Finding the Blood Assassin [Lords of the Expanse 3] (Siren Publishing Allure) (22 page)

No, darling, I know that you wouldn’t. While she is here, while she is with us we need to protect her as best we can, my love.
Jami didn’t know what to think. She didn’t know what to feel and wished that they had more answers.

Looking to her, Raven sighed.
I know, love. I wish we could figure this out for her sake. She is such a sweet child. She has just had the rotten luck of having the wrong family.
Guiding the girls up onto the deck, he lifted them each into a chair so they sat side by side and looked over to the guards. She saw them both nod, and Raven leaned in to tell the girls that they would be right back. Taking Jamison’s hand in his larger, warmer one, he led her into the house.

* * * *

Alyssa sat beside Emily, kicking her legs until she stilled fully. “I have to go, Emily,” she said with a voice full of regret. “It’s my brother, he’s here looking for me.” And because of her leaving she would likely be beaten again, not much for it she supposed. “Thank you for playing with me for a while.” Standing, she gave her friend a hug and then jumped from the deck and started to run toward the edge of the property where she knew her brother was waiting.

* * * *

“She needs to be taken care of, Jamison,” Raven said once they were inside and away from the sharp hearing of the little girls. “I hate to see the fear in her eyes, the pain that I know she’s trying so hard to hide. But most of all, I detest seeing how watchful and wary she is.”

“I know, Raven, I hate it, too. We can appeal to the council to take over the raising of the child. We will bring her into our home and give her a good and loving home.” She couldn’t have agreed more with Raven had she tried. “I honestly believe they are hurting her somehow, Ra, and that makes me want to skin them both alive.”

Snorting, Raven pulled her closer to his large body. “That is because you are too tenderhearted, my dear. You need to let your imagination run rampant with all the things you could do to make them pay for the pain they cause her.”

“Yeah well, I will let you decide how best to make them suffer. For now we should contact the council and see about getting her into our custody. The sooner the better, husband.”

“Right.” He wrinkled his nose at her suggestion. “Perhaps I will make a call upon Daegan Asis instead of dealing with the lot of them. He at least has a conscience and a brain,” he murmured.

“That sounds like a good idea, and from what I understand his son is now moving up in the ranks so perhaps he’s looking to make alliances?” Because whatever they had to do, she wanted them to do it. She needed them to be able to make Alyssa safe, as well as their daughter.

“I’ll pay him a visit and see if he’s willing to look toward a union of our houses,” Raven said softly. Such things had not been done since the early days when the Vampires had fought among themselves. Although, with the way things were beginning to shape up with the Alliance divided, such unions would not be amiss for much longer. “Let us feed them now and worry about the future tomorrow. After we both are well rested and thinking a little more clearly.”

“Sounds good.” Jami stepped from his arms and walked back toward the door. “We will ask Alyssa to stay the night with us.” She stopped dead, her hand fluttering up to her lips as she turned to him with a soft cry. “She’s gone, Raven. Emily is still sitting there kicking her feet, but Alyssa is gone.”

Moving to her side, his eyes moved beyond their daughter to the land and saw nothing. “Damn it, she must have taken off as soon as we came indoors.” It had likely been her bastard of a brother that had come for her. Somehow Raven knew it in his bones. “Sit with Emily. I’m going to call Daegan now and see if we can expedite matters,” he said to his wife before kissing her.

Jami nodded and took a seat beside Emily. “Time to sit and chat with your mother for a time, Em. Are you going to be all right with that, darling?” she asked as she stroked her daughter’s hair gently.

Watching his wife and child for a moment, Raven pulled away and headed to his study.

Chapter 17

Long, frustrating hours later, he rejoined Jamison, who was just tucking Emily into her bed. Moving close, he shielded his emotions and gave his daughter a warm smile. Leaning down, he kissed her soft cheek gently. “Sleep well, Em, my sweet,” he whispered softly before inhaling her sweet scent and letting it soothe him.

