Sucking Bites (San Francisco Vampires Series #3) (18 page)

“I took Lily’s advice. Diel and I found that town in Oregon that self-medicates with the herbal stuff if you know what I mean, hehee. Had a blast. I’m still flying!”

“Well while you two have been gone we found the were that attacked Lily. It turns out he is a friend of mine. Please meet Liam.” Andrew makes the introductions.

“I told you we’d be back to watch the excitement during the full moon. Now I get two shows for the price of one. Yeah!” She shakes Liam’s hand. His mouth is open.

“Not funny, Hannah,” Aidan says. His sober comment brings an instant reaction. Her eyes meet mine—obviously wondering at Aidan’s uncharacteristic attitude.

“Sorry. Just trying to loosen things up here. Who is the bondage girl?” She stalks up to Celine and circles her. Hannah’s Hell Hound, Hades—always responsive to his mistress’ mood growls and his eyes glow green. Everyone takes a step back except for Diel and Hannah and of course Celine who is bound. “I take it she didn’t volunteer?”

“She is one of the Queen’s minions. Looks like she was sent here to spy on us and possibly to kill Liam and Lily,” Sebastian says.

“The bitch is going down. Ganja Girl is here and fully loaded. No one messes with my girl.” Hannah’s fangs descend. Diel rubs her back trying to calm her down. He glares at Celine too. “Vamp tramp! Good one, Andrew. Where is Helena?”

“Easy, Hannah, Helena is talking to the Queen about the situation,” Julian says.

“She’s on our turf. She was spying. She’s definitely displaying hostile behavior. We are in our rights to kill her,” Hannah says, ticking off each point on her fingers, quoting chapter and verse of the Vampire Codes & Ethics Handbook.

“Yes.” Julian warns. Celine shifts under our group stare. Nobody stares like a vampire. “But we know she is the Queen’s, which complicates things. We have to wait and see what Helena finds out.”

“Never a fucking dull moment here,” Hannah says, shaking her head.

“Did anyone find out who infected Liam?” Diel asks.

“Yes, Helena and I took care of him. That’s when we met this little vamp tramp as Andrew so aptly named her,” Aidan says. “She heads the Queen’s Werewolf Task Force,” Aidan says.

“Ahh. I take it Zoe is anti-wolf,” Diel says glowering at Celine as if she were personally responsible for the Queen’s position. Hades growls, scenting the air with brimstone. His eyes glow green and then he snaps at her. She screams.

Helena appears in the doorway, a questioning look on her face.

“Hannah, love, put your fangs away,” Helena says, kissing Han on the cheek. “Hades behave. Well it looks like our Queen
was
starting to second guess the wisdom of letting us manage our own affairs.”

“Merde!”

“Calm, Sebastian,” Julian says.

“She wanted Celine here to keep an eye on things and to be ready to take out Liam and Lily if they looked dangerous. She didn’t expect her vampire to be so inept,” Helena looks sternly at Celine. Celine hisses and Aidan grins. Her chair rises four feet off the ground then drops like a rock.

“I explained to the Queen that Julian is working on an antidote as we speak and is having some success. But it won’t be done for this cycle. So no matter how Lily and Liam respond this round, there is hope. She maintains reservations. She has a no—tolerance view point on werewolves.” Liam blanches and Sebastian puts his hand on my waist. “You are to stand down,” Helena orders Celine. “Zoe is waiting on the results of Julian’s experiments.” I’ve known Helena long enough to know she is wary of the Queen’s position.

“You are to find lodging in the city and call the Queen when you do. She will tell you what I just did. You will be allowed to stay in our territory and observe from a distance.” Helena takes Celine’s phone and puts her number in her speed dial. “You are free to go, but know this, if you harm my family, and I include Liam in that, I will hunt you down.”

Aidan removes his spell and she is instantly up. And angry.

“How dare you tie me up? I am an agent of the Queen’s. She will hear about this.”

“I told her we had you tied up and she said you deserved it for being so clumsy,” Helena says, unruffled by Celine’s defiance.

“I’ll be back. When I am, it will be to destroy you both,” she says as she points at Liam and me, sounding like an overdramatic soap opera actor.

