Tentyrian Legacy (37 page)

Maximos looks beautiful per usual, albeit
slightly rumpled with a bit of black stubble showing. Effortlessly
sexy is more like it. He’s changed into navy blue linen drawstring
pants and a simple white V-neck T showing plenty of muscle and
sinew. Muscle I just want to run my hands on and explore . . .

“Your temperature is normal,” he says,
interrupting my mini reverie. My temperature may be normal, but I
certainly don’t feel normal. It’s daylight outside, and the balcony
doors of his bedroom are open. The white linen curtains flutter
gently in the breeze. Although I recognize the room from last
night, I now see it in sharp detail. But it’s more than just seeing
detail. I can smell it, hear it, and sense every facet of it. It’s
like I was an out-of-focus camera lens that has suddenly been set
to the right aperture.

I can see deep between the seams of the
painted white floorboards, I can taste tiny salt crystals on my
tongue, and I can feel the individual threads of the finely woven
Egyptian cotton sheets on my skin. I can even hear what sounds like
Shashandra and someone else discussing a lunch menu. It must be the
afternoon. For the first time, I feel alive. Maximos was right. I
have awakened.

“Geez, how many times am I going to wake up
in a strange bed?” I say, trying to fill the awkward silence that
now pervades the room. Maximos clears his throat and looks
embarrassed. Whether it’s for him or me, I’m not sure. Probably for
me, considering how I acted last night. Flashes of our skin
touching and his mouth on mine crowd my memory. Kate Spade would
definitely call me a slut now. I scan his face, trying to read his
expression. One thing is clear—it’s filled with regret.

Before I know what I’m saying, I start
blabbering. “Maximos, I just want to say how sorry I am about last
night . . . I was out of line.” The words tumble out awkwardly. His
brow furrows, and his mouth draws into an unreadable expression.
Why isn’t he saying anything? “I know I practically threw myself at
you. I swear, I don’t normally do that.” Then, like an avalanche,
all of the memories come raining down on me. I remember fully now,
beyond just the sensual moments we shared. . .

“I drank from you and I almost didn’t stop!”
I get out of bed in a flurry of sheets, pulling them with me to
inspect his neck. I touch my hand to the muscular column and feel
his skin beneath mine. But there is no broken flesh or even a mark.
Did I imagine biting him? Did I imagine that spicy hot liquid
filling my mouth, driving me to the edge? “Did I hurt you?” My
voice comes out a tremble.

“No, of course not. I’m fine, I promise. You
stopped when you needed to,” he says dismissively as he takes a
subtle step back from me. But I see the movement and what it
communicates. The distance forces my hand to drop from his corded
neck. He clears his throat again and shoves his hands in his
pockets. “We’re fast healers, you and I. All Tentyrians are. I see
you remember last night; I was thinking you might not,” he says,
rocking back on his heels. Thinking or hoping?

“Yes, I remember,” I say. My blush is likely
visible, at least where I’m not covered by the oversized
pajamas.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. Sexual
arousal is a natural part of the Turn, and it’s not like I was a
saint. If anything, I’d understand if you were angry at me,” he
replies. The man definitely was not a saint. The way his hands, his
mouth, oh my God his mouth, touched me . .

. But I have no anger, only desire. Even now.
But does he feel desire for me or just regret? In the daylight, he
seems like a different person. Where last night he was passionate,
almost carnal, now his body language and tone are restrained. I was
sure of his desire and tenderness last night, conveyed by his touch
and the Greek endearments that made my heart ache with every word.
Now, I am anything but sure.

Maximos told me I would regret what we almost
did in the morning. But the more I think about it—and believe me,
I’m thinking about it, because it’s nearly impossible to forget—I
don’t think I would be sorry. My first instinct was to apologize
out of that innate female defense mechanism that we have to protect
our respect. No woman wants a man to think she is easy. And that
look he just gave me, it certainly wasn’t one of desire. What else
was I supposed to say?

