Eye of the Storm, page 32
part #10 of Promise Me Series
“— but it’s true, women like that are rare, and it’s good that T had his first time with one,” Danial said quickly, as if making himself say the words. “If he hadn’t, he might have been with one someday and killed her, or turned her, if it’s possible he can. It’s easy to do, with a woman like that, and I’m saying this from experience, Sar. And I don’t want T to be a killer.”
Another dig at Lash. Wasn’t it enough he was in jail? Then I saw Danial’s face and understood he’d killed a woman, drained her. This hadn’t been a dig at Lash after all. It had been a confession.
I went to him and hugged him, saying nothing. After a moment, he hugged me back, and then we separated. “Go home,” Danial said, kissing me. “I’ll call and let you know if anything happens.”
“Here,” I said, offering him the potion and a plate of cookies and brownies. “These are for you. Titus said you only have five minutes, from the time you take the potion.”
Danial looked at me questioningly.
“You can eat these, if you drink this first,” I said, some of my joy for him coming through to my voice. “Devlin tried it earlier, and it worked, he didn’t get sick.”
Danial pulled me to him so fast I almost dropped everything. The potion and the plate of cookies clattered down on the nearby coffee table as he kissed me with enough tenderness and love that I swooned in his arms, and my legs went weak. Danial pushed me gently back and in the next second I was on the couch, and he was laying his body on top of mine as he had those years ago, the night we had first kissed. He kissed me for a long, long time, and I held him to me, running my hands though his glossy hair, and over his wide shoulders. I inhaled the scent that was his and his alone, that mix of cedar and nutmeg, spice and allure.
“Take me, please, Danial,” I whispered gently. “Right here, the way I wanted you to that first night we kissed on my couch—”
Danial let out a groan, and then he kissed me harder, slipping off my jeans, and then his own. He thrust hard into me, and then he was crying out softly in pleasure, as we moved in rhythm together. He pushed my top up, and in a moment, his lips were fastened on my breast. I let out a long moan of pleasure. I ran my hands over his chest, over his wide shoulders. I remembered that long ago night like it was yesterday, and too soon, I was climaxing hard, Danial coming a second later as he bore down with his hips in a frenzied motion, moaning loudly as he jetted into me.
“I wanted you so much that night,” he whispered, kissing my throat, my face, my lips. “It had been years since I’d really desired a woman, since I’d even lain with one...”
I looked at him in shock. I hadn’t known it had been that long. “I knew there was a reason you were so into me,” I said teasingly, kissing his neck tenderly.
“You are my reason for everything I do,” he whispered softly in my ear. “My reason for being so happy. I’m so glad I met you, that we’re together. Tell me you feel it for me too, Love. That you don’t regret everything that’s happened, saving me, loving me, having a child with me—”
“Danial, I could never think that, any of it—!”
“I brought you into this world, and made you my own. You are in danger and have been these past years because I didn’t leave you alone, as I knew I should.”
“We’re all in danger because of Dev! Not you, Danial! All of this is Dev’s fault, because he can’t control his behavior! And I’m going to give him a piece of my mind tonight—!” If not a sharp pointy object, too.
“Sar,” Danial said soothingly, hugging me. “Dev’s not going to change. There’s no point in yelling at him. And it is fact that Diana is probably going to die as collateral damage. It’s not pretty or fair, or anything but sickening, but Devlin can’t afford to be soft now. The other Rulers are watching, the vampire hunters are watching, Ulysses is watching. They see a moment’s weakness, and they’ll descend one after another. Then even with Titus’s help, and Lash’s, if he were here, Dev wouldn’t stand a chance. Neither would you or I. Devlin must be almost legendary in his cruelty, as he always has been, or the blood that will be spilled will be yours, and mine, and your children’s. I’d spill Diana’s blood myself to stave off that. So would you.”
I took a deep breath, and put my anger aside. But just for now.
“Come,” Danial said, taking my hand, and helping me up. “I want you to be here when I eat these. I’ll need to leave within the hour. I’ll be gone until tomorrow night, but I’ll call when I get home.”
