A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series) (3 page)

“Of course.” Kayle eagerly agrees.
“Who is Phedora?” I ask, puzzled.
“Phedora is my second in second in command, or deuxième, of my small territory in France.” Christien responds.
“I thought Kayle is your second?” I question while looking at Kayle.

“I am his second in command. As I am here with Christien, his vampires report to me. In Paris, Phedora is my equivalent.” Kayle clarifies for me.

“Okay, so she’s Christien’s second over his get in France, just like you are the second over his get here. If you both are in the room, which of you would be in charge? Who would the vampires listen to?” I look at them for clarification.

Kayle begins to speak, but Christien interrupts him. “Kayle is my deuxième, overall. Phedora would be my third. Since she reports directly to me, my vampires in France answer to her, which is why I consider her my deuxième. Why do you need to understand the hierarchy of my vampires?”

“I am only trying to understand who reports to whom. When we go to France, I just want to be clear…”


You…
are not going to Paris. Kayle and I will be going to France. You are going nowhere near the Vampire Council!” Christien says sternly.

“I’m going! We are not arguing about this. Hassan tried to kill me and he’s responsible for killing my parents. I can take care of myself. If you don’t want me to go with you, I’ll go by myself. I am not asking for your permission, Christien.” I jump up and Christien is right beside me before I can move away.

“I should know by now that you would never do as I ask in order to keep you safe.” He hugs me, trying to calm me down.

“You should know by now that I don’t take orders from anyone. Maybe you should try asking me before putting your foot down, making demands.” I mumble, hating the fact that his hug feels so good.

“Is it too late to ask you to stay here where you can be safe and protected by my get?” He asks sweetly.
“Yes.”
“Will you at least tell me what you plan to do before you take off and do it?” Christien asks hopefully.
“Since you asked so nicely, I’ll think about it.” I tell him sweetly.

Kayle stands up drawing our attention. “If there is nothing else to discuss, I will contact Phedora and let her know that I am on my way.”

“Come and talk to me before you leave.” Christien orders Kayle as he telepathically calls Tyler into the room.

Tyler walks into the room and stands in front of Christien. “Yes master?”

“I need you to focus very hard on mastering your blood thirst. I may not get to spend as much time with you, teaching you how to control your thirst as I should, but I will assure you that you will not be alone. I do not think it would be wise for you to keep your position at the blood bank right now. It would be dangerous for you to be around that much blood, risking vampires’ exposure to the human world if you ever lost control of your blood thirst.”

Tyler sighs in disappointment. “I understand.”

Christien smiles regretfully. “For now, I would like you to return to your quarters downstairs and gather your strength. If we are away from each other for a lengthy amount of time, you will need it. Feed deeply and often. If I am not around, the other masters here will sense your need and come to your aid.”

“Yes, master.” Tyler replies and walks downstairs.
Kayle heads towards the kitchen as Christien takes my hand and leads me upstairs.
We enter his bedroom, but when he moves to kiss me, I back away quickly.

“Is something wrong,
ma chatte petite
?” Christien eyes me curiously.

“Why do you make your vampires do that?” I ask angrily.
“Make them do what?”
“Why do you force everyone to call you master?”

“I force none of my vampires to call me master, Jessica. It is only a way to show their respect for me. I do tell all my vampires that it is not necessary, but they choose to call me master.” Christien replies defensively.

“I’ve never heard you correct anyone.”

“I would constantly be correcting them. There is nothing wrong with them showing me respect. I am their master.” Christien shrugs.

“I know. It just seems so demeaning.” I concede to the argument.

“I apologize if you find it offensive.” Christien kisses me deeply. He pulls back and looks down into my eyes. “Is our disagreement over? Is it time for makeup sex now?” A wide grin spreads across his face.

“I guess so, but this conversation isn’t over.” I smile suggestively after rolling my eyes.

