Haven (23 page)

Stella blinked and refocused her gaze upon me. “No child, we are not those people.”

My stomach braided into a horrified knot. I swallowed hard. “
Mi dispiace
. I’m sorry, Stella. I meant no disrespect.”

“You have much to learn, Tranquilli Child.” Her voice was brusque. She switched to English. “But it is not my place to teach you our ways. Now, to your question. I am not, as you say, the right hand of my Mistress. I am her fourth in the chain of command. As far as I know, she told no one of your existence.”

“But she spent so much time here when I was a kid. You never asked where she was going, or what she was doing away from Italy?”

“It is not my place to question my Mistress.”

“So when you attacked in the park you had no idea—?”

“I had just arrived in the country. I was hungry.”

I resisted pointing out that feasting on unwilling humans was a criminal act. “I can’t believe Tessa didn’t tell you about me or why she’d ordered you to come to the States.”

Stella shook her head, straight bobbed hair swinging around her pale pixie face. “Child, you do not understand. I am Soldier. Mistress calls, I come. I do not ask why.”

“But—”

She raised a hand. “No more. I have answered your question. Now, your body hungers and it could smell better.”

I blinked. “Did you just call me stinky?”

“Eh, it happens.” She gave me her classic shrug and blurred from the car, reappearing on my side as I stepped out.

“How did you escape?” Her story included a happy ending since here she was, undead and well.

“They went too far one night, with the drugs and beatings and other things. Left me for dead in front of the gate to their familial estate. My dead body would serve as a warning for the local villagers—pay tribute or we will do this to your daughters
.
But I didn’t die. Not there, anyway. Contessa’s soldiers found me, took me to her. She was the most beautiful creature I ever beheld. An angel. She held me, kissed my forehead, wiped the blood and dirt from my face with her tiny, gentle hand.”

Stella touched her cheek.

“I glimpsed Heaven in her eyes. She pulled my story from my mind while I lay dying in her arms. She wept bloody tears. This beautiful, perfect angel cried for me. A stranger. A nobody. A nothing.” Raw emotion crackled Stella’s voice.

“Then the angel, my Mistress, leaned in close and said, ‘You are dying. But I can save you, child. Do you want to live forever, with me?’
I replied yes, of course. She said, ‘So be it. We shall rain down a terrible vengeance upon your transgressors, my darling girl. With my blood, I give you my solemn vow.’”

Stella strode toward the house.

I followed. “What happened next?”

She glanced over her shoulder, her smile slow and full of tooth. “We killed them. Slowly.”

Eleven

Adrian’s master bathroom was spacious and white, from the tiled floor and walls to the frosted glass shower stall and huge claw foot tub under a bay window. Two red rugs, a green spider plant, and lucky bamboo in a ruby vase added splashes of color.

I hovered at the double sink, poked at the bamboo and wolfed down a banana Adrian tossed to me when I’d dashed through the kitchen. The two men had looked super cozy at the kitchen table, Jonas with an arm across Adrian’s shoulders, his pale fingers sifting through my friend’s silky hair
. A lover’s caress.

The bathroom held more signs of their intimacy. A new blue toothbrush, a wooden boar’s head brush with strands of dark hair wrapped around the bristles, a black silk robe hanging next to Adrian’s fluffy white one on the door. My robe used to hang there, my toothbrush and hair accessories stored on the vanity. Where were they now?

Every aspect of my reality was changing so quickly.

I dallied in the shower, replaying the recent events caused by the resurgence of vampires in my life. Good—meeting Alexander and reconnecting with my brothers. Bad—the attack by Dixon and the shadow dude. The water ran cold. I shivered from both the frigid water and a sense of impending doom.

Ensconced in Adrian’s robe, wet hair secured in a towel, I padded into the bedroom, noting the rumpled bed. Gold duvet twisted in a bunch, the cream sheets stained with blood and lube—evidence of lovemaking and a feeding. The French doors leading onto the deck hung wide open. Fog blanketed the sky, muting the rays of the early
evening sun. Many San Francisco vampires were probably
out and about under the fog cover. Vampires like Jonas. And maybe Alexander?

The thought of my vampire love interest generated instant goosebumps. I should call him. We fast approached our agreed meeting time, and he was unaware of the family
dinner plot complication. Our hot and heavy make-out session at the clinic knocked that significant detail right out of my head.