We got into our clothes. Danial drank the potion right after, and hesitantly bit into the cookies. He ate the first one slowly and delicately, but when I told him he only had three minutes left, he began to devour them as Devlin had, though he was neat and didn’t get crumbs everywhere. He closed his eyes, and savored the taste, chewing with relish, and making little “Ahh” noises. After he was done, he hugged me. “Tell Dev thanks for me,” he said with a smile. “I’ve wanted to eat your baking for a long time, my Sweetheart. Have him tell me how often we can do this, too. I’m sure he’s already asked, and Titus can make him and me potions regularly, so we can do this again. I’d love to try that pumpkin pie Theo was always going on about—”
“How is Theo?”
Danial was quiet, and I could see by his face he was wondering how much to tell me.
“Don’t hold back like you did with Tasha, Danial. Tell me, and tell me all of it. Right now.”
Danial sighed. “Theo’s overwrought from trying to watch everyone, and also manage the business with me. He hates that you’re with Devlin at Hayden, even though Lash isn’t there, even though he knows it’s the safest place for you to be. If anything, his jealousy seems to be worse now than it ever was. He’s been changing every night, and mating with Jenny in lion form. That seems to be keeping him from losing it, but I don’t know how much longer he can keep it together. He misses you, and he’s going crazy here with no one to strike out at. But we’re all tense, Sar; the foxes, the bears, all of us, even the demons with all their power. Everyone is at each other’s throats. Aran and Brian were fighting today over a TV show! Everyone seems to be at their breaking point.”
“I thought so! I knew it! I knew he was!”
“Don’t be too hard on him, Sar. He’s trying hard to do everything he should.”
“I want to know right now, Danial, if you’ve heard him yelling at Devon, if you’ve heard Devon crying after Theo’s been with him!”
Danial looked at me strangely, hearing the anger in my voice, and so I explained the scene that had happened with the lunch, the last time I’d seen Theo.
“No,” Danial said finally, rubbing his eyes and sighing. “I’ve never seen him even raise his voice, Sar. Devon usually listens to him the first time he growls at him.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Go back to Hayden,” Danial said, hugging me. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I gave him a last kiss, and then, I teleported back.
I sat for a while at the kitchen table reading my Vampire Hunter D novel, putting off facing Devlin. I didn’t want to get in the Jacuzzi with him, but I also didn’t want to fight with him. I was furious with him over what he’d done, and knew I was going to say something to him, if I saw him in my current mood. I wished Lash was here to talk it over with, but...
The phone rang, and I was so startled I dropped my book. The phone rang again.
Could it be him? God, please! I dove for the phone, and said, “Hello?”
“Sarelle?” a voice answered. A very calm, almost drugged-calm voice.
“Yes,” I said quietly. “This is she. Who is this?”
“It’s Harriet.”
“Sorry, Harriet, I didn’t recognize your voice. How is everything?”
“Good.” That told me nothing. She seemed to have no inflection, no emphasis in her speech pattern. How could that be?
“Was there something you wanted to ask me about?”
“Yes. Let me think a moment.”
I read a page of my book before she spoke again.
“Sarelle, I wanted to ask you, did you get any cravings for blood? For flesh?”
I felt a chill down my spine, and I swallowed very hard. My throat was suddenly dry as a desert.
“No,” I got out finally. “But you must be channeling The Lust that way, Harriet. It’s maybe specific to the bloodline? My advice would be to sate it, because trying to fight my own just made it worse. And you should know, your body will change from having a vampire’s child. Your blood work will show that you are vampire, for all intents and purposes.”
“We know that Sarelle, thank you,” Samuel inserted coldly, and I shivered. I hadn’t known he was listening in, though I should have expected it. “Harriet’s blood shows she should be turned, but she has not so far—”
How long would that last? How much had Titus been able to change her? He’d had my blood to help him, and time to study it. Maybe it had been enough? I hoped so.
“— other than that, she is having your symptoms, Sarelle. She has been too warm this past week, and we’ve been using ice, which is working well.”
