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“I’m going to slowly lift my hand, the blackout shades are drawn so you should be f
ine if you keep looking forward,” She spoke in soft tones before she uncovered my eyes.

We were sitting at the foot of the bed, facing the ruin of the bathroom door, it was just shards of wood. I glanced at Elizabeta. In the darkness, her skin was almost bioluminescent it was so pale. She wore a black line dress with little pale blue polka-dots and a matching pale blue scarf at her neck.

“I know what you’re doing, and I’m here to tell you to stop. Leslie and Tristan both know the risks and are agreeing to go along with the show. They believe the Envoy will stop Gregory before tonight, you should too.”

“It’s Evan now too,
” I added as I slowly stood, my legs started shaking the instant I was up on my two feet. I clung to the post of the bed and pressed my head against the cool lacquered surface.

“You’ve done all you can, Autumn. All you’re doing now is scaring Aleksi half to death. I’m appreciative of what you’ve been able to tell me, but you need to take a break and sleep and eat something. Magic takes a lot out of people—clairvoyancy especially. The last thing we want is you to end up in a coma or worse.”

I nodded against the post and shut my eyes.

“The dancers are all heading back into Florence to do a quick dress rehearsal. Aleksi wants you there, but I think you should rest.” Elizabeta stood and started for the door. “Whatever happens, happens, Autumn. No one will blame you if things go poorly tonight. I’m also going to get you an appointment with Marla Young for some time next week. She’s a therapist that deals specifically with clairvoyants and vampire servants. The Sala Corporation will
, of course, foot the bill.”

“Th-thank you,
” I croaked, my voice hoarse from the day and a half without water. She smiled at me in that beautiful, graceful fashion that all old vampires seemed capable of and ducked out of the room.

Moments later, I was blinking against the light as Aleksi, Evan and Leslie filed back into the room. Each of them wore a worried expression while they looked me over as I leaned against the bright white bed post. Evan had in his hand a small bottle of water that he held out to me. I graciously accepted it with shaking hands, it took not one, not two, but three tries for me to open the bottle. In the end, that stubborn white cap chaffed my hands before it finally budged.

“Hey there, Aut. How’re you holding up?” Leslie asked as she carefully looked me over.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I asked between sips of water. She laughed nervously and shook her head.

“I was shocked at first, but Tristan explained to me how visions work and… I’m okay with it now. If it happens, it happens, Autumn. If I’m going to die, I’d rather do it doing what I love—dancing.”

“The envoy arrived an hour ago
,” Aleksi added somberly.
You’re too late.
“I thought you’d want to go home and rest before tonight. Tristan was able to get you excused from the tasting, so you don’t have to worry about that. We can just go home. I’ll only have to leave you for two and a half hours for the rehearsal.” I nodded as I finished the water, Evan took the bottle from me. I couldn’t take my eyes off of Leslie or Evan, I stared hollow-eyed at them even as Aleksi lifted me up in his arms. I was numb from it all, so amazingly numb.

Being carried to the car by Aleksi was like an out of body experience, it was like a bad movie. I knew what was going to happen. Why wasn’t I able to stop it?
Because you screwed up.
I couldn’t have stopped the tears from falling if I tried. Pressing my face to Aleksi’s black turtleneck I let those tears flow freely—exhaustion made me fragile.

On the car ride back to Florence, I fell asleep and didn’t wake up until Aleksi was laying me down in my bed. My eyes blinked open and he smiled down at me. Kissing my forehead softly, he tucked me in, pulling the warm comforter up to my shoulders.

“Go back to sleep, I’ll be back in two hours
,” he whispered before placing a quick kiss on my lips.

“I have to call… my mother
,” I groaned out, attempting to wriggle out of the covers, somehow the fluff and fabric suddenly amounted to a fifty-pound lead blanket.

“I already took care of that on the drive over. Sleep, that’s an order, Autumn.” Those all too blue eyes were serenely serious. He kissed me again, this time with a little more force than before. My head swam from the contact and I melted into submission and the warmth of the covers. Sleep pulled my consciousness from me unwillingly—thankfully I didn’t dream.

