Duet in Blood (24 page)

As he came, and I felt the hot torrent of his semen erupt inside me, I shouted his name.

The sound of my voice echoed around the tiled walls and came back to me like a whisper…

“Joseph…”

Joseph

Holding Micah in my arms again was a rapture I truly had believed I would never

experience again. When Angelo’s javelin pierced my shoulder, the pain had been eclipsed by the dire knowledge of what the silver could do to my blood. I had seen a vampire die of silver poisoning, and it had been a slow, tortuous and ugly death. Had it not been for the intervention of the Dark Forces, and for Marcus rushing me to the healer Sharla, I would most certainly have shared that fate.

Now, lying here with Micah, in the safety of my home in Paris, it seemed I could now dare to dream of a future with him by my side. There were still some obstacles to overcome, of course. Micah’s acceptance of this very different life being just one.

“What’re you thinking about?” He raised his head from my chest and gave me a sleepy eyed look. The hours we had spent in lovemaking, plus the arduous day and night prior to our return, had taken their toll on him. He had fallen asleep in my arms, and I had stilled my lust and desire for him so that he could rest. A little.

“I was thinking about you,” I replied, stroking the skin on his back with my fingertips.

“Mmm. I was dreaming about you.” He curled himself around me, and I felt his

growing hardness against my thigh. “You were making love to me.”

“That wasn’t a dream,” I said, chuckling. “We made love several times last night.”

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“It’s always nice when dreams come true,” he murmured. “Especially dreams like

those.”

“Shall I make them come true again for you?”

He laid the full length of his body on top of mine and smiled into my eyes. “I love you, Joseph Meyer. I love you,” he said, his mouth touching my lips.

“Oh, Micah…” The surge of emotion I felt as he whispered those words left me

breathless. I crushed his body to mine in an embrace that told him, without words, that my love for him grew stronger with each moment we spent together.

“Tell me what I must do to be with you always,” he said.

“Just love me as you do now.”

“But I mean…to be like you. To have us share a life like Roger and Marcus have.”

I stared into his eyes for a long time without saying a word. Did he really know what he was suggesting? In such a short time of knowing me, could he really understand the ramifications of being completely changed? Gently, I eased his body from mine and sat up.

He gazed at me with such complete trust, that I felt I would have to be brutally honest with him, in order that he might fully comprehend just what would happen to him and to his life.

“Micah…” I put my arm around his shoulders, and he eagerly snuggled against me, his head on my chest. “Have you wondered why your friend Ron has not yet become one of us—or why Tony, after having lived with Andorra for almost a hundred years, is still a mortal man?”

“Perhaps they’re just not ready yet,” he murmured. “Although a hundred years seems a long time to think about it.”

“Tony feels his strength comes from being able to walk in the daylight and to interact with other humans without arousing suspicion. He also feels the need to protect Andorra while she sleeps,” I explained. “A noble and courageous act on his part, and something she has been thankful for on more than one occasion. Ron has a brother to whom he is very close, and one who has taken to visiting Ron more often now that he is in a relationship with Jean-Claude.”

“Yes, I know Jonas and his boyfriend Ted,” Micah said. “I guess it could be awkward for them—”

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“More than awkward, Micah—disastrous, if they ever discovered the truth.” I stroked his red-gold hair. “And you have a mother, Micah—and friends like…like Rhonda who surely would miss you terribly.”

“But Roger and Marcus—”

“Believe me, Marcus had this same conversation with Roger when they first fell in love, but matters were taken out of their hands when Roger was almost killed by a rogue vampire.”

“Yes, Roger told me something about that.”

I kissed his lips gently. “You know I love you, Micah, and I want you by my side forever—but it is not necessary for you to become a vampire in order for that to happen. The blood you drink from me will give you a long, long life. We truly would be joined until death do us part.”

He smiled. “I like that idea. Okay, I guess as long as you’re all right with the situation as it is…” He was quiet for a moment or two then he said, chuckling, “I guess I just wanted to go zooming through the air like you and Marcus.”

