Redemption (18 page)

Her attention was brought back to the table as William began to tap the handle of his knife on the wooden surface. The new group seemed to know Jack and William extremely well, and if the hair color was any indication she would assume that William and the woman were related. It couldn't be his sister though, it simply couldn't, there was no way the queen would be wearing that outfit and sitting
here
in her tavern.

Jack glanced up at her and rose. Hannah hesitated as he waved his hand for her to join them. She was hesitant to join the group and even less unsure if she should join
him
. There was something about them that was a little disconcerting. Straightening her shoulders, she wiped her hands on her apron before walking over to them.

"Hannah," Jack said as she stepped in between him and the handsome blond haired man that had arrived with the group. "I'd like for you to meet my brother Braith, his wife Aria, Aria and William's older brother Daniel, and our friend Xavier."

Hannah hadn't heard much of the introductions as a strange ringing had begun in her ears after he had announced that the large man with black hair, holding the woman in his lap, was
the
king. He was an exceptionally handsome man and as she looked between him and Jack, she could see the resemblance, but she didn't find him as handsome as Jack. Her mouth was unreasonably dry as Aria, the
queen
, lifted her head and nodded toward her in greeting. Somehow she managed to remember her manners enough to finally find her voice again.

"Your Majesties," she greeted and attempted to curtsey.

"There's no need for that," Aria stated as she sat up in her husband's lap and swung her legs down. "Especially if you're Jack's friend."

She wasn't sure what she was to Jack, but she supposed she could almost be considered a friend. She didn't know how to respond to Aria either; thankfully Jack saved her from having to do so by grabbing a chair from the table next to them and placing it beside his. "I was just telling them a little about this town," he said as he waited for her to sit. Hannah's temper prickled as she glanced up at him. Just how much had he told them about this town, and
her
? "And how Calvin had been running it until quite recently."

She couldn't stop herself from continuing to stare at him as he settled into the chair next to her. "What about it?" her voice was far tenser than she had expected but she couldn't shake the sense of betrayal that was growing within her.

"I was simply telling Braith that there had been issues with Calvin but none that were punishable, at least none that I've seen since arriving here."

"Is that all?" she asked pointedly.

His forehead furrowed and then cleared. "Yes, that is all," he assured her as he took hold of her hand. The gesture startled her so much that she almost jerked her hand back, but the connection that came with his touch helped to ease the tension within her. "Have there been things that could be used against him?"

"There have been numerous things," Uncle Abe chimed in as he entered the room from the kitchen. "But they were all under your father's rule, when such things were still allowed. He rules by fear and intimidation now, his laws are strict, but Calvin has been careful not to do anything outright illegal since the laws were changed." Heath peeked out from behind uncle Abe's back but the young boy didn't come any closer. Lucas remained leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, his foot tapping against the ground as he watched them. "That vampire is a psychopath, but he's an extremely intelligent psychopath."

"If there is one thing I've learned it's that someone like that is incapable of completely changing," Braith said as he rested his hand on the table with the palm flat against it.

"You think he's still doing something he shouldn't?" Jack inquired.

"I'd stake my life on it."

"Let's not do that," Aria said as she rested her hand over Braith's.

Hannah found herself fascinated by them. It was more than just a bloodlink between them, she saw; there was a genuine love that shone from both of their eyes. For the first time in her life she realized that it was something she wanted as she became even more aware of Jack's hand around hers. His thumb sliding over her skin sent delicious shivers down her spine. They'd been staying away from each other for too many days and for the life of her she couldn't remember why right now.

"But since I'm not my father, and this man has rights, we can't just go barging into his home," Braith continued. "Does he go anywhere else that you know of? Somewhere that he may be doing something illegal?"

"Just the blood bank as far as I know," Hannah answered honestly.

"We'll just have to figure something else out then," Jack assured her.

"I wouldn't mind getting some sleep first though," Braith said. "Is there somewhere we can stay here?"

"There are only two rooms left above," Ellen answered from where she had been standing on the stage.

"Daniel can bunk with me," William offered.

"That will do then," Braith said. He kept hold of Aria, lifting her with him as he rose. A small bubble of laughter escaped her as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'll show you to the rooms," Lucas volunteered as Xavier rose to his feet.

Hannah watched most of the group disappear upstairs but though she was exhausted she found herself unwilling to move as Jack's hand remained wrapped around hers. She wasn't ready to let him go yet. "We'll see you tonight Hannah," Uncle Abe said from the doorway.

She waved to him as he slipped out the door with Ellen and Heath. Hannah was uncertain what to say or do as she turned back to Jack. "Your brother and the others seem very nice," she said.

"They are."

"Did you know they were coming?"

"No, I would have given you notice if I had," he assured her.

She smiled as she finally met his gaze again. "I'm not entirely sure there is enough notice for that."

"I didn't tell them anything about you, but Braith isn't stupid, he'll realize that most of the vampires in this town are not normal soon enough. He won't judge any of you because you're different."

Her gaze drifted to the stairs. "I just never know how someone is going to react to us."

He gently grasped hold of her chin, drawing her eyes back to him. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his as she found herself entranced by the blue flecks that danced within the gray depths of his eyes. "I understand." His thumb caressed over her chin briefly before slipping away. "I'm going to keep you safe Hannah, no matter what it takes."

