Kade's Dark Embrace (Immortals of New Orleans) (14 page)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After she finished eating, Sydney walked into a large, sunroom in the back of the home, which was filled with orchids, lilies, and various other flowers. Someone had designed this room as if it were an indoor garden. The moonlight poured into the room, and she found herself resting on a large, overstuffed chair. Xavier told her she could wait for Kade in the sunroom, and that he would be nearby if she needed his assistance. Even though she thought there were other vampires living in this home, the house was curiously quiet. All she heard was the rhythmic serenade of the cicadas.

Sydney felt that familiar tingle up her spine and quickly turned her head.
Kade.
She blinked, and he stood in front of her taking her hands in his and bringing her to her feet. They were face-to-face, mere inches away. Seeing him again, her stomach filled with butterflies. This was the first time she really got to talk to him since he held her in the bed on the plane…since
the kiss
. She should be mad at him for bringing her down here. Yet her body reacted as he placed a chaste kiss to her lips. Aroused, her nipples hardened in anticipation of his touch. She wanted more, but it was clear he wasn’t about to give it to her yet.

Sighing, Kade sat down on the ottoman, and Sydney followed, sitting back down in the chair. He placed his hands on her knees. “Sydney love, so sorry to have left you alone for the past hour. I have much business to catch up on since I’ve been to Philadelphia. Please forgive me.” Finally, he felt relaxed now that she was home with him, safe. It was the one place he could be certain Simone would not reach her. He knew that they would need to resume their investigation, but was determined to enjoy the short solace.

“Kade, thanks again for getting me out of the condo. But as much as I love New Orleans, this was not how I expected to return.” She found it impossible to keep her hands off him as she reached for his hands. “I...I don’t think it is a good idea that I stay here in your home. It makes me really nervous…all these vampires roaming around your house. Besides, I know this city. I’d be okay on my own in a hotel. Okay, I don’t know it as well as I know Philly, but I can get around, and we can still work together. I talked to Tristan this morning and...”

Kade removed his hands from hers, stood and walked across the room. He turned and stared back at her with astonishment. Unbelievable. This woman had been in his home for less than twenty-four hours and was thinking about leaving already. And damn it all, she’d talked to Tristan about it. Sure, Tristan was a good friend, but he would not have her going to another man for protection, no fucking way. It was time he set her straight. “Sydney, I’m not sure what you talked to Tristan about, but while you are in my city, in my home, you will abide by my rules. We will catch Simone together, but you will do this my way. I am completely serious. And before you open that lovely mouth of yours, I will not have any arguments about it. I’ve already called your captain and given him my assessment of the situation about what happened back at your condo. There is agreement between P-CAP and your department that you are here on a consultation basis only. That means no leaving this house without my knowledge and protection from me or someone from my security team. On the case, I tell you what to do and when to do it. I will not have you getting yourself killed while you are here.”

He turned and faced outdoors, steaming with anger and arousal. That lovely little mouth, he wanted to kiss it, to make love to it, to feel himself surrounded by her lips. But she would not listen to reason, and he had enough of this 'I am a cop' nonsense. Simone would hang her from her wrists and skin her alive...he’d seen her do it before. They could work the case together, but Kade refused to let Sydney go it alone anymore.

Sydney jumped to her feet. She was beyond infuriated. “How dare you go and talk to my captain without my knowledge!” she yelled. “And you do not get to tell me when to leave this house! I don’t intend to wait around and do nothing while you go off and do business, or whatever you do. I am the detective. You are...you are...I don’t even know what the hell you are. I sure as shit know that you aren’t a freakin’ detective!” She started to pace, afraid that if she stopped she’d be driven to violence...all the while knowing that would be futile.

Kade frowned. She was the most stubborn woman on the face of the earth. She was hot, sexy, beautiful, and damn hardheaded. “I run this city, love. All of the supernatural activity in this town, including any P-CAP investigations, only occur with my expressed approval and permission. That is all you need to know about my business. I am the law in New Orleans.” He moved toward her, closing the distance. “So unless you’d like to be tied to a bed, and believe me, I would love to have you tied to mine, you had better follow my rules.”