Christien moves his power through my body, instantly arousing me. He walks me backwards to the bed, guiding me gently on my back. He removes his shirt, pants, and shoes quickly then rejoins me on the bed. I wrap my arms around his waist, sliding my hands up and down his back as he kisses me. The kisses become deeper and more passionate. My body arches into his as he pulls my shirt over my head. His mouth covers my nipples, soaking my bra. His teeth brush against the fabric when I feel his hand gliding between my legs. He somehow manages to unbutton and unzip the pants I am wearing while I am distracted by his erotic teasing. My legs wrap around his waist pulling him closer. I can feel his powerful erection against my core. We both moan together in our excitement. He untangles my legs, pulling off my pants rapidly, taking my panties with them. His underwear is gone a second later. Within a heartbeat, he is riding me hard. I can barely catch my breath. Grabbing my arms, he positions them over my head and holds them there with one arm as he pounds into me even harder. I scream out my ecstasy. Christien leans over my body and plunges his fangs into my left breast. I can feel my body spasm hard from his intrusion. Christien’s orgasm rocks through me, intensifying my own. He groans and sucks my breast harder. His rhythm is erratic, but he is still rocking my body against his. My legs and body begin to ache from such a long, intense release.

Christien finally releases my breast and roars in satisfaction. While he kisses me deeply, I can taste my blood on his lips and tongue. He lets go of my arms and falls onto his back with his eyes closed. I climb on top of him, guiding his sensitive manhood back inside of me. Christien grabs my hips and opens his eyes. I fall into the deep green sea that are his eyes and rock my hips slowly. I am extremely wet from both our fluids. He slides in and out of me with hardly any resistance. Even though there is little resistance, I feel every inch of him inside me. The wide tip of his manhood repeatedly brushes my cervix. The rhythm of our rocking greedily speeds up. Christien groans and thrusts his hips against me, forcing him deeper inside. Our pulses are pounding in rhythm. We release our building passion together, shouting and moaning. Collapsing on top of Christien, I rest my head on his chest. His arms engulf me, squeezing me tightly.

I fall asleep on top of him, completely sated. Christien plays with my hair for a while, watching me sleep before he finally succumbs to his own exhaustion.

 

* * *

 

Uncertain of how long I have been sleeping, I wake when I hear voices around me. Opening my eyes slowly, I see Kayle and Roman standing next to the bed. Christien’s hand is running up and down my back absentmindedly.

“What’s going on? What are you guys doing in here?”

Roman replies first. “Kayle and I are about to leave for Europe in a few hours and we needed to talk to Christien about the plans regarding Hassan.”

“You are going with Kayle?” I slide off Christien’s chest to lie beside him, carefully staying underneath the covers.

“Kayle and I will be on the same plane. I am going to go to my father’s pack in Italy to gather what information I can on Hassan using their contacts. Kayle is going to Paris to meet up with Phedora.” Roman replies.

“Oh, okay. Has there been any new information on Hassan?” I become more alert the more I listen.

“There has been no news on Hassan.” Christien replies for them.

“If there is nothing else to discuss, I would like to go pack and get some rest before I leave for France.” Kayle directs his statement towards Christien.

“Good luck on your search.” Christien dismisses Kayle.

Kayle bows slightly then leaves the room.

“I’d better get going too.” Roman bends and kisses me on my temple. “I will meet you in France. Call me if you need me for anything.”

“I will. Please be careful.” I tell him sincerely.

“Take care of her Christien. If anything happens to her, I will make you truly regret it.” Roman threatens him.

“I will guard her with all my resources and my undead life. She will be safe with me.” Christien replies making solid eye contact with Roman.

Roman nods in satisfaction and waves as he leaves the room, closing the door gently behind him.

“You really need to give me some warning when you want to have impromptu meetings while I am in bed with you Christien.” I scold him, slightly embarrassed.

“You are beautiful. There is no reason for you to be embarrassed,
ma chatte petite
. I did make sure you were properly covered before allowing them to enter the bedroom.” He replies confidently.