“Somehow, I’m not afraid,” I say.

Her anger gets the better of her good sense and she lunges for me. I step out of the way. She falls onto the coffee table, breaking it into splinters. She might trained as a fighter but I’ve got animal speed amping up my reaction time. She gets up, furious and throws herself at me again. I crouch but Sebastian picks me up. Julian grabs Celine by the back of the jacket and throws her out of the mansion.

“I could have taken her, Bast, dammit!” I say around my fangs.

“I think you’re right, darling. God I love it when you show fang. Come here.”

He kisses me hard. I scramble out of his arms and start pacing. I’m too pissed off. He laughs.

“I don’t see what’s funny!”

“You’re amusing. All riled up and ready to do battle. You’re damn sexy.”

“I second that,” Aidan says.

“It got my blood pumping. I was ready to tag you out if you needed me, ‘Lil,” Hannah says around her fangs. Diel has discreetly put his arm around her.

We touch knuckles. Helena shakes her head and Diel chuckles. He’s a big hunky demon, but he’s been tamed by love—make that adoration of his goth vamp.

“I wonder if this is part of your system revving up for your cycle, Lily,” Julian says. “This increased aggressiveness. I need to write this down. I’ve never seen you like this. I admit I would have loved to see you take her out. She is almost twice your age yet you slid right past her. Brava!” Julian says.

His approval calms me down some. Andrew’s made mulled wine for everyone. Aidan fixes the coffee table and Sebastian starts a fire—it’s a cozy environment. I’m not completely settled. I track Liam, he looks as restless as I feel. Our eyes meet. I give him a nod. Liam clears his throat.

“Julian, Lily and I are starting to feel some of the changes. I think you were right when you thought she was a bit more aggressive than normal. I’m feeling that way too. At first I shrugged it off as an after effect of the fight and stress over the next few days. But it’s not going away,” Liam says. “I’ve felt this way before.”

“Lily, you feel the same way?” Julian asks.

“Yes. I’m all twitchy. I can’t seem to relax.”

Aidan and Sebastian watch intently.

“Maybe we should have her and Liam start their confinement early.” Sebastian suggests.

“I think tomorrow night will be soon enough. We’ll watch them closely in the meantime,” Julian says. “At the first symptom of hostility or physical change we will move them to safety.”

Liam’s face mirrors my own uncertainty.

“It will work out. We can play cards through the slits in the door, Liam,” Andrew offers.

Liam takes his hand and squeezes it. Andrew’s expression tells it all.

“Where are you going to put these two?” Diel asks, nodding at me and Liam as he pulls Hannah into his lap.

“Liam is staying here and Lily will stay at Aidan’s,” Helena says.

“Where do you want me? I am definitely helping somewhere. I just can’t decide where the most fun will be.” Hannah looks conflicted—too many choices.

“Why don’t you switch off, Hannah?” I offer. “I think Julian is going to make an appearance at both places. You can sleep in our room while you are here. Liam is in the guest room. When you are at Aidan’s we will figure something out.”

I hope Hannah and Diel can help diffuse the tension between Aidan and Sebastian.

“It will just be my lovely mate helping out with the wolfies. I have a royal function to go to,” Diel says regretfully and Hannah rolls her eyes behind his back. I suspect we have similar opinions about interfering royalty.

“Who’s keeping Hades?” I ask.

“I think I better take him. You guys will have enough to worry about,” Diel says. “You probably don’t need another set of fangs.”

“I think it is time for Lily to go to bed now, especially if she is not feeling herself,” Sebastian says. I get the hint that he wants to be alone with me.

I think that everyone else gets the hint too. Hannah and Diel say their goodbyes. Hannah promises she’ll be back tomorrow. Liam heads off to bed. Aidan kisses me on the cheek and says he’ll see me tomorrow before he pops out. I appreciate everyone’s commitment to sticking by us.

Sebastian and I say goodnight to Helena and Julian before retiring. When we close the door, Sebastian sighs. His shoulders slump. He moves next to me and stares deeply into my eyes.

