Blood Submission (Deathless Night Series Book 5) Page 17

  When the plane landed at the Seattle/Tacoma airport, the captain taxied in to the gate and took off his seatbelt. Laughing with the co-pilot, he unlocked the cabin door. His wife was waiting for him, but he liked to watch the passengers disembark before he left the plane.

  Opening the door, the smile froze on his face. A moment later, his hand clutched at his chest over his heart as he stumbled back away from the bloody carnage that filled his plane.

  Chapter 21

  Grace rolled over in the bed she shared with Aiden. Stretching out an arm, she patted around on the mattress next to her. It was empty.

  Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked around the bedroom. Though it was just past dawn, the room was dark thanks to the blackout shades. “Aiden?” she called softly. She heard movement on the other side of the bed and reached over to turn on her lamp. Her hedgehog poked his nose out of his house next to the nightstand and grumbled about being woken up. “Sorry, little dude.” Rolling back over, she found Aiden standing next to the bed in his red boxer briefs. He had his back to her.

  The tiny hairs rose on the back of her neck as she watched him. “Aiden?”

  When he turned around, she realized she wasn’t talking to Aiden at all. Shadows darkened his grey eyes until they appeared more like a storm cloud than a morning mist. “Waano.” She spit out the detested name. Sitting up, she was glad she’d kept her PJ’s on last night. Normally, her vampire mate liked to feel her skin against his, even if they didn’t have sex, but she’d fallen asleep reading a medical textbook this morning. She’d decided to go back to school the previous week.

  Anger overcame her in a rush. “Why are you here?” she demanded. “What do you want?” She hadn’t seen this particular side of her mate since it had tried to force Aiden to commit suicide by crazy obsessed vampire bitch in a desperate bid to gain its freedom. It didn’t want to possess Aiden any more than he wanted to be possessed. But they seemed to be stuck with each other until they could figure out how to get it out of him.

  Waano cocked Aiden’s head at a strange angle as he studied her, causing chills to skate over her skin. “What do you want?”

  “They’re here.” Aiden’s British accent was gone. “We have to warn him.”

  “Who’s here?”

  “The others. They came for the box. For the clue.” Aiden’s body walked toward the bedroom door.

  “Wait!” she cried after it. “Where are you going with him?”

  “I must tell her to warn him,” it said, and left the bedroom.

  Grace scrambled out of bed, pushing her long, red hair out of her face. She followed Aiden, or rather Aiden’s body, out of the apartment and to the stairs. “Nikulas!” she screamed from the hallway. “Emma!”

  Nik’s blonde head popped out of the apartment and Grace looked back at him with frantic eyes. When he saw her following Aiden into the stairwell, he shoved Emma back into the apartment. “Stay here!” he ordered. “I mean it, Em!” Then he closed the door in her face and followed Grace.

  She held the heavy door open for him and kept her eyes on Aiden. He was heading up the stairs. “I think he’s going to Luukas’s.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to end well,” Nik answered. “Especially not with those obnoxious undies he’s wearing. It’s going to be like flashing a red cape in front of an enraged bull. Only worse.”

  “How do we stop him?” she asked as she began climbing the stairs. The concrete was cold on her bare feet.

  “I don’t think we can,” he said. “But we can stop Luukas from killing him.” Adding under his breath, “I hope.”

  But Grace heard him. “You should’ve let Emma come. She could help —”

  He cut her off with a slash of his hand and a quick shake of his head. “No fucking way.”

  “Nik, her powers are growing. She stopped Dante. You need to let her help us.”

  “Not today,” he sang.

  “Nik.”

  “NO.”

  Grace sighed, but didn’t argue with him further. They were approaching Luukas’s door.

  Waano didn’t knock. One well-placed front kick broke the lock, tore the door from its hinges, and sent it flying into the apartment. Aiden/Waano calmly walked in after it, with Grace and Nikulas on its heels.