What seemed to be only seconds later, I felt a hand on my shoulder shaking me awake. Blinking into the afternoon sun I groaned and peered up at Aleksi. He was still wearing his stage makeup which made those effervescent eyes pop like fireworks.

“We have three and a half hours before I have to be back
sooo,” He snickered and threw back the comforter. The air-conditioned cool of the room made me shiver, but I wasn’t allowed to adjust, oh no, Aleksi had ideas. He yanked me off of the bed drawing a shocked yelp from my lips as he slung me over his shoulder. Too tired to protest I dangled limply as he walked to the bathroom, however, it’s not like I would have protested even if I weren't exhausted.

Once in the bathroom he flipped the light on, set me down on the floor and turned on my shower. Granted the shower wasn’t the amazing walk-in closet sized monstrosity that he had in his apartment,
but mine was a good size. The cream colored faux marble was veined with a rust color that almost looked like blood. A section of it in the glass shower enclosure looked like a dancer in mid
jete.

Aleksi pulled off his shirt and my attention practically snapped to him as he undressed—it was a show I never grew tired of. Next went the red tights, leaving him standing in just his dance belt, which to me would never not look like a man thong. The almost blush colored fabric had to have been custom dyed. It gave the illusion of nudity from most angles, which would be almost impossible for someone of Aleksi’s pallor with the buff colored ones most dansuers wore. I slipped my dress off over my head while he wriggled out of the dance belt and tossed it into the white wicker hamper in the corner. Then, completely nude he leaned against the glass door and watched as I finished undressing. I could almost feel his impatience as I slid the bright red panties down and stepped out of them. A shiver broke down my spine as I remembered all of the times he had ripped the underwear from me. I could see that damp lace shredding between his white pale fingers without even closing my eyes. Just the thought of it made me tingle in all of the right places, and instinctively I bit my bottom lip and pressed my thighs together.

“Mmm, what thought has prompted such a
wondrous response?” he growled as he pushed off of the glass and stalked over to me.

“You,
” I cooed in response, the cobwebs of sleep cleared from my mind by the promise of sex, and Aleksi’s perfect, naked body. He stopped himself inches from me and placed his hand on my throat. His thumb traced over my windpipe and slid to those two healing punctures he was so fond of
feeding from.

Those electric blue eyes slipped closed as he pressed his forehead to mine and kept his hand on my throat. There was something extraordinarily comforting for me in being so utterly physically possessed by him. I was able to push aside the feeling of impending dread and just let my mind fall into blankness as I wallowed in the sensation of being his and so near him. He pulled away from me and let that hand fall. My eyes fluttered open, but my vision was in a haze of want, still I could almost see the thoughts in his head as he canted his head from side to side contemplating. I was thinking about time. Did we have enough time for sex and my beauty regiment?
No, not great sex at least.
I pressed my thighs together again as that telltale pulse sprang to life between my legs, and I felt my sex grow slick. His
nose twitched, and his lips curled into a smile worthy of the Cheshire cat. Without missing a beat, he strode over to the cabinet, opened the door and pulled out the box of condoms.

“Get in the shower.” His voice was tense and full of that oh so delicious demanding tone. In spite of my
exhaustion, I practically sprinted to shower.

Wetting my hair, I heard the shower door open and close behind me.
You know, most embarrassing ER visits happen because of shower sex
.
Regardless of Miss Manners’ naysaying I inched forward and grabbed the stone towel rack. The rough-edged marble dug into my fingers, but it was set in cement so there was no chance of it breaking and sending me crashing to the floor. I arched my back and presented myself to him and almost instantly felt his hands slide around my waist. I wagged my hips and continued to arch back for him, trying to feel out that throbbing length I craved to have inside of me. His fingers, however, continued a descent of their own down my stomach; they swirled teasingly as they dipped lower and lower, stopping only to tease along my dripping slit.

“Beg me,
” he whispered huskily into my ear. I jumped, I wasn’t aware he was so close. He had to be standing at an awkward angle to keep his erection from even brushing against me as he tormented me. My hips snapped up, greedy for more friction, more pressure but his response was a soft chuckle. The request made me shiver in spite of the comforting warmth of the water and the stifling humidity of the steam.

