Nightlord Lover (6 page)

Garrick’s brow creased with worry. “I know. And you look
like you need—”

Ramon nodded. “My encounter drained me. I need sustenance but
don’t have the strength to acquire it.” He walked up to the counter and dropped
a bag in front of Larissa.

“What’s that?”

“I got this from those two girls who were in here before
giving you a hard time.”

“I don’t understand,” she said.

“While the one was arguing with you, the other was stuffing
these babies into her coat.” He dumped the contents of the bag.

Larissa gasped. “There must be merchandise worth several
hundred dollars. How did you—”

“Don’t ask.”

“I don’t know what you did. But thanks.” She studied him
cautiously.

Garrick gave Jordan a warning glance then approached
Larissa. “Do you have a few minutes, Larissa? We must talk.”

“Sure.” Here it comes, her ultimatum if she didn’t make some
money with the store soon. Damn it. How much time did she have before he kicked
her out?

“I need to head out, Larissa.” Jordan retrieved her purse
and coat from the back room. Larissa walked her to the door to lock up. Jordan
lowered her voice. “See you in the morning. Keep an open mind with what Garrick
and Ramon tell you. They have your best interests in mind. You can trust them.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “Tell me one thing. Am I in danger?”

Jordan glanced at Garrick and Ramon who were involved in a
private conversation. “Yes, but not from them. You have to do what they tell
you.”

“Why? Something is going on in this town, I know it. Tell
me. Is it the mob? The other day I was attacked, Garrick warned me about where
to go and not go, my store was broken into, those girls who shoplifted talked
about belonging to a Guild, Ramon keeps repairing locks on my doors, and
Garrick mentions that he could help my business become successful.”

Jordan glanced across the store at Garrick and Ramon but
they weren’t paying attention to them. “I envy you because although I receive
the benefits and protection from Garrick, Ramon and the Guild, I can never be a
part of that exquisite rapture, the intense sensual fire of being a crimson
swan. I’m excluded.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Larissa wasn’t sure
if Jordan had lost her mind.

Jordan sighed and smiled. “You’re in for something amazing.
Let it happen. I wish it were me with them, or Bastian.” She glanced at Garrick
and Ramon. Then her eyes narrowed. “My father’s wealth prevents my
participation. I’m immune. He pays for my offering in cash instead of—”

“Jordan!” Garrick interrupted. “It’s getting late.”

“I’m leaving now, Garrick.” Jordan swung open the door and
glanced over her shoulder. “Peace and prosperity comes with a price, Larissa.
Choose a master now or be taken.”

After Jordan left, Larissa locked up the store. Ramon leaned
on a display table as if it was the only thing holding him up. “You don’t look
so hot. Are you okay? Can I get you a glass of water or something?”

He gave her a quick grin. “Thanks, babe, I’ll be fine. I
have a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Both of you come upstairs. I’ll make some coffee or open a
bottle of wine and fix something to eat.” It couldn’t hurt to be extra nice to
her landlord while her sales were so bad, he might let her rent slide until her
business picked up.

“We’ll be right up,” Garrick said. “We have one more thing
to check in the basement.” Ramon didn’t look as if he could stand much longer,
let alone work on a repair project. But she didn’t argue.

When they got to Larissa’s apartment, Ramon flopped onto her
couch and let his head fall back against the pillows while Garrick helped her
in the kitchen.

“Is he all right?” she asked Garrick.

“He will be.”

“What needed to be fixed in the basement?” She took out a
block of cheddar and started slicing. Then she arranged the cheese and some
crackers on a plate.

“There’s a trapdoor that used to lead to a tunnel once used
for the Underground Railroad.”

“This building is that old?” she asked. Hard to imagine her
own shop was once used to help slaves escape to freedom. Did she have the nerve
to ask him what was going on in the town now in the present? “The history of
this town is fascinating.”

Garrick nodded and picked up an apple from a basket then cut
thin slices and added them next to the cheese. A simple chore, but what wasn’t
simple was that he cut the apple, cored it and cut perfectly thin wedges and
the whole time he never took his eyes off her.

“Coffee or wine?” she asked, her voice coming out breathy.

Memories of her dreamlike fantasy tumbled back into her mind
when she stared at that painting and thought of him watching her pleasuring
herself. And before that he made love to her. It felt so real. She’d felt his
hands on her, the weight of his body easing on top of her. Even now, she could
vividly remember that dream, feel his mouth devouring her pussy, sucking her
clit until she was about to go mad. She shivered as she relived the sensation
of his hard cock plunging deep inside. Ramon was in her dream too, watching
them. That made her even hornier.

Garrick smiled wickedly as if he could read her mind.

Heart racing, she turned away from him and grabbed two
bottles of wine. “Red, white?” Heat rippled through her body.

“Either. I’ll open it.” He took a bottle from her hand, a
merlot, while she took down three glasses. “You seem distracted. Business
worrying you?”