  “Dammit, Nikulas! We just fixed that door!” Keira’s voice came from the glass-walled office just as over six feet of pissed off Master Vampire filled the doorway at the opposite end of the foyer. He wore nothing but a pair of black lounge pants, the muscles jumping in his chest and arms as his upper lip pulled back to reveal long fangs ready to take a bite out of whoever it was that had just busted into his home.

  One look at Aiden and Luukas hissed in fury, fisting his hands at his sides and dropping into a fighting stance.

  Nik got between him and Aiden just as he was about to attack. “Luuk! Wait! He says he needs to tell you something. He hasn’t threatened anyone.”

  “Her,” Waano clarified. “I need to tell her, the witch.”

  Keira appeared behind Luukas. “What is it you need to tell me?” Laying a hand on Luuk’s arm, she tried to get him to let her pass, but he wouldn’t budge. With a sigh, she stood behind him and peeked out from over his shoulder as he rocked on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce at the slightest indication.

  In that moment, Grace was very grateful that Waano had come so close to succeeding in killing Aiden, for it was Luukas’s blood that had saved him. And that re-established blood bond was the only thing saving him now.

  “Not her,” Waano said. He pointed past them into the office Keira had just left. “Her.”

  Grace looked to where he pointed, as did everyone else. Ryan, Christian’s female, stood in the doorway, her face pale and her eyes wide with fright.

  “They’re coming,” Waano told her. The same thing he had told Grace.

  “Who’s coming?” Keira asked.

  He directed his words at Ryan. “The demons. They’re here, and they’re coming for the box. You must not let them find it. Your brother. Tell Shea she must contact him. They must not find the last clue.”

  Keira frowned. “Who must Shea contact?”

  Waano smiled, an evil grimace that was nothing but a morbid replica of Aiden’s normal cheeky grin. “She will know of whom I speak.”

  “But who is ‘he’?” Keira asked.

  Waano’s head whipped around toward her. “I’m not speaking to you, witch!” Grace rushed forward, as did Nik. But before they could reach him, Luukas shoved Keira back and rose to his full height. Throwing out his hands, he roared with rage and knocked the demon back a few steps without ever touching him. The fact that he was only able to throw him a few steps spoke of the demon’s power.

  The demon narrowed his eyes, but stayed where he was. Looking around the angry vampire, he repeated to Ryan, “Tell her. She will know.” Then he smiled at Luukas again. “Until next time, Master Vampire.”

  Grace held her breath as Aiden’s eyes rolled back in his head. His body sagged as the thing that was animating it slithered back to wherever it normally hid. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor just as she and Nik rushed forward to grab him.

  Aiden gagged as he pulled his knees into chest. “Bloody hell,” he moaned. “I think I’m going to retch.”

  Tears filled Grace’s eyes as she pulled his head and shoulders into her arms. He could ‘retch’ on her all he wanted, as long as she had him back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luukas walk to the window and knew Keira would be watching him with a worried expression. Though his state of mind had gotten much better since they’d come home, it was never a good sign when he stared out the window.

  Ryan came out of the office, looking as confused as Grace felt.

  “Who is your brother?”

  Ryan shook her head slowly, her brow furrowed in confusion. “I don’t have a brother.”

  “I need a shower, luv,” Aiden groaned. “Get me home, please. I need a shower.”

  “O
kay.” She kissed his forehead. “Nik, would you help me, please?”

  “I’m on it.” Bending down, he pulled his best friend from her arms and threw him over his muscular shoulders in a fireman’s hold. He pointed with his chin at his brother. “You got him?” he asked Keira.

  She nodded. “He’ll be fine.” To Ryan, she said, “We need to figure out what the hell Aiden’s alter-ego was trying to tell us, who it is he wants you to warn.”

  “I guess we need to ask Shea,” Ryan said. “He said she could get a hold of ‘him’, whoever that is.”

  “Let’s go,” Nik told Grace, and she fell into step behind him.

  As they waited for the elevator, Grace looked up at Nik. He smiled down at her, but she could tell he was distracted. “I wonder why he didn’t just go straight to Shea?”

  Graced shrugged. “Do you think he meant what I think he meant?”

