Heart of the Vampire (Vanderlind Castle) (18 page)

We’d never actually kissed normally before, sitting on a couch or in a car or anything like a regular couple. Our kisses were usually fraught with emotion or peril, with me stumbling out of my bedroom window and flinging myself into his arms. We’d never had the opportunity to kiss leisurely and simply enjoy pressing our lips against
each other’s.

I quickly remembered that I was wearing nothing but a robe,
which was barely held closed by a narrow belt, and a pair of cotton panties. My thighs instantly felt tingly and warm; there was a throbbing heat building low in my belly. Jessie’s shirt pulled easily open, and I let my hands rove over his sculpted chest. He closed his eyes and released a small groan of pleasure. “Aurora,” he gasped.

That’s what I wanted. That’s what I needed. For him to know that it was me he was with; it was me in his arms. Not Colette or any other girl. “Oh
, Jessie,” I whispered, my robe slipping open another inch. I had no experiences with boys beyond kissing and a bit of light groping in the back of Fred’s car, but with Jessie it was different. I knew I was ready. I wanted him to consume me. Not as a vampire but as a lover. I wanted Jessie to be my first, my last, my only lover.

“Jessie,” I said again, on the verge of panting. “Oh, please,” I groaned as his cool hand slipped inside my robe and found my breast, his thumb rubbing over my erect nipple.
“I want you... to be with you,” I told him. “I want us to be together.”

“Oh, Aurora,” Jessie said, his canine teeth extending into fangs. “I want you so badly, my darling.” He kissed my mouth, my throat, his hands slowly undoing the tie of my robe. “I want...” And then he froze.

It took me a moment to realize he wasn’t moving anymore. At that point I was on my knees, kind of half straddling him on the couch. I opened my eyes to look down at him, so beautiful, so perfect. “Don’t stop,” I insisted. “I don’t want you to stop.”

“No,” Jessie said, his voice ragged and low. “I...” he stammered. “I don’t want to stop,” he admitted. “But if we keep going, I don’t think I can stop.” He put his hand to his mouth, covering his fangs, forming a
physical barrier between them and my flesh. “And I don’t want that. Not with you.”

“But
, Jessie,” I told him, “if it means we can be together, then I don’t mind losing a little blood.”

“No,” Jessie said, this time quite firmly. He disentangled himself from me and got to his feet. “I will not start down that road. Not with anyone, but especially not with you.”

Standing there in front of me, he looked so wistful and yet tormented, that I knew I couldn’t push him. “I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s just... I have so many feelings for you and what we were doing felt so right.”

“Don’t be sorry,” he said, caressing my cheek. “Just knowing you, being able to reach out and touch your hair if I want, is so amazing to me. I’ve waited so long for you that I feel that if we rush things, you’ll just evaporate like smoke through my fingers.”

I felt a glimmer of hope. “So, you’re saying that someday we might...” I gestured vaguely with my hand toward the couch.

He smiled, his gray eyes sparkling. “Maybe. If we’re properly married first.” He reached up to touch the point of one of his receding fangs. “And I have the time to practice extreme self control.”

He wanted me. It felt so good to know that Jessie wanted me. That would have to be enough for the moment. And he was right. There was no reason to let my hormones go to my head. I was only seventeen. I could wait. Especially for a boy like Jessie.

“It’s late,” Jessie said, closing his shirt and smoothing his hair. “I’m sure you’re exhausted. I should let you get some sleep.”

Was he kidding? How was I supposed to sleep after all that kissing? “Okay,” was all I could manage, even though my thighs were still tingling.

“Our audience with the Bishops is first thing tomorrow night, so try to get as much sleep as you can. The proceedings might take a
while.”

I nodded
, already missing him, and he hadn’t even left the room.

“Good
night, darling,” he said, darting forward and planting a small kiss on my lips before disappearing out the door.

Chapter 27

The dream started like an old movie that I’d seen so many times every detail was familiar. I was wearing my green dress with the white flowers, my best pair of shoes, and I had a small suitcase tucked under my arm. Even as I was asleep, I knew I was dreaming, knew I was watching a scene from someone else’s life.

The dream shifted quickly
, and the terror was upon me. I was in the woods, running for my life. I needed to find Jessie. I needed to get the hell out of the woods. My ankle caught in the tree root, and I went down hard, the ground jarring my bones. The beast was nearby. I could hear it sniffing the air, the twigs snapping beneath its feet. I tried not to move or even breathe. Eventually, I thought I heard it moving off to a different part of the woods. Still I was too afraid to run. After a long time of not hearing anything alarming, I cautiously lifted my head and looked around.

Jessie was there intently
searching for me. I called out his name, and he swiftly turned in my direction. It was only after it was too late that I realized it wasn’t Jessie. I had just signaled the beast.

The creature
came lunging toward me, eager for a midnight feast. I was unable to move, unable to scream. I just sat there doing nothing to defend myself. The beast was only a few yards away.

The earth suddenly
fell away from beneath my feet. Jessie was there, holding me in his arms. We were flying, soaring through the air with the stars and the night all around us. I gave Jessie an incredulous look. He was laughing, the wind tousling his hair. “Impossible,” I told him.

And that was when I woke up.

It was daytime. That was the only thing I knew for sure. My mouth was dry, and I was insanely thirsty. I rolled out of bed and started staggering around, eventually heading in the direction of the bathroom.

Splashing water on my face and gulping  from the tap helped. I felt a bit more coherent. I wondered how long I had been asleep. Slouching back into the bedroom
, I encountered Margaret with breakfast on a tray. “You’re up,” she said, giving me a cheery smile. She couldn't have gotten much more sleep than I did, but then again, she hadn’t been drugged the night before and thrown off a parking garage. And she didn’t have jet lag.