He had some nerve: arrogant, egotistical, dominant, sexy.
Tied to his bed? Duly noted and under consideration.
She shook off thoughts of sex and remembered she was fighting for her rights in this investigation. “Okay. Fine. No going out on investigations without you, but I am not staying in a house full of vampires. This just isn’t practical or safe. I am not going to end up a happy meal because someone got the munchies. And I am not going to waste my time sitting around here while you do business. Where you go, I go. We work this case, get the bad guy, and I go home. Seriously, I can’t stay forever, so I want to make the most of my time.”

Finally, capitulation. “Sydney, I want you to know that I admire your independence and tenacity. I just want to keep you safe. I want all my people safe.” He didn’t want her to know how deeply he was starting to care about her. He was pissed as hell knowing that she called Tristan instead of talking to him first. Hell, he wasn’t sure he even liked that he was so captivated by her. After all, he’d been alone for a few centuries now. He didn’t lack for female attention, and he had enough to keep him busy in life without complications. And Sydney was a huge complication. Yet he could not deny that he was very much connected to her and she to him.

Sydney backed away from Kade and sat back into the comfy chair. She pulled her legs up underneath her and faced him. So, this was how it was going to be? He acted like he cared about her, like he wanted her? But he was making her stay here, because he was some kind of a control freak? He didn’t just want to keep her safe...no, he said that he wanted to keep everyone safe. Fine, what did she care? She accepted long ago that she would spend her life alone. That was how she wanted it. She pulled up her emotional wall, nice and high, so he couldn’t read her disappointment. “Don’t worry about stroking my ego, Kade. I get it, you are the protector, and I am the consultant. No problem.” She was clearly annoyed with him. “So what’s next? Where do
we
find Simone?”

Just then, Luca walked into the room. “Kade,” he nodded and turned to Sydney. “Sydney. I’ve got a lead on Simone. There have been rumblings that she was seen collecting donors downtown at Sangre Dulce.”

“Sangre Dulce?” Sydney asked.

“Sangre Dulce is a local club specializing in...how would you say?” Luca looked over to Kade hoping for some assistance. Finding none, he continued, “It is a fetish club. S&M. Caters to the supernaturals and humans alike. If Simone was looking for someone to torture, she could easily find a submissive there who would go off with her easily. I talked to Miguel, the owner, and he said a bartender reported that a woman who looked like Simone was in the club well over a month ago. We cannot be certain it was her, but we could ask around. And Kade, if we do go to Sangre Dulce, I would advise against taking the human.”

Sydney wanted to smack Luca. Why did he always have to be such a condescending ass? “Hello? Luca? That human is right here. I already established with Kade that we're going together.”

Luca stood stoned-faced. “Kade, she serves no purpose on this trip. Simone will have spies, and they will see her. And others...vampires...they will view her as available. She is not marked, nor claimed, nor does she work for us. They will recognize her as an outsider. It is not wise to bring her. I must insist that you reconsider.”

“Luca, your concern is taken under advisement. Effective immediately, Miss Sydney Willows is my employee.” Sydney shot him a surprised look. “She is the Director of Security in charge of my Philadelphia operations. She arrived yesterday to learn from you about security operations in New Orleans. She is known to accompany me to events. After introductions to Miguel, no one will touch her.”

“But, how will she fit in? They will sense she does not belong. It will be bad enough that we have no business that would even call us there.”

Sydney had an idea, “What if we were there for some kind of inspection? If it's true that Kade approves all activities in this town, could we tell Miguel we were there because of a complaint? Cops do it all the time for other businesses when we suspect suspicious activity. Or, we could just say I was there to see New Orleans. Lord knows there are plenty of freaky things going on in this city. What’s a little S&M in this town? Seriously you two...have you ever been to Bourbon Street on Halloween? Everyone lets their freak flag fly.”

Kade burst out laughing. A hearty, sexy laugh that made Sydney want to let her freak flag fly right there, right then, on the floor with Kade. “Sydney, you are quite amusing and you do bring up a good point. But going in under the guise of an inspection will only put people off. You must understand that people, who frequent this club, go there for privacy. Any complaints would be handled directly with Miguel. We don’t want people on the defensive. But if we go in as mere patrons? A date even? Now that would work, and I am more than willing to get freaky with you.” He smiled. Yes, this would work.