Oops.

I grabbed my workout gear and phone and headed to the guest bedroom, home to a stash of my clothes.

“You about done up there?” Adrian called from the foot of the stairs.

I leaned over the hall banister. He tapped his watch. “Tick tock.”

“Yeah, just a sec.”

“Okay, babe. I’ll make you a snack.”

“Thanks.” I fussed with my damp hair and dressed in a hurry in a shell-pink baby doll tee and low-rise, flare leg jeans, heavily distressed with rainbow silk fabric behind the holes. Gold, T-strap sandals with a three-inch heel completed my outfit. Passable for a family dinner. I’d unearth date clothes later.
For my date with Alexander. A giddy smile cracked my face. I sank onto the bed to check my messages and make that all-important call to Alexander.

My brothers had called to confirm dinner. Text from my friend Gen to meet at Haven tonight. And lastly, voice mail from Faith. She and Kai were at the clinic. Mark was awake and recovering. Ren remained unconscious, but Doc Scott anticipated a full recovery.

I replied via text and told her to punch them both in the arm. Code for,
I love you guys and don’t ever do anything stupid like almost getting yourselves killed for me, ever again.
They’d get it. And ignore me. God, I missed them.

Now, for the big call.

My stomach performed a tap dance while I waited for him to pick up. The call went to voice mail.

“Hi, Alexander. It’s Carina. When we were hanging out yesterday, I mean, this morning, you mentioned hooking up tonight. But I can’t, I mean, not right now. I have this dinner thing with my family in a couple of hours and I don’t know how long it will last, but probably not super late since it’s dinner. But I shouldn’t, I mean, I can’t bring a date, because it’s a family thing. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to get together after? Maybe meet me at Haven around midnight? We could hang out and talk. I mean, if that doesn’t sound too boring or anything. Well, okay. Talk to you later.”

The phone slipped from my fingers. Had I done that? Rambled like an idiot on Alexander’s voice mail? Self-sabotage anyone?

“Ohmigod. Worst. Message. Ever!” I flopped back on the bed.

An answering chuckle sounded from the doorway.

I pouted at Adrian. “How long have you been there?”

“Long enough.” He joined me on the bed.

I covered my face, peeking out at him through my fingers. “I blew it. He won’t show. I sounded like a dork.”

“Well, yeah,” Adrian agreed, with a wide grin. “You did.”

“Not helping!”

Adrian stretched on his side and uncovered my face. “But you’re such a cute dork. Don’t worry, he’ll show.” He smoothed errant strands of damp hair off my forehead.

I rolled on my side to face him. “Do I want him to? Part of me still thinks this is some kind of magic. I don’t feel like me.”

He rolled his sky blue eyes, a clear ‘shut up already.’ Those eyes appeared extra bright at the moment, thanks to his light blue T-shirt. It was tight, too, showing off his sculpted torso. My gaze strayed lower. His gray slacks weren’t a tight fit, but I knew muscle, muscle, and more muscle resided under that loose fabric.

Adrian patted my arm, his hand settling on my waist. His touch was warm and comforting, like a favorite old blanket on a cold night. I wanted more. I leaned into him until our lower bodies touched.

He eyed me warily. “What are you doing?”

My hand encircled his neck and I pulled him in for a kiss. His lips were soft, warm and plump. Almost too plump for a guy, a bit girlie in fact, but they suited him. We kissed with ease. Years of practice made it effortless. Just what I needed. No deep thoughts, no out-of-control feelings. Something safe. Comfortable.

Without warning, his large frame crushed me to the bed. He kissed me hard, powerful hips grinding against mine. Steel fingers trapped my arms above my head.

“Tell me what you feel.” His voice was gruff.

“What?” Of course, I felt his hard penis pressing against my girlie bits. Did I need to spell that out for him?

He tightened his hold. “What do you feel?”

I frowned. “You’re hard and you’re hurting my wrists. Let go.”

He relaxed his grip, but anger flashed in his blue eyes. “Try again, babe. I swear you’re so obtuse when it comes to this shit.”

His anger fueled mine. “You did
not
call me stupid.” I squirmed under him.

He leaned on my arms. “You bet I did. Now let me dumb this down for you.”

“Shut up.”

“No.
You
listen.”