“What time is it?” I asked, eager for coffee although I don't normally drink the stuff.

“Almost one o’clock,” was the reply.

A lot of my friends in Tiburon easily slept past one o’clock on a weekend, but I usually had to get up early for work at Cup of Joes, so I rarely had that luxury.

“Gloria has been waiting for you to get up so she can talk to you,” Margaret said. “Shall I send her in, or would you rather wait until you’re dressed.”

“She can come in now, if she wants,” I said, opening the door to the sitting room and gesturing with my head for Margaret to follow. “I don’t mind if she doesn’t mind.”

I had expected Margaret to open the folding shutters to the windows so the sun could come in, but she didn’t even look in their direction. Maybe it wasn’t her job. I figured I could do it myself once I was done talking to Gloria. “I’ll be back to dress you,” Margaret said once she’d placed everything on a table and was on her way out the door.

“That’s okay. I don’t need help getting dressed,” I called after her.

She looked at me over her shoulder, both eyebrows raised. “Not even for the tribunal?”

“Okay, yeah.” I had been desperately ignoring the fact that I had to face a jury of angry vampires. “You’d better come back.”

She shot me a crooked smile and exited the room. A few moments later, Gloria came in. “Good morning,” I greeted her.

“Good afternoon,” she corrected me. “I trust that you slept well?”

I nodded. “Coffee?” I offered. I’d noticed that there were two cups. Gloria looked interested but then hesitated. “Oh, come on,” I said to her. “It’s not like any of the family is around. It would be rude not to have some after I’ve offered. And there’s a full pot.”

Gloria relented
, and I filled a cup for her. Once we were seated and happily sipping, she said, “I’m sorry, but after the activities of last night, I don’t believe it would be safe for you to go sightseeing this afternoon.”

“Oh, okay.” I hadn’t really considered that I would be able to wedge in some sightseeing
, so it wasn’t much of a disappointment. “Who was it, by the way? Who hired those Mob guys to kill me?”

“A vampire who wanted revenge for Viktor Adami.”

Answers like that irritated me. Obviously it was someone who wanted revenge for Viktor. I figured that part out when the thug said, “This is for Count Adami,” before trying to fling me off a building.

“Come on, Gloria. What are you, a guy or something?” I snapped. When she gave me a questioning look, I added, “Don
’t treat me like I’m simple by giving me some super obvious answer. That’s a guy move, and it’s annoying.”

“I’m not supposed to talk about the specifics of who did the hiring. The Bishops are worried that a vendetta between families will develop. All I’m allowed to say is that they know who is responsible
, and it will be addressed.”

Addressed
wasn’t good enough for me.
Addressed
would be for ruining my ship hat, not trying to fling me off of a parking garage. “So that’s it?” I asked. “They’ll get a slap on the wrists or something?”

“Not necessarily,” Gloria said, finishing her coffee and then glancing longingly in the direction of the pot. I took her cup and refilled it. Maybe my kindness loosened her jaw a little because then she said, “A lot depends on the tribunal. If they rule against you, the family will not be charged. If they rule in your favor, then charges will be brought against them
, and they will be punished accordingly.”

“So that’s why the windows are closed?” I asked. “You’re worried someone will try to kill me before the tribunal?”

“Exactly,” she said. Then she gave me a second look. “You’re very astute for an American.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said, rolling my eyes. I loved backhanded compliments. “So, is there anything specific I should be doing today or...? I don’t know. I guess I’m asking you what am I supposed to do.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, it would be easiest to keep you safe if you stayed in your rooms.”

My first time in Budapest, my first time anywhere, really, and I got to spend the day locked in a few rooms so I
wouldn’t be rubbed out by the Mob who had been hired by a bunch of uptight vampires.

It wasn’t fair, but I didn’t really have a choice. “Okay,” I said. “If that’s the safest thing.”

“Thank you for being reasonable,” she said, getting up and returning her cup and saucer to the tray. “And thank you for the coffee.” She obviously hadn’t been expecting either one.

After Gloria left, I lingered over my breakfast then filled another half hour exploring the room. There were plenty of books, cards, and even a few board games, but no television and no radio.
 I put my Pools of Light pendant back on and then lounged on the couch thinking of Jessie. He was just so delicious. Still, I couldn’t believe I had flung myself at him the previous night. The memory made me feel aroused and embarrassed all over again. I squirmed around on the sofa just thinking about his hands on my flesh. I knew some girls at my school didn’t want the reputation of being virgins, but I never felt that way. I had been waiting for a real relationship where I was sure the guy cared about me. Maybe that was why I was so ready to be with Jessie.

Thinking about him
after the previous night made me miss Jessie more intensely than the general dull ache I always felt in my heart when he wasn’t around. I grabbed my bag and hopped back on the couch prepared to sigh over his photograph. Even if the photograph was a little fuzzy, I would still be able to see his image.

Pulling the snapshot
out of the envelope where I kept it caused my heart to sink. I was still there, plain as day, but Jessie’s image had faded significantly. His eyes were still visible, gray, and fathomless, his lips were still smiling at me, but the rest of his features had burnt away into a white nothingness.

Staring at the photograph made my stomach clench. Why had it faded so quickly? When had it faded? Did it mean something? Was there any significance behind it? Or was it just cheap film? If I had to guess, it was because I had been so willing to be intimate with Jessie. He’d said no, after all. I was quite sure Colette probably never
would have made him that kind of offer. Did he really think worse of me somehow? I found it maddening that I could feel so sure of Jessie when I was in his arms but so insecure when I was away from him. With him, I felt beautiful and loved; away from him, I felt like a silly, stupid teenager with a crush on a vampire.