I hugged him to me, relieved that he seemed not to want to pursue the matter further.

“Well, I guess we can go ‘zooming’ whenever you want to.”

“Right now,” he said, giving me a sly smile, “there’s something else I’d like to zoom onto. How ‘bout making my dreams come true again?”

“With pleasure,” I murmured, glad to put the past and the future aside and live only in the present, in the sweet sensuousness of his arms.

Micah

I woke in the early hours of the morning, wondering where the heck I was. The bed I lay in was big and sumptuous, the ceiling that towered above me was painted a pale blue, and in the half-light, I could just make out that it was decorated with frescoes of trees and what appeared to be fairies peering from behind the tree trunks.

“A bit much isn’t it?” Joseph’s deep voice close to my ear made me smile. Ah yes…I was in Paris with the man I loved. And today was a special kind of day…something, that in the madness that had surrounded us, I had totally forgotten about.

“It’s…different,” I said, snuggling into his arms.

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“The previous owners were into the baroque look. I keep meaning to have it redone, but somehow have never got around to it.” He kissed me gently on the lips. “By the way…happy birthday, Micah.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed. “How did you know? Oh, right. I just remembered it, and you read my thoughts—unfair advantage, Joseph.”

He looked contrite. “Sorry. I try not to read your mind too often, but I’m glad I just did.

We will have a splendid celebration for you tonight. I think Ron may even be here by then.”

“He’s coming? But how did you know that—oh, why do I ask these things?”

“After you fell asleep, I communicated with Jean-Claude,” he explained. “He had

talked with Ron and persuaded him to fly to Paris, right away. “

“Which reminds me,” I said. “I have to call my district manager to let him know I won’t be in for a few days.”

“Right, you still look a little pale. Mustn’t hurry back too soon.”

“Not until I’ve seen all of Paris, anyway.”

“In that case, you’d best take the rest of the year off.”

“If only…”

Joseph fell silent for a moment or two, then holding me even closer, if that was possible, he said, “Micah…I know I told you when we exchanged blood a bond was created between us—one that will last for as long as we live. I also know that this might just be too overwhelming for you. After all, we have known each other such a short time. Is it much too soon to ask if you would consider spending your life with me? I would be honoured, and extremely happy if you would say yes.”

As hard as I tried, I couldn’t stop the chuckle that erupted from my throat. “Oh, Joseph, sorry,” I spluttered through my laughter.

“Not the reaction I hoped for,” he said, just a tad stiffly.

“Oh, Joseph, I’m sorry. I just love the way you phrase things. D’you know when Robert asked me to, quote, spend my life with him, unquote, he said, ‘So, when you gonna ask me to shack up with you?’ Hearing you ask it so beautifully just made me realise what I’ve been missing all my life. You, Joseph, you. Of course, I will spend my life with you. I can’t think of anything that would make my happier.”

“Even with all that it entails?”

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“Even with all that…stuff.”

“It may not always be easy,” he murmured, his lips tickling my ear.

“No relationship is—I know, remember?”

“There are dangers.”

“Been there, done that.”

“There could be more.”

I pulled back slightly and raised an eyebrow. “You tryin’ to talk me out of your offer?”

“No, no. I just want you to be sure.”

“I am sure.” I kissed his chin then his lips then the tip of his nose. “You have given me the best birthday gift of all time,” I whispered, snuggling back into his arms.

“And you have given me an even greater gift,” Joseph murmured. “For the first time in many years, I feel as if the future holds more than just a pleasant and varied existence. You have given me a purpose…a reason to live.”

I kissed his chest. “You say the most wonderful things.”

“And I mean every word.”

I pressed my face to his chest, listening to the beating of his heart.
That’s interesting
, I thought suddenly. Some book I’d just read mentioned that vampires didn’t have a heartbeat, nor did they breathe—but there it was, a strong, steady beat, maybe a little slower than mine, but there, nevertheless.

“Joseph?”

“Mmm?”