“Kind of hard to argue since you have me pinned to the bed,” I huffed.

“Like you can’t call for a little vampire back-up anytime you want,” he scoffed. “Or fight me off with your super powers.”

Oh, heard about that had he? Unwilling to hurt him, I settled for glaring. “Fine. Get on with it.”

“Tell me how you were feeling.”

“I already told you.” Annoyance made my words clipped and cold.

“How did you feel when we were kissing?” he insisted, ignoring my grumpiness. “What do you feel right now?”

“You’re heavy.”

“C’mon Rina.”

I made him wait a few beats. “Well, when we kissed, I felt, you felt, it felt—”

“Yes?”

“It was nice,” I admitted, my irritation fading.

“Just nice?”

I nodded. “Yeah. You’re a good kisser. You know that. It was nice. Your lips are nice.” I smiled but my attempt to lighten his mood failed.

“What about this?” He ground his lower body against mine.

Last week that would’ve excited me, but now? “You’ve got a hot, hard body. Again I say, you know that, but...” I failed to find a nice way to say he no longer excited me.

He gave me a curt nod. “Right. Now close your eyes.”

“Why?”

“Do it.”

I complied.

“Good.” Adrian rolled off me. “Now, think about Alex.” He trailed a hand down my arm. “Remember what you two were doing the last time you saw each other.”

His fingers stroked my face then traced a line between my breasts, down my stomach, slipping inside the waistband of my jeans, lower, lower. I took in a shaky breath, quivering from head to toe at the memory of my last hot and heavy encounter with Alexander. Our bodies pressed together, me on his lap, the long, hard kiss, the taste of blood in our mouths, and my deep need for more. I reached out, seeking Alexander, forgetting it was Adrian.

He reminded me. “There you have it.” His hand withdrew.

“Have what?”

He surged to his feet. “You, my dear, are hardwired for monogamy.” His voice was neutral, but his eyes burned.

“I don’t see what my sexual habits have to do with—”

“Alex is the one for you. As we’ve already established.”

“Just because—”

He gave me a dismissive wave and strode to the door. “You wanted this because it’s safe and easy and you can control it. Or so you thought. Well guess what. You can’t use people—no, you can’t use
me
like that. I’m not playing, and honestly Rina, you don’t want to play anymore, either. Now stop being such a chicken shit. Get up and get on with it already. With Alex.”

~ * ~

I lingered upstairs until the clink and clatter of pots and cutlery told me Adrian was in the kitchen. Only then did my shame and I trudge downstairs.

Would an apology be enough to fix the damage I’d done?

In the living room, Stella reclined on Adrian’s tan leather couch, her booted feet propped up on his one-of-a-kind, glass-topped, driftwood coffee table. She balanced a wine glass of blood in one hand while the other flicked through a magazine on her lap. She gave me a curt nod as I arrived in the foyer.

My mortification increased. Great. She’d heard what had transpired upstairs. Given the vampire super hearing deal, Jonas had heard it all from the kitchen, too.

I hesitated in the dining room, peeking into the kitchen via the bar pass-through. At the center island cooktop, Adrian stirred something in a pot. At the kitchen table, Jonas drank blood from a small glass tumbler. My heels clicked on the dark wood floor as I entered and took a seat next to Jonas.

“Hi.” A quiet, polite greeting. I didn’t want to argue. Too busy working up the nerve for a public apology to Adrian.

Jonas observed me in silence, face blank, dark eyes unreadable.

Adrian plopped a pair of chopsticks and a steaming bowl of food in front of me. Inside, a scoop of brown rice, one poached egg, shredded seaweed, sesame seeds. “A nosh before your brothers stuff you full of pasta later.”

I stared after him as he sauntered back to the island. This was my favorite post-run breakfast. Clearly, I was forgiven.

He returned with a tiny condiment bowl. “Ginger soy dressing.”

I gave him grateful eyes. “Adrian, I—”

He kissed my forehead. “Eat.”

Relieved, I dug into the food with gusto. Jonas topped his glass from the pitcher of blood on the table, all the while watching me with his inscrutable eyes. A snake eyeing its prey. His black attire contributed to his sinister vibe, from the short sleeve v-neck shirt, to the custom-fit slacks and designer loafers. His gold ankh necklace, as usual, provided the only
touch of color on his body.