“Please,
” I panted.

“Please what?” he purred into my ear, before trailing his tongue along the outer ridge. My knees practically buckled, and I was saved a trip to the hospital by his swiftness. His other hand pulled me back against him, but still he kept his hips angled from mine. Damn his dancer’s flexibility.

“Please f…fuck me, M-master
,” I finally managed to shiver out as I gripped that stone towel rod white knuckled.

“Well, since you asked so nicely
.” He growled as his fingers slipped dipped into those slick folds. I stiffened back against him as he worked two of his fingers inside of me. I was close already, I started to raise up as my muscles tensed and he forced me to stay with my feet planted on the slick tile. “None of that,” he hissed hastily withdrawing his probing digits. A frustrated sigh left my lips, even as he slid his hands back to my hips. “Do you trust me?” He growled out his fingers flexing on my hips.

“Y-yes
,” I swallowed, nodding as my body sang with desperation. I probably would have done anything he asked of me at that moment.

“Good.” He grunted as he lifted me by the hips until my feet were dangling, just barely able to touch the tile. I bit my lip hard as he slammed me down onto his length, knocking the air out of my lungs. My feet pointed and slid up his legs as he raised and lowered me again and again, using the tightness of my body as he pleased. With his length and
thickness,
the angle was just too perfect and he hit that spot inside of me with every thrust that most men tried in vain to find for hours. I was putty in his hands, almost literally as his pace quickened, and I was brought quickly and almost disorientedly into orgasm as my body fought against his to spasm out of control. I screamed his name as I attempted to move my
hostage hips.

Unfortunately, he had a vice like grip on me, his fingers digging little bruises into my flesh. As always he stilled and slowly lowered me to the shower floor as I felt him twitch and throb wildly inside of me. Suddenly he yanked my hair, forcing me to squeal and arch my neck back at an almost impossible angle. His mouth met mine instantly, his lips nibbling at mine to stifle the exquisitely small desperate noises he made.

When he finished, we laid on shower floor snuggled up to one another, with him still inside of me. His lazy kisses graced my neck and shoulder as the hot water beat down on us adding to the warmth of the blazing afterglow without overheating us.

“Why do you stop?” I asked in a voice that was almost swallowed whole by the hiss of the water.

“What do you mean stop?”

“Before you…every time you go as still as possible until you’ve finished.”

“
I don’t want to break your hips,” He chuckled out softly and I turned to look at him. Even with the dark makeup streaming down his face in what looked like black tears he was still heart-stoppingly handsome. And the pure look of smugness that curled his lips was priceless.

“That… that can’t be it.”

“But it is. Vampires have broken human lover’s hips before in the throes of orgasm, werewolves have a similar
problem though most place everything in their mortal partner’s hands for that very reason.”

“So you’re afraid of hurting me?”

“I’m afraid my control will break. There are no words in Russian, French, English, Italian or Romanian to describe how utterly amazing being inside of you
feels.”

“That’s just because you’re so big.” Blush took my cheeks as I spoke, and again he held my head at that impossible angle so he could kiss me.

“I suddenly have no desire to be on stage tonight.”

“You could always stay here.”

“I could, but I am a performer at heart. I need the attention
,” He confessed with a smirk as he slowly pulled out of me and stood. I groaned as he stood over top of me and smiled at his handiwork. Once again Aleksi had turned me into a boneless pile of goo from his lovemaking.

There wasn’t much time for anything else. We showered and took turns with the blow-dryer before Aleksi tugged his tights on commando, revealing to the world the exact size and shape of the gift between his legs. He assured me it was just for the run across the street as he pulled his hair back into a bun and watched as I set my curlers. Opening night for a Danse du Nuit ballet meant formal wear, it even said so on the side of the ticket. Under the watchful tutelage of Aleksi, I picked out my dress and started in on the process of my makeup. Before he left for his warmup, he brought a bowl of salad into the bedroom—where I was hard at work wrangling my face—and set it in front of me.