Dalakis Passion 2 - Lucian's Delight (16 page)

her brother. Of course, he could not allow her to do such a thing, but he was pleased by
her strength. "You will stay here with Stefan. I will go and bring Chase back home."
Scowling, she fisted her hands on her hips. "Chase is my brother. Besides, it's me
they want."
"Precisely." Lucian cupped her face in his hands, willing her to understand his
position. "That is why you cannot go. Once they have you, they have no reason to keep
him alive."
Delight chewed her lip with uncertainty. "But what if they hurt him?"
"What is done, is done." As much as he wanted to spare her, he knew she needed
the truth. "But I promise you, I will bring him home to you."
Lucian glanced at his brother and knew his face was a mirror image of Stefan's.
Controlled anger, power, and the promise of retribution shone from his brother's eyes,
echoing his own feelings.
Bending down, he kissed Delight lightly on the lips, savoring her sweet flavor. "I
will be back soon." Releasing her, he turned and stalked out of the room. He heard her
calling his name, but did not look back. The front door opened before he reached it and
he stepped out into the darkness. It slammed shut behind him and he waited until he
heard the bolts being driven home before he sped off into the night.
With his unnatural speed, he was outside Prince's club in a matter of minutes.
Aptly named The Club, it was the current hotspot in the city. The rich, famous, and
beautiful all vied for entry. Lucian smiled coldly as he walked towards the entrance.
This time tomorrow, they would be looking for a new place to go. The Club was about
to be shut down.
Ignoring the hulking bouncer, he continued past the long line of people hoping to
gain entry. The bouncer stepped in front of Lucian with his massive arms folded across
his chest. He glared at the man, his fangs flashing as he issued his mental command.
The bouncer paled and immediately stepped back, opening the door for Lucian.
The music assaulted Lucian as he stepped inside. Loud and obnoxious, the band
screamed into the microphones as couples crammed the dance floor. Lights of all colors
flashed through the darkened room. The smell of sex, sweat, drugs and alcohol
permeated the air.
Scanning the interior, he found what he was looking for and walked directly across
the club's jam-packed dance floor. The crowd parted in front of him and closed behind
him as he made a straight line towards a door near the back of the club.
Several hulking men in dark suits with weapons bulging under their arms stood in
front of the doors that led to the office area. Stopping in front of the men, he stared at
them and smiled. "Tell Prince that Lucian
Dalakis
is here to see him."
Their eyes widened at the name. Delight might not be impressed by his money, but
Lucian was very rich and powerful and there were those who were easily swayed by
such things. Prince was a man who placed a very high value on both, craving them with
equal greed.
One of the men slipped through the door, while the other stood and waited
nervously. Lucian could feel the man's heart pounding in his chest and did nothing to
lessen his discomfort. The door suddenly swung open and Lucian was ushered
forward. "Mr. Prince will see you."
Lucian didn't bother to answer, but walked down the hallway and up a set of stairs.
Another man was waiting at the top of the stairs for him and from the cruel look on his
face and the immaculate banker's
suit,
he knew that this must be Mr. Smith.
Smith stared at him in a manner meant to intimidate, but only served to amuse
Lucian. "I'll have to search you if you want to see Mr. Prince."
He spread his arms wide.
"By all means."
He could tell he'd surprised Smith with
his easy capitulation. The other man now regarded him with slight disdain. In his eyes,
Lucian was now just another rich, but weak man, looking for some vice or another from
his boss. That suited Lucian just fine.
For now.
Smith led him to another door that opened into a large, opulent room. It was
obviously an office as it contained a huge mahogany desk and a wall of computer
screens filled with images from the club below. However, there was also a sitting area
with a leather sofa and chairs. Priceless oriental rugs were scattered across the gleaming
hardwood floor and artwork adorned the walls. It was a room that screamed money
and seated at the very center, behind the desk, was Mr.
Jethro
Prince.
As he walked across the room, Lucian sized up his opponent. Prince was whipcord
lean, with dark, empty eyes and a scar on his right cheek. He leaned back in his chair,
rested his elbows on the arms of the chair, and tapped his fingers together. Prince made
no move to rise or to offer him a seat. It was a definite power play, meant to put Lucian
on the defensive. His face impassive, Lucian walked up to the desk, keeping his body
loose and fluid, and waited.