Luca resigned himself to the fact that they were taking the human. He didn’t necessarily like her or dislike her. But, he learned long ago that humans simply could not be trusted, not to mention the fact that Simone was dangerous. If she went after Sydney, it would put them all at risk. He didn’t like the fact that Voodoo and magic were involved either. They needed Ilsbeth. When was that damn witch going to call him back and let him know exactly when she was arriving?

But Luca had to admit that his good friend Kade seemed happier with Sydney here. He was clearly enjoying his human entertainment, and Luca did not want to deprive his old friend of a chance at happiness. Life was very dull at times when you lived for centuries. Sure, vampires often had sex or found other vampire friends to share their life with, but it was rare to find someone who you could possibly love forever, a soul mate. There was something about this difficult, human woman that made Kade seem interested in life again. Luca would wait to reserve judgment, but he would keep a close eye on Miss Sydney Willows. He could not allow her to compromise their mission to find Simone.

Sydney was excited by the plan. Finally, she had a chance to get out of this damn mansion and look for Simone. She still worried about the fact that she didn’t have any weapons, nor did she have many clothes. Especially the kind she would wear out to a night club. “Kade, I need to get out tomorrow. And before you say no, which I know is coming, I need clothes and shoes. This has got to be believable. I need to look like the kind of girl who is looking for a little adventure, if you know what I mean. These sweats aren’t going to cut it.”

Kade knew she was correct, but she could not go alone. He had a few meetings in the early morning. He would send someone with her to shop. “Okay, you’ll go shopping in the morning. But you go with someone. I will send Xavier with you. Even though vampires have weakened powers during daylight, Simone could be out looking for you, or have human minions spying about.”

Sydney wasn’t foolish. She may not want to stay in a house full of vampires, but if this Simone chick was out to get her, she wasn’t going without backup. “Thanks Kade. I'll need a few weapons too: stakes, crossbow. Tristan is bringing my gear, but he may not be down before we leave tomorrow night.”

Kade came over and sat on the ottoman once again. “They will not allow weapons into the club. For your shopping trip tomorrow, Luca will give you a gun with silver bullets and a few stakes that you can easily stash in your purse. Tomorrow night, we will need to give you a few
special accessories
before we leave...undetectable weapons that you can wear into the club. You should be safe with us, but should you have any issues, you’ll have the protection you need.”

After Luca left them alone, Kade let his hands roam up Sydney’s thighs to settle on her waist. He pulled her up, so they were standing close. “Sydney, I know you are mad that I called your boss. But if you want to stay on the case, we need to do this my way. I want you to know that I am sorry I have to put so many restrictions in place. We will go downtown tomorrow night and get more information about Simone’s whereabouts. I promise that this will be over soon.”

Sydney’s body was alive as she felt the strength of his hands on her waist. She didn’t want to forgive him so quickly for bossing her around, but my God, she still wanted him. She found herself justifying why he did what he did. He cared about the people he worked with and wanted them safe. Instinctively, she knew he would keep her safe too. She had no one, but for now, it felt like she had him. Her body responded to his as she allowed the palms of her hands to lie flat on his chest. She wanted to know what it would be like to be flesh to flesh with him, tasting him.

He leaned into her and held her tight against his chest. She breathed in his male scent and allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to have him inside her. A rush of heat caused her sex to ache. He looked down at her wantonly, searching her eyes for permission. She whispered, “Kade, this thing between us...I don’t know what to think...” She didn’t get a chance to finish her thoughts.

“Don’t think, Sydney, just feel.” Kade brought his mouth to hers and she opened for him allowing him to sweep his tongue into, over and around hers. He was demanding, passionate. Kade was tired of waiting. He wanted this human woman so badly, and he was finding it difficult to make excuses for why he shouldn’t just take her. Sydney moaned and kept pace with Kade as she ran her fingers through his hair, possessively pulling his head down to meet hers.