  “That the demon-possessed vampires Leeha created have figured out we have the last clue they’re looking for, and that they’re here in Seattle to get it, leaving a path of rotting bodies behind them? Yeah, I think that’s exactly what he meant.”

  The elevator opened and they got inside, Grace making sure Aiden’s head didn’t slam into anything. “What are we going to do?”

  “We planned on taking the box out of here tonight. We’ll still do that.” He frowned. “We’ll have to bring all of you with us now. There’s no fucking way I’m leaving Emma here by herself with the threat of those things finding their way in.”

  “Keira has wards in place. I don’t think they could get in.”

  “I’m not taking the chance.”

  Aiden groaned from his prone position.

  “Aid isn’t either,” Nik translated. “We’ll all go, and we’re bringing you females with us.”

  That was just fine with Grace. She never liked being left behind. When the doors opened, she rushed ahead of Nik and ran to open the front door for him, but when she got there, Emma had beaten her to it.

  “Is he okay?”

  “Hallo, poppet,” Aiden managed with a wink, then started to dry heave as Nik carried him past her.

  Emma smiled with relief. “Oh, good.”

  “He’ll be fine,” Nik confirmed. “Just needs to wash the demon out of him.”

  “Can I do anything?” Emma asked Grace.

  She smiled at her new friend. “Some tea would be great.” Emma had a big heart, and she didn’t like feeling helpless, Grace knew.

  “Whiskey,” Aiden said, and started gagging again.

  “On it,” Emma told them with a smile, and headed into the kitchen.

  Grace followed Nik into the room she shared with Aiden. Laying his friend on the bed, he straightened and gazed down at him with a worried expression while she went in to start the shower. When she came out, he was still standing there while Aiden fussed at him.

  “Stop it, Nik.”

  “What?” Nik asked. “I’m just waiting for Grace to get the shower on so I can drag your happy ass in there for her.”

  “You’re hovering,” Aiden argued. “Again.” He struggled to push himself up into a sitting position, and Nik quickly reached out and helped him, maybe a little over exuberantly. “Not so fast, you bloody Estonian. I’m not kidding about the retching.”

  “Sorry,” Nik told him with no remorse whatsoever. “Shower ready?”

  “Yup, bring him in. And I think I can handle it from there.”

  Emma came in with a cup of tea in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. “Here you go.” She set the drinks on the nightstand, and bent down to let Mojo investigate her fingers before carefully rubbing his head.

  Grace got on one side of Aiden as Nik hauled him to his feet. He didn’t need her help, she knew, but she needed the reassurance of being able to touch her mate.

  They got him into the bathroom and Nik propped him up against the wall. “You’re looking a little green, Aid. You sure you don’t want to wait and do this later?”

  “Absolutely not,” Aiden rasped. “I feel like I’ve just swallowed the rotten insides of a fish. Or a bucket full of them.” Then he fell to his knees over the toilet and heaved up his insides.

  “He’s all yours,” Nik told Grace. Giving her a light pat on the back, he left, closing the door behind him. It opened again almost immediately. Nik placed the bottle of whiskey on the sink and shut the door again.

  Grace got a washcloth out of a drawer and wet it with cold water, then waited for Aiden to be done. Still hovering over the toilet, he stuck out an arm and she handed it to him. He waved his hand back and forth, the universal sign for “Not that, the other thing,” and she took the cloth back and handed him the whiskey.

  Aiden hit the button on the back of the tank to flush, then fell back onto his ass and opened the bottle. Taking a large swig, he wiped his mouth with his forearm. “I’ll take that shower now, luv.” His eyes roamed over her T-shirt and boxer shorts, damp from the steam and sticking to her body. A light of interest sparkled within the gray orbs. “I think it would be best if you got in with me. I still feel a bit wonky. I might fall over and bash my pretty head.”

  The last of her nervousness settled, and she grinned at him and shook her head. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

  “I think you have that backwards, love. I do believe I am the life of you. The immortal life, that is. Now, start stripping before we lose the hot water.” His boyish grin appeared.