Prince scowled when he didn't get the response he'd obviously been expecting.
"What can I do for you,
Dalakis
?"
Having already done a mental scan of the room, he knew Chase was there, slumped
in a chair that was facing away from them all with his hands tied. "You have something
that belongs to me." He waited, giving his words time to sink in. "I want it back."
Prince lunged forward in his chair and slammed his hands on the desk. "How dare
you come into my office with
demands.
"
Lucian could feel Smith moving up behind him, but didn't move from his position.
"This can be easy or hard. That is entirely your choice."
The scar on Prince's face turned white as his anger grew. "I don't like your
accusations,
Dalakis
. You're either very brave or very stupid." His pointed
look left no
doubt in Lucian's mind
that Prince thought he was the latter.
Lucian shrugged, his massive shoulders rising and falling easily. "What you think
of me is of no consequence. It doesn't change the fact that you have something of mine."
Prince's eyes grew colder as he studied Lucian. "Do you think your money will
protect you? You're on my turf now, not yours." Making an effort, Prince relaxed his
stance and allowed a slightly amused and sardonic smile cross his face. "I wonder if
anyone even knows that you're
here?
People go missing every day in a city like New
Orleans."
The menace underlying his words was very real, but Lucian just inclined his head
slightly in recognition of Prince's threat. "Yes, they do, don't they. I understand that
you've recently lost some men of your own.
Such a shame."
He allowed the corners of
his mouth to turn up in a dangerous smile. "But then a man like you doesn't care much
about human life. The inconvenience of it all was probably nothing more than a minor
nuisance to you."
Prince reached under his desk, pulled out a handgun and leveled it at Lucian. "You
seem to have quite a knowledge and interest about my business,
Dalakis
. That kind of
curiosity can be dangerous to a man's health."
Lucian ignored the gun and shrugged unconcerned. "You still have something that
belongs to me. And I will have it back."
Prince's eyes widened and he vibrated with fury even though his gun hand never
wavered. "I could kill you now, but I'm curious. What do you think I have that belongs
to you?"
"Chase
Deveraux
."
The other man's demeanor changed in a flash, becoming more cunning and sly. "It
seems I may have underestimated the value of my new young friend. His continued
safety and good health would be worth quite a bit to you?"
"I don't pay for what is already
mine
. But if you let him go and leave the
Deveraux
family alone, I will let you live." He inwardly sighed even as he made the offer,
knowing that the only reason he did so was that he could assure Delight that he'd done
all he could before killing Prince and Smith. He knew they had to be dealt with, but
women could be funny about these kinds of things.
Prince started to laugh as he strolled out from behind his desk and ambled across
the room to a large wingback chair that was facing a dark corner of the room. Reaching
around, he hauled a battered Chase to his feet and yanked the gag out of the boy's
mouth. Chase stumbled as he was dragged towards Lucian, but managed to stay on his
feet. From the bruises and swelling on his face, it was obvious that they had beaten the
boy badly, but he still managed to glare at his captor.
"You shouldn't have come." Chase spit the words at Lucian.
Lucian ignored Chase, knowing he feared for his sister's life. Prince smiled cruelly
as he backhanded Chase's already battered face. Chase bit back a cry as he fell
sideways, striking his head on the floor as he landed. He lay there moaning, his eyes
closed and his body still.
"Enough." Lucian's softly spoken command cracked like a whip, causing all of
them to freeze. The time had come to end this. He turned his attention to Prince,
focusing all his energy on him. "Come to me."
Prince looked surprised,
then
shocked before his face went lax and his gun hand
dropped to his side. As if pulled by some unseen hand, he stumbled towards Lucian.
Lucian could sense Smith's surprise and sent him a mental command to freeze.
Everything was under control until the door to the office slammed open, causing
him to lose concentration for a split second.
"Chase!" Delight cried as she raced across the room.