I needed Dev here to help me. There might be something I hadn’t thought through.
“We also called to ask you if you know what exactly made you unable to have children. Perseus is adamant that it not happen to Harriet. The first time, you healed because of the blood Danial had given you, from being partly turned in situ. But the second time, it didn’t work, despite you having a Caesarian section—”
Shit!
“— were you told what made it different? If so, please tell us.”
“She was not told,” Devlin’s voice purred into my ear. “She was asleep, for the surgery. The cougar came out first, but as before, the dhamphir was born with its vampire nature present. And the best way I can describe it was that my child fought being born that way. It didn’t help that the dhamphir was moved into position to be born the normal way. And when the anesthetic took effect and the contractions stopped, it began to try to tear its way out of her.”
I gasped at the horror of the picture he was painting, even though Dev was lying though his teeth.
“— Camlyn did the best he could, but it tore her up badly before he was able to get it out of her. And he took me aside, after he’d gotten the babies out, and Sar stable, and said it would be best that we remove her womb—”
“Couldn’t he have done something, used some of your blood? She healed the last time.”
“My advice would be to let Harriet deliver naturally,” Devlin lied smoothly. “She’ll be hurt, but she’ll heal in time. Sar would have healed the damage in time from Venus, but Stephen said there was no time, she was bleeding to death. As it was, I had to use some of my blood to heal her, as Danial used some of his when she had Theoron. Sar isn’t full vampire, and her healing abilities are not ours. There is only so much she can regenerate, Samuel, even with vampire blood.”
“Mores the pity. But I’ll take it under advisement, Dalcon. Now we’ve got to get to our doctor’s appointment. As always, Sarelle, it has been a pleasure. Take good care of her, Dalcon.”
It occurred to me that he was on Europe time, not USA time. Wasn’t it day over there now? But then he’d said he had a demon working for him, so maybe they were teleporting in?
“Our best to you and to Harriet,” Dev said smoothly, and we all hung up.
I sat back down, and then heard Dev’s footsteps on the stairs. I stashed my book, though I was tempted to let him catch me reading it. Devlin came in a moment later in his robe, and sat down next to me. I thought he might want to talk about Harriet, or what might be wrong with her, as I was wondering if there was something wrong, if she was turning for real. It sounded like it, from what she had said.
But Devlin of course wasn’t concerned with anyone but himself. “Why haven’t you come upstairs?” His voice was a little annoyed. “I’ve been waiting for you in the Jacuzzi.”
“Because I knew we were going to fight, and I didn’t want to,” I said honestly, not looking at him. “I’ve got enough to think about, without sleeping next to you, angry.”
Devlin sat back in his chair, and looked at me. “I know you’re angry because of Theoron being with Diana. Know this as well: Ulysses has not responded to me, and he was not at the door of Hayden tonight. He has until midnight to show himself, or I’m going to turn her.”
“She’s done nothing, Dev! Don’t punish her for her brother’s actions—”
“Sar, this is how war is waged—!”
“This isn’t a war! This is a blood feud you caused, with your endless lust, and irresponsible behavior! And you are just making things worse! Now T will be in danger, too! How many more people have to die? Robin, Seth, all the deaths, they are all on your head!”
Devlin got up, but he didn’t seem angry, or as angry as I expected him to be. “I acted as I always have, Sarelle, to protect what matters to me! This is who I am, who I’ve always been! Now do you want to share my bed tonight or not?”
“Like I have a choice—!”
“You have a choice,” Devlin said, his burning eyes slitted. “The furniture you ordered was delivered earlier today. Make yourself up one of the guest beds, and sleep there in a guest room, if you’ve a mind to. I don’t care, so long as I know where to find you if the mood strikes me—!”
“I will then. Goodnight.” My tone was pure malice. I got up, and turned to go, utterly furious with him.
But he wasn’t done. “Fine,” Devlin hissed furiously. “I’ll be at your door in an hour, and I expect to find you both waiting and willing. But when I’m done with you, I’ll leave you alone, to think over your ill-thought idealistic principles.”