“I can hear your heart beating.”

“That’s good,” he said chuckling.

“No…I mean, there was a part in one of my books that said vampires’ hearts don’t beat.”

He sighed. “You read a fiction, Micah.” He sounded peeved. “Just one more myth put about to make us seem even more monstrous. But think about it for a moment. Without a heartbeat, how could our blood flow through our veins? How could it feed our nerves and tissues? How could it stimulate us enough to make love? The blood flows through my body just as it does through yours—with the aid of the heartbeat. Without it, our blood would just DUET IN BLOOD

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slop around uselessly in our bodies—and what would be the point of stabbing us through the heart in order to kill us, if it didn’t function?”

Okaaay… I wasn’t even going to mention the part about the not breathing.

He touched my cheek with his fingertips. “I’m sorry. Was I too abrupt?”

“That’s okay,” I said, stroking his chest. “I guess you get tired of the same old questions. It’s just that what I know about vampires, I got from reading or watching movies.”

“And, of course, the vampire is always the villain and comes to a particularly gruesome end—yes, I’ve seen those movies, too. Some of them are quite fun.”

“Wow. I just remembered that conversation with Roger the night we had dinner with him and Marcus.” I lifted my head to look at him. “What must you have thought of me?”

“Well…” He chuckled softly. “I remember you said you thought vampires were sexy.”

I grinned at him and kissed his sexy mouth, hard. “And I was right about that—totally sexy!”

Bob, my district manager back in LA, was not a happy camper when I called him later.

“What the hell happened to you?” he barked at me. “And what the hell happened in the store? The door was unlocked and there was stuff all over the place. We thought you’d been mugged or murdered, or…or…well, we didn’t know what the hell happened!”

“Sorry, Bob,” I said, hopefully sounding contrite. “I know I should’ve called before, but…”

“You’re all right?”

“Uh…yeah…”

“Good. So I can expect you later today?”

“Uh…well, no. Actually, I’m in…uh Paris.”

“Paris?” His voice had risen by several decibels. “As in Paris, France?”

“Right.”

“Micah, you’re fired.”

“Wait a minute. I can explain.”

“So, explain.”

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“Well…” I floundered around for a few seconds, then I gave up. I mean, how could I explain any of this?
Well, Bob, it’s like this. I’ve been dating this vampire for a while. He got
kidnapped by a demon—the same demon that wrecked the store and transported me to France. He bit
me on the neck, so my vampire boyfriend had to exchange blood with me so I wouldn’t become a
demon…but wait…that’s not all…the demon kidnapped him and we had to go back in time four
hundred years to rescue him…

Right.

“Sorry, Bob,” I ended up saying. “I guess I can’t really explain.”

“That’s what I thought. Just come by and pick up your stuff when you get back from Paris. I hope the trip was worth losing your job over.”

Bitch.

Joseph, knowing exactly what had been said, shot me a look of sympathy. “Don’t

worry,” he said. “I was hoping to keep you here in Paris for a little longer anyway.”

“I just have to let my mother know I’m okay…and I should call Rhonda before he

contacts the police. He might think Robert did me in.”

“Of course.” He kissed my lips gently. “I’ll be in the den. Come through when you have made your calls—and tell Rhonda I said hello.”

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“We are to meet over at Marcus’ villa in Montmartre at seven,” Joseph said, as I stepped out of the shower. “They plan on taking you to some rather questionable establishments tonight.”

“Questionable?” I grinned at him from under my towel. “That sounds kinky.”

“Kink may be a part of it,” he said, chuckling. “Some of Paris’s most famous reprobates used to frequent the bars in Montmartre. Now it’s mostly tourists, but the local entertainment is usually worth seeing.”

“Sounds great.” I towelled myself vigorously, enjoying the fact that Joseph, leaning against the bathroom wall and wearing only a white silk robe, was watching my every move with a lascivious gleam in his eyes. “You’re making me hard,” I said.

“Just by looking at you?”

“You call that just looking? I can practically feel your hands on me.”