“Lily, I swear, I will kill Celine and the Queen herself, if I have to. I will not let them hurt you. I will get Aidan to take you somewhere and then I will meet up with you and we will live off the radar. Whatever it takes. You will be safe and you will be mine forever.”

I walk over to Bast and take his face in my hands. I stare into his eyes and then kiss him. Suddenly I’m overwhelmed by my impending change. Our kiss turns frantic. Then we tear each other’s clothes off. As if this was our last night together before everything changes. Everything will be different. I will be different. I will no longer be the same person. We can never go back. We make love savagely, passionately, with vampire stamina. Sebastian is still inside me, depleted and kissing me when dawn comes. I fall asleep sated, but panic hovers just at the edge of awareness. I wake up in a fit of anxiety. Sebastian is there holding me.

I don’t need to say anything. It’s as if he knows what I’m thinking. He gathers me closer to his body and I cry. He rubs my back and tells me it is going to be all right.

We get ready for the day and migrate to the library.

“I’m scared, Helena,” I say to my mother in all things vampire.

“Shhh, ma petite,” Sebastian says.

Liam walks in. He looks like I feel. Helena holds out an arm and gives him a hug, while Sebastian keeps his arm tightly around me. Andrew comes in and sees Liam. In a moment of complete and utter loss of decorum he launches himself at Liam. It helps. Liam is now comforting Andrew. He is not looking so worried, distracted by Andrew’s distress.

“Liam, it will be fine. You are among friends this time. No one will let you hurt anyone or yourself. You are going to be okay,” Andrew says, finally releasing his death grip.

He gives Liam a tight squeeze and leaves to get everyone coffee. Liam rubs at his eyes quickly as his gaze follows his friend.

“Thank you, Helena. I’ve felt so alone through all this. It’s hard to know what to expect. Not only didn’t I know what was happening to me, my life was turning to shit. No job, blacking out, my lover leaves—almost killing Lily—then you save my life,” Liam says.

I look for hand sanitizer. Sebastian reaches it first and squeezes some out for me.

“I’ll just keep this handy for you, Cherie, okay?”

“Thanks, Bast.”

I squeeze his hand. He returns the pressure.

“Are we passing out hand sanitizer?” Aidan says from the doorway.

“Yes,” I admit.

“Well good, then you will need these,” he says.

He presents two bottles of my favorites, the raspberries and chocolate kind, that I love and can never find. I give him a weak smile.

“That’s better,” he says and kisses my cheek.

I hand a bottle to Liam.

“Does this really help?” he asks.

“It helps me and you can never be too germ free,” I add sagely.

“Whatever works!” he says slathering it over his hands and forearms.

A couple of hours later, Hannah and Diel drive up in Diel’s Porsche. He kisses Hannah goodbye and leaves for Hell or wherever the demon get-together is scheduled. Hannah sighs, grabs her bag and heads into the house. Sebastian and I return to our room to pack jeans and tee shirts, some night gowns for me and tennis shoes. I’m not sure what to bring. So I lean towards practical because we expect a lot of action. We meet up with Aidan, and Hannah.

I hug Liam and he clings to me—so much depends on what happens to me. Julian wants to wait until evening before getting Liam settled in the cellar.

After my goodbyes, I join hands with Sebastian and Aidan. Aidan takes Hannah’s hand we transmanifest to Aidan’s apartment.

“Home sweet home,” Aidan sings out once we land.

I give him a small smile and Hannah laughs. Hannah is nosy by nature, and has no shyness about checking out every corner and room, just like Sebastian had a few days earlier. He was a bit more subtle. There were only two rooms yesterday and today there are four.

“Nice place, Aidan. Where can I put my things?”

“Why don’t you all put your things in the guest bedroom for now?  Lily and Sebastian need to feed tonight. It might be a good idea if you do as well, Hannah.”

“I just fed last night, so I’m good.”

“Excellent,” Sebastian says as he walks back into the room. “You can help us keep an eye on Lily. It’s too close to the full moon for my comfort.”

“Why don’t we watch a movie or something to pass the time? Everyone is so tense. It might do to get our minds off things,” Aidan suggests.