Her Vampire Mate (11 page)

“Let’s get some sleep,” he said.

“You’re not going to try that one-finger orgasm thing?”

The glint in his eye looked downright wicked. “Was that an invitation?”

She took a deep breath, sucking in his scent. “I’d love to. But you’re right. We should get some sleep.”

After another long kiss, they snuggled together under the covers, mindful of sore spots, and drifted off.

***

Several hours later, Antonio woke to see Jennalynn sitting at the small table poring over her tablet. He watched her for a moment, still amazed that she was his.

They had a lot to figure out, stuff they hadn’t even mentioned to each other. The biggest thing was when to turn her. He had a feeling she hadn’t thought about the difference in their life expectancies or that to really be together, she needed to become like him. And when she did think about it, she’d not only rebel about becoming one of the enemy, but she’d worry about her wolf. As well she should.

Jennalynn glanced over and saw him watching her. “Morning.”

“Morning? Or is it afternoon?”

“Afternoon, then. It’s about two o’clock.”

He sat up and stretched, feeling some pull around the worst of his injuries, but overall a miraculous return to full health. All except Jennalynn’s bite, which had crusted over. Mate bites weren’t like other wounds. “What’re you up to?”

“Trying to find out where the world-walker rests her head. I called the club a little while ago and got her name. Grace Harper. Told them I was a reporter looking to do a story on her and they gave it up gladly, especially when I told them I’d mention their place. But they wouldn’t give me her number. Suggested I come down tonight and talk to her in person.”

“Like that’s going to happen.” Fool me once.

“Obviously we’re not going back there. But we could wait for her outside if we can’t track her down beforehand. Might be a way to grab her.”

“Better to do it when she finishes her gig rather than before. Longer time before they’ll miss her.”

“Yeah, but I’d still rather get ahold of her sooner. Early this evening, if possible.”

“You think there are others after her.”

“Absolutely. Whoever had Kent spooked is definitely after her. They may even have gotten here before us and be talking to her now. And then there’s whoever they were worried about.”

“Unless we’re the ones they were worried about.”

“The vampires and the shifters are the largest groups looking for her but we’re not the only ones.”

“Wait—the shifters? Don’t you mean the werewolves?”

She stilled. “Yeah, that’s what I mean.”

“Hunh. Right. You mean you werewolves have put together an alliance. How many of the shifter groups are in on it?”

“You know I can’t tell you that. I shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.”

“And you know I’d never tell anyone anything that might hurt you. I’m just curious.”

She was quiet a moment, then finally shrugged. “About who you’d expect.”

“The bears, the big cats, the hyenas, the dragons…”

She nodded once for each group until he got to the dragons. Then she made a face. “No one can trust the dragons.”

That was his opinion too, but he thought the werewolves and dragons had a better relationship. “Even other shifters?”

“Of course. Their acquisitiveness knows no bounds.”

He laughed. Only his little wolf would use a huge word like that. He moved to sit next to her at the table. “So all these other groups are depending on you to get to the world-walker.”

“When you put it that way, it feels like you’re up to something.”

“I’m not up to anything.” He put his hands up. “I’m completely innocent.”

“Right.” She swiped something on her tablet’s screen. “You know this does have to end,” she said more softly.

His heart fluttered in his throat. “We’re destined for each other. I thought we’d established that.”

She put her hand over his. “I didn’t mean us. I meant the world-walker thing. We’ve kind of forgotten that we’re not on the same side. Once we get to her, which one of us gets to keep her?”

She was right; he had forgotten that. “I don’t know. I’d give her to you, except the Vampire High Council will literally kill me if I don’t complete my mission. I’d rather not die.”

“And I can’t just hand her over to the vampires. Putting aside my obvious loyalty to my pack and my family, the vampires are the last group in the world I’d want to give that advantage to. No offense.”

“None taken. I understand completely.” And he did. If his sire had given him a choice, he never would have chosen to be a vampire. Then again, if he hadn’t been turned, he’d never have met Jennalynn. Some things were worth it.

“So we’re at an impasse. We’re going to have to figure this out at some point,” she said.

“True. But maybe we can both think about it a little. Let’s find her first and sort it out afterward.”

Jennalynn’s phone rang. As she reached for it, she said, “I asked Killion to run a background check on the world-walker and see if he could get an address.”

“Killion?”

She swiped the phone to answer it. “My brother. Second in command.” She put the phone to her ear. “Hey.”

It shouldn’t have surprised him, but he felt a little jolt nonetheless. Her brothers were Alpha and second and she was fourth. Did she have more siblings? He couldn’t remember. It almost didn’t matter; the amount of power the three of them held was staggering.

But how would her powerful brothers feel about a wayward vampire as a brother-in-law? He and Jennalynn had so much to figure out. And no time at the moment.

She said little on her end of the conversation but typed something into her tablet as her brother talked. When she hung up, she said, “He got an address. I’ll go see if she’s there.”

“We. We’ll go see.”

“The sun’s still up. You’re not going anywhere.”

Shit. “Then wait a few hours. We should go together.”

“Do you not trust me?”

“Not sure I trust your brothers. But that’s not the point. She might already have agreed to help one of the other groups. There could be goons at her place, or worse. Snipers protecting her building. You shouldn’t go there alone.”

She stood. “I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I know something.”