Emily touched his cheek and stroked it lightly. “I love you, Daddy,” she said in her little singsong voice. “Good night,” she whispered before immediately turning to her side and falling sound asleep. 

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, Ra?” Jami asked from the door, turning to the side to allow him out into the hall. “I’m your wife, my love. I know when something’s bothering you, darling.”

Nodding, he closed their daughter’s door and then led her down the hall to their room, ensuring the door was shut so the soundproofing would be effective. Prowling across the room, he turned sharply on his heel and shook his head. “The fucking Alliance has Alyssa slotted as an acquisition. She is a weapon, her fucking brother and father sold her out to the councilors. The Vampires are appalled and refuse to use her. She’s a child and even when she grows they won’t. But the bloody non-Vampires are already testing her skills. She’s got the art of death already learned. Barely from the cradle, Jamison, and they are already using her to murder those that oppose them and their reign of terror.”

Jami sat down hard on the bed, tears leaking from her eyes as she did so. “How can they do that, Raven? How can we stop them?” she asked as she looked up at him with true horror in her eyes. “She’s a baby, Raven. It would be as if they had done that to our Emily. Wait, what do you mean that she has the art of death? She hasn’t even gone through puberty yet, Raven. Are you saying that she has an ability already?”

Nodding tightly, Raven pushed his hands through his hair roughly. “Yes. She was born with an ability and her so-called family sold her to the highest bidder,” he bit out. Turning, he paced away and then back again to stand looking down at her, “They are using her with her father’s blessing,” he spit out the words in utter revulsion. “There is nothing we can do. He’s her legal guardian, and if he dies her brother takes over, and if he dies, the non-Vampire half of the Alliance takes over her
care
. There is no way around it. It’s legal, binding, and fucking signed, sealed, and delivered on a silver platter to them.”

“What was she born with that they want to use so badly?” Jamison asked, her horror written all over her face. “That baby was born with more than one power, though, I bet. I’m positive that they wouldn’t be so interested in her silver ability if that is one of them. It has to be whatever the other one is.”

“I don’t know, Daegan couldn’t say. He told me that it wasn’t in the file that he was able to access at home. But he’s going to dig further when he gets into the city and get to the originals.” Raven fought for calm. He did not like losing his temper and didn’t trust himself when he did. “He’ll let me know what else he can find out,” he told her as he still struggled to get his temper reined in before he touched his wife, not willing to hurt her, ever.

She trusted him, completely trusted him and so, moving to his side, she laid her hand on his arm and then wrapped her arms around his middle. “I love you, Raven. We will figure it all out, my love. We will figure out how to keep her safe.”

“Gods I hope so,” he whispered, wrapping her close to him and resting his lips to her temple. “I hate how they are using her and she’s so small, so young. She deserves to have her innocence preserved, not ripped away.”

“I agree, Raven. She’s an innocent. She’s completely an innocent and yet they are using her like a weapon.” She hated it. She hated to know what could be waiting for that child at her supposed home.

“There is nothing we can do about it right now, love,” he said, gently rubbing her back in long, soothing strokes. “We will fight when we know what we are up against. Until then we have to remain on the sidelines and help where we can, love.”

“I hate that you’re right, Raven,” Jami whispered and sighed. “I need to be naked against you. Make love to me, Raven. Love me so that we can try to begin to put this behind us?”

“Always, love,” he told her honestly, cupping her cheeks. Kissing her gently, he sucked on her full lower lip for a long moment before letting her pull back. “Last one to the bed is on the bottom,” he told her softly, stepping back to pull at his clothing.

She laughed and shook her head. “I love the bottom, Raven. Now you are making me want to drag my feet so that I will get the coveted bottom.”

Tossing his pants aside, he grinned. “Why do you think I’m racing to strip?” he asked with a wicked grin. “I happen to love you on the bottom as well, my love. Gives me oh so many options.”