She groaned inwardly and leaned against the refrigerator,
crossing her arms around her waist. “Let’s not talk business. I want to hear
more about the town. Something is going on, something odd. It’s time you tell
me.”

“You’re right. The sooner you understand, the better.” He
poured her wine but left the glasses on the counter. He studied her with such
intensity, she felt as if her clothes were vanishing piece by piece under his
perusal. Then he placed one hand against the refrigerator and one on her
shoulder, caging her in with his arms. “What has Jordan told you so far?”

Her pulse kicked up with his closeness. The air thinned in
the room and her breasts rose and fell as she tried filling her lungs. Getting
the hots for her landlord was such a bad idea, but her body was the traitor.

“Tell me what she said,” he pressed.

She didn’t want to get Jordan in trouble. Larissa didn’t
know much about her but they were becoming good friends. “Not much. She said I
should trust you and Ramon, and implied I might be in danger.”

“There are influences in this town, a means to allow all to
live in peace and thrive in prosperity, but it does come at a price.”

“So there
is
a criminal element here,” she said. “Are
you part of it?”

He smiled and leaned closer, which made her hotter and weak-kneed.
Her breasts felt full, nipples sensitive. She desired his touch, craved it.
Certainly she had enough common sense and willpower to resist him, however, at
the moment, she wanted to wrap her arms around his neck and draw his mouth onto
hers. Her arms felt like lead. She dropped them to her sides.

“It’s not what you think. It’s a symbiotic relationship
between worlds, with a supernatural element, but there’s some competition and
that’s where the danger comes in.”

“Supernatural?” She laughed, but her laugh fell flat when
she noticed he wasn’t smiling. Could he be telling the truth?

“Yes, you’ve experienced the supernatural already. Down at
the towpath, here in your apartment. That man on your balcony wasn’t a dream.
He’s one of many who are fighting to claim you and has another agenda.”

“No one claims me or possesses me. I decide who I go out
with.”

He laughed. “Those mortal rules don’t apply here. If you’re
not under someone’s protection, you won’t survive. Your business will fail. You’re
beautiful and
will
become someone’s blood slave if you don’t choose a
nightlord yourself.”

As crazy as his words sounded, Larissa knew there was some level
of truth there. Why was she so trusting? Did he have that power or was she
thoroughly captivated? Resistance drained out of her. “So I wasn’t dreaming
when you and Ramon were in my apartment the other night making love to me?”

“No, that wasn’t us.” He groaned in a low voice. “As much as
the idea appeals to me. We have the power to astral project to other locations
if an area isn’t under protection. There we can have astral sex with a mortal
partner. What you experienced was something different. I believe Lazaro sent
images into your mind, trying to trick you into opening the door using a power
similar to hypnosis. He wants to claim you. But Ramon placed a temporary
protection spell that stopped him.”

“He wants me as a crimson swan? Jordan mentioned that. I
also heard the term crimson slave. What are these things?”

“A crimson swan is a willing participant who gives an
offering. A crimson slave gives frequent offerings and has no free will. A
slave is controlled because of the lack of mortal blood.”

She shook her head. “I still don’t understand. This sounds
too bizarre to me. Why don’t you just tell me straight who you are and what the
Guild is?”

His smile both excited and terrified her. “That would be our
pleasure.”

She crossed her arms, waiting.

“The Guild is an ancient sect set up in small communities to
assist in their prosperity and protection in exchange for a blood offering,”
Garrick said.

“I suspected as much,” Larissa stated. She knew this was
like a mob. “What percentage of my earnings am I supposed to
offer
?

Ramon laughed. “No, babe. Blood offering is exactly what it
is. Payment in blood.”

She laughed but it was a nervous one. Then they all grew
quiet. She got up and walked to her door. “Like vampires? Not funny. It’s late.
I think you should go.”

“I think she needs proof,” Ramon said to Garrick.

“Proof?” Larissa glared at them. “I’d love to see this.”

One instant Garrick was seated on the sofa, the next, he was
standing beside her. She cried out and jumped away from him. “How did you do
that?”

“Ability to teleport short distances.”

She glanced over at Ramon relaxing on the couch. He still
didn’t look well, but he was alert. “Could be a magician’s trick,” she argued.
“But what if you are? Jordan said to trust you because you wouldn’t harm me.”

“That’s right. No harm.” Garrick moved closer until his body
nearly touched hers. The closeness was torture because she couldn’t deny how
much she wanted him. Her body and logical mind were having it out right now. “I’ve
already used a little of my allure on you, a harmless amount to make you
receptive to my explanation. It’s important you know because we’re out of time.”

“Out of time for what?”

“If I don’t claim you as my crimson swan, someone else will.”
His hand moved from her shoulder to her lower back, easing her hips closer. “Most
vamps respect those rights once a mortal is made a swan. Otherwise they can go
as far as making you their slave.”