The truth is—I wanted Maximos, and I still
do. In all the craziness that has become my life, this may be one
of the craziest aspects: being attracted to the man who turned it
all upside down to begin with. “No, I’m not angry . . .” I begin to
say. But before I can explain how I feel, to recant my dumb
apology, Maximos interrupts.

“Arianna, I’m the one who must apologize. How
intimate we were . . . it should never have happened, and I promise
it won’t happen again. It was a mistake, caused by the Turn. I’m
ashamed of myself.” Well I guess I have my answer about how he
feels. A mistake. Ashamed. The words leave their stinging slap. I
cross my arms in front of me and look at him squarely.

“So now what? I guess I’m a vampire now? Can
I be released back into the wild, or are you going to keep me here
to observe my absurd behavior? You’ll need to keep a respectable
distance, of course. I don’t want to shame you, after all.” I keep
my voice level, but I know he can hear the dripping sarcasm. His
expression is one of surprise and confusion. I can tell he is
reaching for the right words. But there are no right words; he said
what he felt. Maximos turns to face the view off the balcony,
giving his back to me. Silence ensues.

“The Turn is over. So yes, you are a full
Tentyrian. Not a vampire. It was something you always were,
Arianna. You will stay here, though. It will be some time before
you can go back to your old life, if at all,” he says solemnly,
turning to face my questioning gaze. In the seconds waiting for him
to respond, some part of me held out hope he’d say that what
happened between us really wasn’t a mistake. That he wasn’t
ashamed. But instead, the only words out of his mouth were a
command, highlighting that my freedom was gone.

“What is that supposed to mean, ‘if at all’?
I will be going back to my old life, whether you like it or not!
And I’m not about to go on a bloody rampage, Maximos. You said I
would have an uncontrollable blood thirst. But I feel fine. Maybe
you don’t know as much as you think you do.” I am seething. The
room starts to waver slightly, so I take a seat on the edge of the
bed. Too angry to even look at him, I reach down to rip the bandage
from my foot. To my surprise, the cut is completely healed. Not
even a twinge of pain.

“You feel fine because you’ve recently had my
blood. Your thirst will come back with a vengeance. But it’s not
that it’s you, Arianna— you have plenty of self-control, and I
think over time that would never be put into question. It’s simply
not safe. The Dark Coven wants you.” Well at least someone
does.

“I can’t live my life in hiding, Maximos. And
I need to find Raad,” I say vehemently.

“That’s what we’re working on right now. What
you need to do is rest and hone your power.”

“When you say ‘we,’ who are you referring
to?”

“The Tentyrian Brotherhood. That’s what we
call ourselves.”

“Right, your ‘brothers.’ Then why . . .”

Maximos holds up a hand to stop my
inquisition. “Before we get into this, let me help you get dressed
first. You may feel a little shaky and unsteady.” My first instinct
is to protest immediately. But I hold my tongue. Now that he’s
called attention to it, I am feeling really dizzy. “Vertigo is
natural when all of your Tentyrian senses are first awakened. But
it will disappear in a day or so.”

“Okay, sure. Lead the way. I don’t think I
have much of a choice, anyway.”

“I can call Shashandra if you feel it’s
improper.”

“I think it’s fair to say we already crossed
the boundaries of propriety last night,” I say dryly. Since he
feels so ashamed, I might as well rub it in.

“As you wish.” And with that, Maximos sweeps
me up into his arms. This time I do protest.

“I’m not an invalid!”

“Trust me, it will be quicker.” I feel a cool
tingling on my skin. It’s what I felt right before I woke up on the
island . . .

In the blink of an eye, we’re in the dressing
area with my clothes. There’s no party in here, which reminds me, I
need to call Laura. Maximos sits me on a cushioned bench in front
of the floor-length mirror while he rummages through the contents
of the shelves. I’m speechless. “Is this okay?” He holds up a pair
of blue jean shorts and a white tank top.

“Umm, can we talk about what just happened?
We were just in one room and now we’re here.”

“It’s called shifting. We’ll have to see if
you are able to do it. Only Tentyrian Council members were able to,
to my knowledge. But maybe I don’t know as much as I think?” he
chides. I can’t think of an intelligent quip. Must be the
vertigo.