Lucian took it all in at a glance. Stefan burst through the door behind Delight,
followed by a disheveled Detective Cassidy. Smith broke free of Lucian's thrall, raised
his own weapon and turned it on Delight.
Not wasting any time, Lucian grabbed Prince by the neck and gave it a violent
twist, breaking it in one easy motion. He let the body drop to the floor, even as he was
moving towards Smith. He knew he wouldn't make it.
The gun went off just as Stefan reached Smith, wrapped one heavily muscled arm
around his neck and snapped it like a twig.
Lucian howled in anguish as he caught Delight's falling form in his arms, lowering
her to the carpet. Her lifeblood was spilling through his finger and soaking his clothing.
Stefan was by his side in a flash, shoving him aside and applying pressure to the
wound.
He could hear Cassidy in the background checking the bodies and untying Chase,
but nothing mattered to Lucian but Delight. He could feel her slipping away from him
and knew that his life was over.
Chase scrambled to his side, his battered face white as he stared at Delight's still
form. "Do something. She can't die. She can't." Grabbing the front of Lucian's shirt, he
shook him hard. "Do something."
Stefan continued to lean hard on the wound, but blood was still seeping from under
his fingers. "You only have one choice, Lucian."
Cassidy was on the phone calling for backup and requesting an ambulance, but
they all knew that they'd never make it in time to save Delight.
Lucian stared down at the woman he loved more than life itself and willed her to
open her eyes. They fluttered and then finally opened. Pain and anguish shone from
their pure depths and he could sense that most of her pain came from the thought of
leaving him and her family behind.
"I'm sorry, Lucian..." Her voice trailed off as a wave of pain racked her body.
"Don't talk. Listen to me." He leaned down until his nose was almost touching hers.
"There is one chance. I can try to change you so you become as I am. You would be
vampire, but your life would be linked with mine. If I die, then you too will die. You
would be susceptible to other dangers as well. But I would be by your side for
eternity,
and
no man living or yet to be born will love you as I will. Your happiness and
protection are my life's work and my life's joy."
Ignoring the startled gasps from behind him, he focused all his concentration on
Delight. "Choose."
Her hand slowly raised and grazed his face before falling limply back to the floor.
"You," she gasped. "Choose you." Lucian was moving as Delight's eyes fluttered shut.
"I'm losing her." Stefan's voice seemed to come from far away, but Lucian heeded
the warning.
Kneeling on the floor amidst her spilled blood, Lucian pulled Delight into his arms.
Bending his head, he sank his fangs into her neck and began to drink from her. She
unconsciously arched her neck towards him.
"What the hell is he doing?" He felt Cassidy's hand on his shoulder, but kept his
concentration on Delight. He had to stay linked with her or he could lose her.
"Leave him alone." Chase ripped Cassidy's hand away from Lucian. "I don't know
what the hell he is, but he's her only chance."
"But he's killing her."
"No." Stefan stepped between Chase and Cassidy, momentarily taking his attention
off his brother. "He is offering her a chance at life."
Lucian felt the last of Delight's life start to slip away. Bringing his wrist to his
mouth, he bit down hard. His fangs ripped through his skin and opened a vein.
Cradling her head against his chest, he held his wrist to her mouth as his own blood
seeped from his body and flowed over her parted lips.
"Drink, my love.
Stay with me."
She lay totally unresponsive in his arms. Lucian looked up at his brother, anguish in
his eyes. Stefan dropped to his knees, grabbed Delight's lifeless fingers in his own and
began to chafe them. "Come, little sister. You must try."
Lucian could feel his brother's energy combine with his and was shocked at the
extent of Stefan's power. It was enormous and gave him renewed hope. Focusing all his
love on Delight, he begged, pleaded, scolded, and commanded her to live. Rubbing his
wrist over her lips and coating them in his blood, he silently urged her to drink.
"This is sick," Cassidy muttered in the background, but he made no move to stop
them. The scent of blood and power was strong in the air as they all waited and hoped.
"Come on, Delight," Chase encouraged as he reached out and stroked the back of
her head, pushing it closer to Lucian.
She jerked slightly in his arms and her lips moved ever so slightly.
"Drink.