“I’m strong-willed. I could stop them,” she argued in a whisper
as her hands grasped his hips. The evidence of his arousal pressed against her
pussy. He was as hard as a pike. As she wondered what it would feel like to
have him plunging that cock into her, wetness coated her panties. She wasn’t
doing a good job resisting him. Did she want to? An odd sensation radiated
through her body, as if her legs and arms were no longer her own. He gave her a
steady gaze filled with desire and a primal need. How could she ignore the
scorching seduction when she desperately ached for him? Didn’t she say it was a
bad idea? Could she possibly believe they were supernatural creatures? It would
explain her experience under the bridge.

“You think you’re that strong?” His lips caressed her neck
and chills ran up and down her spine. If he wasn’t supporting her back, she’d
drop to the floor since her bones felt like rubber. His tongue dampened her
skin, scorching the nerve endings at her nipples, to her clit, down to her
toes. Her hands meandered over his silk shirt, feeling all the hard muscles
beneath. Breathing became and effort.

Then his mouth took hers in a brutal kiss, deep and
desperate, and not nearly enough. More, she needed more of him. She took hold
of his hips and ground her pussy against his hard cock. Yes. That’s what she
wanted, what she needed, inside her deep, thrusting. “Garrick,” she murmured. “Yes.”

No, she wasn’t going to sleep with her landlord to keep her
business. With every ounce of energy she had, she shoved him away. “Stop.” He
did, but she had to continue holding him to keep from collapsing. “I’m sure
others find your charms irresistible but I can take care of myself. Business
will pick up. I’ll advertise.”

Panting, she moved out of his embrace and leaned on the wall
for support. Ramon moaned as if he was enjoying the show. He possessed her with
his gaze, turning her on, and she felt her cheeks flush.

Garrick stood in front of her with a shocked expression then
smiled. “You are strong-willed. Good. You’ll need that, but it won’t keep you
alive.”

A chill of fear ran through her. Jordan said to trust them
and she believed Garrick. He truly looked fearful. “I need proof, Garrick, to
believe this crazy proposition.”

“Gladly.”

She felt the breeze before she realized Garrick vanished and
reappeared across the room and Ramon stood beside her. Garrick had removed his
shirt in less than a second. She never saw them move to the other side of her
living room. “How did you—”

Then it happened again. This time she moved. The sensation
made her head spin like when she had traveled from the towpath to the top of
the bridge. One second she was looking at Garrick, standing by a window, the
next she was gazing up at her ceiling. It took her a moment to realize she lay
flat on the floor, Garrick’s body positioned on top of her, her legs parted and
her wrists pinned over her head by him. Not in danger? Jordan didn’t say
anything about how seductive these two were. The curve of breasts rose above
the neckline of her sweater. Each breath brought them closer to his body. She
felt his arousal hard against her sex and ached to pull him inside her.

“Still think it’s a magician’s trick?” Garrick asked.

“No.”

Garrick felt so good, so hot. Whatever he had in mind she
wanted. Was it the power he had over her that was driving her desire? She didn’t
care. She desperately wanted him, wanted both of them. And she had never craved
anyone that desperately before. Groaning, she wrapped her arms around him,
feeling his weight ease over her like a warm blanket.

“Mmm. Much better,” Garrick murmured.

Ramon reclined on his side next to them. “Need more proof?”
Ramon asked. “I hope not because I’m drained.”

“What are you?” She knew what he would say but didn’t want
to hear the word.

“This town and many towns like it have coexisted with
mortals and vampires for centuries.” Garrick’s mouth nibbled at her ear, making
her shiver. At the same time Ramon’s fingers did a teasing dance along her rib cage
close to her breast. She so wanted him to touch her there, everywhere.

She sucked in a breath to steady her words. It didn’t help. “Th-the
obvious question is, are you going to take my blood or fuck me?”

“Both,” Garrick and Ramon answered together.

“If you permit it,” Garrick amended. “Unlike the others in
the Guild, we prefer our crimson swans to agree and not be forced into this
commitment.”

“What if I agree, then what?”

On his knees, Ramon slid her sweater up to her bra and
kissed and licked her stomach. Somehow the clasp of her bra opened and both bra
and sweater disappeared. Hands and mouths found her breasts and nipples, both
men attending her. “You’ll be protected and your business will thrive.”

“How can you guarantee that?”

“You’ll see, babe,” Ramon said as his hand slid inside her
jeans, fingering her clit.

“With both of us claiming you, the protection will be
greater,” Garrick explained. “But you and this property are wanted by many.
There’s still a risk until you’re marked.”

“Then why don’t you mark me? Whatever that is.”

“We’ll talk more about that later,” Garrick said. “It
requires a permanent commitment, one not all mortals are able to give. And you’ll
have to choose one of us.”

She nodded. Noting all that was said would take time to
adjust. “Have you used your powers on me to make me accept this?”

“Only enough to allow you to understand our world, not to
influence your decision,” Ramon said. He eased his hand out of her jeans and
she groaned because it felt so good. “You always have free will with us.”