry, and there were no visible weapons, but they strode shoulder to shoulder, sneers on their faces.
We were in close quarters in the hallway. There wasn’t any room to spread out. And we couldn’t work back-to-back with a frontal attack. I considered Lucas’s options, but I didn’t have to think past the first one that came to mind. He’d take them both on, wanting to keep me out of it. There wouldn’t be time to argue about it, so I fell back a step, putting distance between him and me.
I’d let him attack because these vamps were obviously falling for his defensive posture ruse. As soon as he dropped one, I’d make sure they stayed down until Lucas finished them both. We couldn’t take a chance of leaving them injured. They’d most likely grab the first human they found to make a blood donor out of them—possibly taking too much and leaving the human nothing more than a husk.
When they were about thirty feet from us, Lucas ran. I chased after him, still keeping a decent gap between us. The vamps weren’t expecting it, but they had quick reflexes. Lucas spun and kicked out, catching the chin of one vamp. He ducked as the second vamp swung his fist. The vamp missed, which took him off his stride, and Lucas struck the back of his knee. The vamp went down.
The first vamp was already coming at him, and I raced for the second vamp, kicking him in the head before he could stand. He must have seen it coming, and while he took the hit, he grabbed my foot and twisted it. I went with the twist, but it still hurt like a mother. I held back a scream so I wouldn’t alarm Lucas. I hit the wall but held onto my dagger, so when the vamp came at me, I struck out, slicing his chest. Blood smeared his shirt, but it didn’t stop him.
He grabbed me by the hair while gripping my hand to pull the dagger free. Instead of trying to pull away, I stepped toward him and kneed him in the groin. Who would have thought such an old trick would work so well? He went down, and I wrenched my knife free.
I was getting ready to stab him when his eyes went wide just before his head slipped from his shoulders.
Time seemed to freeze. Blood sprayed everywhere. I glanced down and stared at his head. His eyes, still wide in surprise, stared at the ceiling.
All I could think was—there went the carpet.
Lucas grabbed my arm and turned me around.
“Are you okay?” He shook my arm. “Ginger?”
I looked for the other vamp, and his headless body was slumped against the wall—his head a few feet from him.
“Where’d you get the sword?” I glanced up the hall but didn’t see anyone. Then my gaze traveled back to the headless vamps.
“Apparently, they brought one to the party. I’m guessing they were hoping to take our heads back to whoever sent them.”
“Now what?”
“We need to get rid of the bodies.”
“And the blood?”
“Security will scratch their heads over it, but without bodies, there isn’t much they can do.”
“The cops will get the names of every guest on this floor.”
“Our aliases can’t be traced.”
I stared at the head near my feet. “Then how did they find us?”
“I don’t know. Open the door to our room. We need to hide them there until we can get them in the car.”
I ran down the hall to grab my clutch and searched for the card key while not thinking about the dead vamps. Lucas already had one vamp over his shoulder, waiting for me to open the door.
Once the bodies and heads were in the bathroom, we stripped out of our blood-spattered clothing, my heart breaking over the waste of a brand-new dress. We stuffed the blood-stained clothing and towels into two laundry bags, dropped a head in each, then changed into traveling clothes.
It was close to three a.m., and the hotel was quiet. We took the elevator down to the parking garage, and I waited, keeping an eye out for hotel security as Lucas pulled the rental around. I packed our bags into the back seats while he went upstairs to get the first vamp. He brought them down one by one via the stairs and piled them into the trunk.
Lucas was familiar with New York and found a quiet pier where he dumped the vamps and the laundry bags into the deep, dark waters. Then he drove us to the train station.
“Now what?” I asked. My nerves were shot, and a bone-chilling cold came over me, creating an unstoppable shiver.
Lucas turned the heat up high and put an arm around me. We cuddled the best we could with a console between us. “We’ll catch a train to D.C. One of Philipe’s contacts is in Maryland.”
“Do you think they followed us from Renaud’s library?”
“Maybe. But I didn’t sense them, and I’ve been watching.”
“Did you contact Sergi?”
“Not until we can get new burners. I don’t want to take a chance.”
I leaned my head against his shoulder and gripped his hand tighter as we waited for the morning commuters to arrive so we could vanish from New York within a sea of humans.
I had so looked forward to that king-sized bed.