  Laughing, she helped him to his feet and out of his boxer briefs, noticing that at least one part of him was feeling just fine. As he got under the spray of hot water, whiskey in hand, she took off her pajamas and pulled her long, mahogany hair up into a high bun. When she pulled the curtain back, she found her strong vampire propped up in the corner, shaking. “Aiden?” She took his face between her palms and made him look at her. “Aiden? Are you okay?”

  Haunted eyes, though thankfully free of dark shadows, rose to meet hers. “I hate this, Grace. I don’t know what I was thinking, asking you to be with me when I have this thing inside of me. Putting you in danger. What if, tonight, he had—” He clenched his jaw, unable to continue that thought. “If I wasn’t such a bloody coward, I would remove myself and my bloody demon from your life.”

  Tears welled and she blinked them away. Forcing a smile, she tried to reassure him. “Just try it, dude. You won’t get very far.”

  He sniffed, then narrowed his eyes at her. “What do I tell you about calling me ‘dude’?”

  “Well, stop talking shit and I won’t have a reason to.” As he took a swig of the whiskey, she reached behind her and got the soap and her scrubbie. “Besides, Mojo would never forgive you if you left him.” Without another word, she helped him scrub himself clean. “Better?”

  “Much,” he said. “Thank you, love.”

  “To bed?”

  His eyes fell to her breasts and she smiled. He was completely obsessed with her chest, but that was all right with her. “I think bed sounds like a fine idea,” he told her.

  Shaking her head, she helped him out and got him dried off, then herself. As he stumbled out to the bedroom, she grabbed her robe off the back of the door and followed him, grateful to find the tea Emma had left her. She took a few sips, hoping it would help her get back to sleep, then took off her robe and climbed into bed beside her vampire. But when she reached to turn out the light again, his voice stopped her.

  “Leave it on. I want to see you, Grace.”

  He curled up behind her. Pulling the band from her hair, he ran his fingers through the damp mass, fanning the strands over the pillow. “I love your hair. Almost as much as I love your breasts…and the soft reddish curls between your legs…and the taste of you….” His large palm ran up her leg and over the curve of her hip. “But it was this brilliant derriere that won me over the moment I first saw you.” She felt his lips, warmed from the whiskey, kiss her shoulder. “I’m thirsty, love.”

  Rolling over onto her back, Grace opened her arms and
welcomed her vampire to her throat. A soft hiss rent the air just before he struck, his razor sharp fangs slicing through the skin easily and with only a quick prick of pain. Then it was all pleasure as he began to drink, every pull on her vein sending sparks of lust straight to her groin until her moans of desire blended with his.

  Chapter 22

  Laney watched Dante as he slept. He’d drifted off once she’d finished sobbing like an idiot after the best sex of her life. But it wasn’t just the sex that had made her emotional. It was that he’d actually opened up to her and exposed a softer side of himself. His story still ricocheted around in her head, each new discovery fighting for dominance over the other. But one thing stood out above all of the rest: he’d had a child, too. A son. Now she understood why he’d acted the way he had. Why he’d freaked out when he’d seen her stretch marks. She even kind of got why he did the awful things he did. Sort of.

  But it was more than that. For the first time, she’d acknowledged the connection between them was more than just their unusually high sexual attraction. There was a bond here, an attachment to him she’d been fighting. And it wasn’t the usual case of Stockholm syndrome, though she had wondered about that more than once since she’d woken up in his arms the first time. It was something much, much more. She knew that now. Her soul soared every time he was near her. It overrode the fear, the frustration, the anger.

  She now knew that in spite of what had happened here in the past, he wasn’t keeping her in this damp underground to be cruel. He kept her here because he thought it was safe. It was where he felt safe. He was trying to care for her the only way he knew how, and he’d never really hurt her. Honestly, she had to admit that she didn’t think he ever would.

  His horror at forgetting to feed her flashed through her mind. Well, she might have to make sure he didn’t accidentally starve her, but still, he was trying. She ran her fingers down his bare chest, and he sighed, tuned into her even in sleep. She was coming to realize that he had just given her a gift of the highest proportions. He’d given her complete control over him while he was vulnerable with lust. He’d given her his trust.