Searching his gaze, she was amazed to realize that she believed him. She didn't know when it had happened but somehow he had managed to break down the walls erected around her heart after years of distrusting strangers. He had wiggled his way into her life and won her trust.

"You must be tired," he said.

"Exhausted," she admitted.

Taking hold of her hand, he helped her to her feet and pushed the chair in. If she hadn't known better she would have thought she'd been holding his hand her entire life as it felt so right within hers. She knew, without a doubt, that she could continue to hold his hand for the eternity that was spread out before her.

She didn't even notice she was walking until they were standing outside her bedroom door. Reality returned as she looked up and down the hall, they'd never had all seven rooms filled up before she realized. She also knew that she was just trying to distract herself from the man standing at her side by focusing on that fact.

"I would like to thank you, for helping us. You didn't have to," she finally managed to say.

"I didn't have a choice really."

She was forced to look up at him when he placed his hand against the wall beside her head and leaned closer to her. He was by far the most overwhelming, enticing man she'd ever met. Before she knew what she was doing, her fingers were resting against his chest. Though they were slightly cooler than humans, she could feel the heat of his body through the thin fabric of his shirt.

There was absolutely no saliva left in her mouth as his fingers played with a strand of her hair and his gaze continued to hold hers. "No, I'm pretty sure I didn't."

The bloodlink again
, she thought as she tilted her head back. If he'd expected a response, he wasn't going to get one as she was pretty certain her brain had just completely stopped working. The only thing that still had any function left was her body as it was pulled irresistibly toward his.

He released her hair and pressed closer to her. "Tell me to go away Hannah."

She felt like she was trying to tread water that was way over her head as the husky tone of his voice washed over her. He'd leave if she told him to, she knew that. She was also well aware of what he wanted from her, but the last thing in the world she could do was tell him to go away. This was her choice to make, but as she studied him, she realized that much like him, she didn't think she really had a choice anymore. Not when it came to him.

"No," she whispered.

Hunger flared so hotly in his eyes that for a few seconds they turned red before he was wrapping his arm around her waist and lifting her effortlessly off of the ground. Hannah didn't have time to contemplate the consequences of her actions before his mouth was taking hold of hers. His mouth was hot and heavy as his lips slanted possessively over hers. His tongue touched against her lips and she eagerly opened to his heady invasion. All logical thought and reasoning fled from her as passion became a blistering inferno that threatened to consume her.

Her hands entangled in his hair as his hand found the knob behind her and he pushed the door open. Excitement thundered through her with the force of a thousand horses as he maneuvered her into the room and kicked the door closed with the back of his heel. Shivers of delight raced up and down her spine as she pressed closer to him. No matter how close she was though, it wasn't enough; it simply could
never
be enough. She didn't realize he'd managed to slide the buttons of her dress free until his hand pressed against the bare flesh of her back. Currents of electricity sizzled over her skin and she almost reached up to make sure that her hair wasn't standing on end.

She'd given up on treading water and was now drowning within its tumultuous depths. She welcomed the feeling that came with it as his hands slid over her skin. A part of her didn't recognize the out of control woman she was becoming; the other part had always known that this was what he could do to her. She tugged impatiently at the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel the tantalizing skin the material covered.

The last button gave way with a pop and though she felt animalistic in her need to get closer, she calmed as soon as her hands pressed against the flesh of his ridged abdomen. A sound of relief escaped her, something within her eased as she pushed the shirt back from him. The intensity of his kiss eased, his mouth slid away from hers as he clasped hold of her face and tilted it toward him.

"Are you sure about this?" he inquired.

She'd never been more certain of anything in her life. Even if he broke her heart, she would forever look back on this day and know that it had been one of the best of her entire existence. "I'm sure."

"There's no going back after this Hannah, it's irrevocable."

That thought had frightened her the other day, now it was the only thing she wanted. Staying away from him was impossible and it was too difficult to try and do so. "I don't want to go back."

His hands slid over her shoulders as he pushed the dress down her arms. Goosebumps broke out on her flesh but she wasn't sure if that was because of the chilly air, or the anticipation of what was to come as she stood before him in her simple slip. Self-consciousness began to creep in as his eyes perused her with a hunger that made her realize just how much he would like to devour her, and just how willing she was to be devoured.

"I've never done this before," she told him.

There was no surprise in his eyes as they met hers. "I know."

When he came back to her, his mouth was far less demanding as he lifted her and carried her to the bed. The muted daylight filtering around the shutters illuminated the muscles in his arms and stomach as he placed her on the bed and shrugged out of his shirt. She craved him with every fiber of her being but trepidation filtered through her as he lay down beside her.

Then, all her apprehension vanished as his hands returned to her body and his mouth took hold of hers again. The rest of the world seemed to vanish and time stood still as everything within her became focused on him and the pleasure he aroused in her. She'd never been so completely lost in someone before. She hoped never to be found again, even when the pain of their joining lanced through her.

Her fingers dug into his back as she clung to him. "I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear.

Tears burned her eyes but she refused to shed them as she bit on her lip and managed a brief nod. She continued to cling to him as his mouth slid from her ear to her neck and down to the hollow of her collarbone. The discomfort began to fade as pleasure slowly stoked within her again. She buried her face in the hollow of his neck as his muscles flexed and bunched beneath her hands.