I was so furious at that moment that I debated getting my gun, and killing him. Ulysses could thank me, and maybe this would all be over, if I killed him. Then I remembered my explosive bullets gun was twisted burnt metal. I’d forgotten it that night at my house along with Theo’s extra guns. I’d have forgotten the shotgun too, if Lash hadn’t noticed it, and grabbed it. And my regular .38 and .22 would have no effect on Devlin.
“I can see in your eyes you’re thinking about denying me—”
I’m thinking about killing you, you bastard! “How could you do it?” I whispered. “How could you force her—?”
“She liked me watching her, as T gave her her first orgasm. She said so as she cried out—”
“You disgust me! How could you force a woman like that, Dev? You know she would never have done it, if you hadn’t given her your blood!”
“What I did to her wasn’t forced. Neither was our first time together, or any of what happened after! You haven’t seen real force,” Devlin sneered, his eyes angry, but still that beautiful melting gold. “I was very gentle with you in that hotel that day, Sweet Sar. But I’m not going to be gentle with you tonight. And you can fight me if you want this time, but I’ll have you just the same as I did then.”
“You fucking no good son-of-a-bitch bastard! Maybe I should let Ulysses inside Hayden to finish you once and for all! Perseus couldn’t be more despicable! No one could!”
Devlin stalked toward me, until he had me against the wall, his hands on either side. His eyes were red tinged now, and angry. “Shut your mouth!” he hissed. “You depend on me for your safety, and you dare to judge my actions? I didn’t see you crying for Catherine, when Lash slit her throat, or Tasha, when I drained her! But maybe if you’d been the one tortured by Ulysses, you’ll be a little less sanctimonious!”
“Lash told me the truth, that he drained her,” I said, my eyes shut as the tears trickled out of them. “And I suspect he maybe ate her too. You don’t have to lie for him, to protect me. I know what he—”
“Stop talking about him!” Devlin shouted. “I hate you, you bitch! I hate that I love you, that I keep wanting you, and you never want me!”
“How can I want you?” I screamed back at him. “When you do these things that are so monstrous! I told you that you could change, that you didn’t have to be this way! But now, after all this time, it’s obvious! No one ever made you be this way. You like being a monster! You love it! You love hurting people! You are evil, right to the core of your black heart!”
Devlin looked so angry that I thought he might strike me, but as before, he did nothing, just walked away. I heard his feet going up the stairs, and wondered if he was going to Diana’s room, to either have her or kill her. I decided it didn’t matter, not right now, because no matter which it was, I couldn’t save her, or stop him. I’d be lucky if I could save myself.
I got up, and went to the green and gold room. I’d have gone to the flame room, but that was my sewing room now, and I didn’t want to sleep on the floor, no matter that I wanted to feel close to Lash. And I knew the door to his room would be locked. It had been when I’d tried it yesterday, anyway.
I turned on the ceiling light, and saw the bed had been set up, and the mattresses were there too. I went downstairs to the laundry room/linen closet, got a sheet set and matching blanket, and made up the bed. They were plain cotton with a rosebud pattern, and I liked that suddenly, as they reminded me of sheets I’d once had years before. The comforter was soft, and I felt a little better. I could pretend I was home maybe, really home, even if just for tonight. I put my book on the nightstand, and plugged in the floor lamp. The nightstand lamp was already plugged in.
I thought about taking a shower, but knew I had no shampoo, or soap. I traipsed back to the supply closet, and got some regular soap. I wasn’t going to Devlin’s room to get my shampoo, or leave-in conditioner. Then I realized that in the midst of everything, I’d forgotten my dogs. I’d seen them earlier, but where were they now? They must already be in their beds. I couldn’t be here, and leave them alone in Devlin’s room with him. I wouldn’t.
Fuck it. I would have to go and get them. I could get my shampoo while I was there.
I went to the door, and opened it, to see Devlin standing there, his eyes golden, and filled with desire. He wore only jeans. I backed up without a word, and he advanced, slamming the door behind him, and breaking the lock, so the door couldn’t be opened.