“Thanks, but you could have simply awakened me.”
“You were snoring so peacefully.” He teases playfully. “I did not want to wake you. You will need your strength.”
“Humph. I bet. Maybe you didn’t want me to know that Roman was leaving with Kayle.” My eyes narrow accusingly.
“Do you really believe Roman would leave without telling you?” Christien asks, defusing my rising temper.
“I guess not.” I admit while snuggling closer, closing my eyes.
He kisses me gently before we fall back asleep.

Chapter 3

 

 

 

Early the next morning, Kayle and Roman leave the estate to reach their destinations. Kayle is on his way to France. Roman will continue on to his father’s werewolf pack in Italy. The house is quiet when I finally crawl out of bed. Moving through the common areas, I deduce that Christien must not be around.

Strolling into the kitchen in search for a cup of coffee, I notice several human servants having breakfast. My search for coffee is forgotten when a young, pregnant woman walks by me. The woman’s heartbeat pounds in my ears, nearly causing me to drool on myself. The woman continues on, oblivious of my blood thirst, to her seat at the table.

Unknowingly, I follow her. As I stalk closer, my eyes flash with silver as my fangs extend. A few others at the table notice my approach and gasp in alarm. Just as I grab the pregnant woman’s shoulders to keep her in her chair, a young man jumps from his seat.

He cautiously touches my shoulder. My attention turns to him, irritated by his interruption. He brushes his shoulder length, light brown hair to the side and bares his neck in offering.

I release the forgotten pregnant woman and place my hands on the man’s chest. The blood thirst inside me roars to life as I run my tongue experimentally over the pulse on his neck. He moans in anticipation. The sound causes me to hesitate, but only for a moment.

I lift my head from his throat. Turning his face towards me, I capture his mind with my gaze, putting his mind in a daze. As fast as a striking cobra, I plunge my fangs into his neck. A rush of blood fills my mouth as I drink deeply from his neck.

He moans in pleasure as I pull his life giving fluid into my body. His hand plunges down the front of his pants and he jerks at himself wildly. A few seconds later, he is shouting his release.

I moan against his neck as his pleasure ripples through me.

Another man with black hair approaches me. He touches my arm gently and my eyes snap open. I release the slumping man, quickly licking his wound and grab the black haired man. He smiles as his head tips back in invitation. I am still feeling ravenous so I sink my fangs into his neck after capturing his gaze. The black haired man also jacks himself off to completion as I feed. With my blood thirst finally sated, I release him and lean against the countertop.

My fangs retract as I regain control of my blood thirst. It is then I remember what I have just done.

Oh my God! What did I do? I never feed from anyone anymore. What is wrong with me? Christien is going to be furious!

I look around the room at all the faces staring back at me. I lower my eyes and see two men on the ground with their eyes closed with a woman fussing over them. Recognizing the men as Christien’s servants, I drop to my knees and crawl over to them.

“Oh my God! Did I kill them?” My voice shakes as I watch a woman pressing a damp towel on the light haired man’s head.
“No. They are weak, but I think they will recover. They will not be able to donate for a while.” Her tone is static.
“I am so sorry.” I cry out, tears streaming down my cheeks. “This is why I never feed from humans. Is there anything I can do?”
The woman checks the first man’s pulse. “His pulse is really weak. He needs blood. You nearly drained him.”

I cry harder as I grab a knife from the table without hesitation. “Here, give him mine.” I force the knife into my palm as I move closer to the man.

The woman jerks the man away from me. “You have nearly drained him. If you give him your blood, you will turn him into a vampire.”

I am stricken with grief. “I can’t turn him into a vampire. My blood can heal him.”

“How?” The woman asks skeptically.

I grab a towel to catch blood dripping from my hand. “It is dangerous for me to sit here bleeding with a house full of vampires. They will drain me dry. Now please, allow me to help him while I can.”

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