She didn’t touch her clothes, simply watched him as he stripped naked until he was gloriously bare before her. “Gods you’re beautiful.” Her words were a whisper of sound, hushed with need. Slowly she began to peel her clothes when he lay back on the bed, giving him a slow and tantalizing strip show.

“Slower, love,” he said, propping his head on his arms. “Nice and slow,” he murmured. “I want to enjoy this as long as we both can stand.”

She slowed down on removing her clothes, tantalizing him with hints of flesh, only to cover them once more. She didn’t come too close to him as she peeled the layers off, but was close enough that if he was ready to end their torture, he could by moving slightly to drag her to him. “Like this?” Her voice came in a husky, deep whisper.

Growling at her, he watched her tease him. She was the only one he’d ever let taunt and tease him in any way, but she was his so she knew she could get away with a lot. “Just like that,” he told her on another growl even as he fisted his cock to tease her in return. Stroking his hand up and down his length, he licked his lips. “More,” he demanded.

She watched his hand moving up and down and wanted to be the one moving on him, wanted her body to be wrapped round his cock, but she wanted to give him what he wanted and what he needed, too. It wasn’t far too long until she was completely naked and moving her hands over her body as well. “Tell me, Ra, what do you need? What do you want, my love?”

“Only ever you, love,” he told her softly, his hand moving a little faster. “Are you wet and ready for me, love?” he asked. It was all part of the game they played with one another, pushing their limits until they were crazed for one another. She so liked their game.

Smiling saucily, she moved her left hand down from her breast, tweaking the nipple one more time before smoothing it over her belly and then down to her mound. Her fingers caressed the smooth flesh there that she kept hair free for their enjoyment and then dipped one finger into her pussy, her eyes on him. “Yes, Raven, yes, I’m so wet for you.” Pulling her finger from her body, she stepped closer. “Taste my need.” She growled and extended her shaky hand toward him.

Reaching up with his other hand, Raven pulled her fingers close and, slipping them into his mouth, sucked hard on the moisture there. Gripping himself harder, his eyes fluttered closed and then snapped open to watch her. His tongue slid around each finger as he pumped his fist up and down his throbbing cock.

A moan of need escaped her lips as she watched him in hunger. “Raven, I need,” she whispered.

Drawing her fingers from her mouth, he pulled her to him and, catching her, rolled her under him. Settling between her legs, he thrust into her pulsating pussy. “I need, too,” he breathed out, his voice rougher than normal.

“Then take,” she gasped and watched his face. This was what she loved. When he would be on that edge of losing control and snapping. Jamison had always loved rough couplings before she met Raven, and he was so controlled at all times that he very rarely gave her what they both needed, roughness, dominance, complete and total possession. 

Trembling with her aching need, Jamison rolled them. “I get to take, too.” She growled and let her nails rake over his chest lightly, not causing serious harm, but scraping the skin. “More, Raven, you need to take more.” She needed this, he needed this, they needed this.

Growling at her, he flipped them over again and this time caught up her legs, letting them hang over his arms as he pushed up over her and thrust harder. “Mine,” he bit out before taking her nipple roughly into his mouth, his teeth scraping over her flesh roughly as he pounded his cock into her aching pussy over and over again.

This was it. This was what they both needed. Her nails scraped over his back and brought blood to the surface, and she growled at him. “Mine, fuck me, husband, give us both pleasure from the pain.”

Snarling at her softly, he sank his teeth into her breast and sucked hard at her as he pounded her body with his cock. Each scrape of her nails, each moan and whispered word had him doing more of what she liked. He hated to hurt her, but she knew that they both needed roughness at that moment.

Jamison screamed as she exploded in his arms. The intensity of the feelings cascaded over her body so rapidly that she was sure she was going to die from the sheer pleasure alone. Holding him as close to her as she could, she sobbed his name with the second orgasm that shook through her and waited for him to give the third with her.