Maximos hands me the clothes along with a
basic white cotton bra and thong.

“We don’t know what you are fully capable of
yet. It’s possible you’ll be able to shift as well,” he says.

“That’s how you got me to this island, isn’t
it? And here I was thinking we hopped on your private jet.” I fold
and refold the clothes in my lap to keep my hands busy while I
ponder the possibility of being able to go wherever and whenever I
want. Maybe I can get myself off this island . . .

“It’s the fastest and safest way to travel,”
he explains. “You just need to have a clear visual picture of the
place.”

Eager to experiment, I close my eyes and
visualize my apartment, directing all of my concentration there. No
luck.

“You need to give it time. And I would prefer
it if you only try it with me or when one of the Brothers is with
you. If you do succeed in shifting to where you want to go, that
means I’ll have to find you again. Not that I won’t, but I want you
where I know you are safe. Understood?” He’s definitely back to his
controlling self.

“I must say, I prefer your bedside manner . .
. Before I forget or you shift me someplace else against my will, I
need to call Laura. She is probably frantic.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. I told you last
night I took care of it.” “Yes, I recall you did, but that does
little to reassure me.”

“See for yourself,” says Maximos as he fishes
out his iPhone from his pocket and brings up my Gmail account.

“You hacked into my Gmail?” I ask in
disbelief

“It was necessary,” he says as if it should
be obvious. “Text messages and phone calls can be traced. An e-mail
sent from an undisclosed IP address can’t.” I give him a dirty look
and grab the phone from him to scroll through the last e-mail
exchange:

From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]

Bitch, where are you? You aren’t picking up
my calls or answering my texts. What gives? Sorry I missed your
call last night. Jake was over J So many deets to share! Not sure
if you’ll be ashamed or proud? I’m going to assume the latter for
now. I have fabulous plans for your bday dinner. Can’t wait to
celebrate the big 25!!!! If you don’t get back to me by 5pm I’m
coming over there and breaking down your door. It won’t be
pretty.

XO L

From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]

Laura, can’t make dinner. Have to go on
another business trip. Will be out of the country so phone won’t
work. So sorry to mess up your plans. Please forgive me. I promise
I’ll make it up to you!

XO A

From: [email protected]
To:
[email protected]

Are you insane? It’s your birthday! Who
agrees to go on a business trip on their birthday? Is this about
that job at Leo Capital? Is he really that hot? You said he was but
I’m questioning your taste if you are ditching me for him. And you
don’t even call me! Hos before bros girl.

XO Your former best friend

P.S. you never address me as “Laura” what
gives?

From:
[email protected]
To:
[email protected]

Not insane—but unfortunately this was
unavoidable. I’ll let you know what’s going on as soon as I’m back
. . .

XO A

From: [email protected]
To:
[email protected]

You didn’t answer the most important
question. Is this about him? And when in the hell are you coming
back?

XO Your dying-to-know former best friend
“Laura”

Since Laura’s last e-mail there has been no
reply. I’m positively mortified that Maximos has been in my e-mail
and had the gall to pretend to be me. Who knows what other types of
exchanges he’s read between me and Laura? The snarky material is
endless. As if my embarrassment couldn’t get worse.

“So are you going to monitor my e-mail now? I
assume you have my phones too?” I ask snidely.

“They had to be destroyed to prevent
tracking. By the way, who has two BlackBerry smartphones? I only
put your e-mail on here for convenience sake.”

“A lot of people use two phones. One is for
work and one is personal. But I guess you have no respect for
anything that is personal. You better replace them.”

“I can ask Aristos to provide you with a
secure device, as long as you agree to keep our location and the
obvious details of what has been happening out of any
communications. Your friend wouldn’t understand. And the more she
knows, the more danger it will put her in.”

“Is she in danger?” The terror of my dream
flashes in my mind.

“I don’t think so. She knows nothing about
what you are. Only Raad would have had any knowledge to help the
Dark Coven. The Brothers have her under surveillance, though, just
in case. If anyone tries to hurt her, they’ll be there.”