He didn’t like that he didn’t completely trust her. He knew very well her sense of loyalty to her pack and family was incredibly strong. Was it strong enough for her to grab the world-walker while he was trapped in this hotel room? “You’ll wait for me before approaching her.”

“Of course.” She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him. “We’ll decide what to do with her together.” But she didn’t meet his eyes before she turned away. “Give me your number. I don’t have it.”

After she left, he put the phone on the pillow next to him and got a little more sleep. He woke up an hour later and she still hadn’t called. So he took the phone into the bathroom so he’d hear it while taking a shower. She still didn’t call.

She should have gotten there and scoped out the place by then. Had they gotten her? Was she lying on the street, dead? He called her cell.

It rang once, twice, then she picked up. “Yeah?”

“What’s taking so long?” he said, his voice rough.

“I heard what you said earlier. So I came here the back way and now I’m laying low, scoping the place out to make sure there aren’t any snipers or goons or anyone who’ll attack me once I show my face. So far I don’t see anyone. That includes her—no activity in the windows. Assuming I’ve got the right windows.”

He let out a breath. “I got worried.”

“Sorry. I should have called sooner. Just figured there wasn’t anything to report yet.”

He couldn’t stop himself from continuing. “I started thinking they’d gotten to you.”

She fell silent a second. “I’m okay. Really. I’m not used to having someone worry about me. I’ll need to learn to stay in better touch.” After a heartbeat, she added, “You need to learn that too.”

“How do you know I’m not already good at that?”

“Come on. Neither of us is used to having to answer to someone else. Not really. It’s an adjustment.”

He knew she was right. “We’ll work on it.”

“Good.”

“It’s only another couple of hours until dark. Want to wait for me?”

“Why don’t I hang out here? If something comes up, I’ll call. Otherwise I’ll wait until dark and you can join me. And then we’ll go in together.”

He let out a breath. She was so right. They were both going to need to learn to be partners after years of being on their own. Probably him more than her. “That sounds good.”

Chapter 11

Jennalynn sat in the window of a coffee shop where she could see the street and Grace Harper’s apartment building. She kept scanning them while talking to Antonio.

She’d been surprised when Antonio called all worried but she knew she shouldn’t have been. Darius got the same way when she didn’t check in. And she wasn’t good about remembering.

She got in the zone and she knew she was okay so she forgot to reach out. Having a mate, she’d need to learn.

“Where are you?” Antonio said.

She described the shop. “The coffee’s pretty good. Not sure how they’ll feel about me hanging out here for the next two hours.”

“They’ll get over it. Just spend more money.” His breath hitched. “What are you wearing?”

What? “You saw me. I’ve got on jeans and a T-shirt and my leather jacket.”

“I’ll reword that. If I were to ask you what you’re wearing and you wanted to paint a fantasy for me, what would you say?”

Oh, Gods. The man wanted to have phone sex. “I’m in a public place. People can hear what I say.”

“Then talk softer. I want you.”

“I want you too. But this isn’t the time.”

He groaned. “How about I do the talking?” He didn’t wait for her to respond. “You’re wearing a skimpy little chain mail bikini set.”

“Chain mail?”

“Shh. Like I said, a chain mail bikini set. And you’re on your knees in my living room. You unzip my jeans and pull out my cock.”

Jennalynn squirmed in her seat. “This isn’t fair. I can’t even answer you.”

“Good, because I’m not hearing you. You grip my cock around the base and open your mouth to accept me into you.”

“So you excel at torture.”

“Is this getting you hot? Because I’m hard as a rock. If you were here, I’d lean you over the bed and take you from behind. We haven’t even begun to explore all the ways to share our bodies.”

Jennalynn felt like she’d melt into a puddle. She forced herself to check the street and Harper’s windows. “Yes, you’re getting me extremely hot.”

Now Antonio groaned. “It feels so good to hear you say that, tesorina.”

“You know you’re a tease, right? You can…take care of business…at the hotel, but I can’t do a damned thing.” And she so wanted to touch herself. For just a second, she imagined the looks on the faces of the other people in the coffee shop if she did.

“Yes, I’m a tease. And a flirt. And an amazing lover. And now that I know you’re my soulmate, my one and only, all of my energies will be focused on you. Forever.”

It was beginning to sound a little like a curse. Could one die of sexual pleasure? There were worse ways to go. “You know you’re distracting me.”

“You said nothing was going on.”

“Nothing is going on.”

“Well, then. I’m not distracting you from anything important.”

“Is this what I have to look forward to?”

“It is.”

She fell silent. Truth was, she hadn’t had this much fun sparring with someone in years. And she could handle having wet panties if it meant the sex was as good as it had been the day before. Maybe being mated to the vamp wouldn’t be such a horrible thing after all.

***

As soon as the setting sun released him from his hotel prison, Antonio headed out. Jennalynn had his motorcycle, so he grabbed a cab and had it let him out about a block away from Grace Harper’s place. Then he scoped out the area as he walked to the coffee shop. He wasn’t only looking for goons and snipers, he was also looking for a restaurant with a good view where he could take Jennalynn. She had to be hungry by now and he wouldn’t mind eating either.

She’d said she didn’t see any signs of danger and as he walked along, he didn’t either. Was it possible the humans hadn’t gotten to the world-walker before they had? Assuming Kent told the mob about her, they should have been here already. Or was that why there was no activity in her apartment—the goons had already grabbed her?

As he approached the coffee shop he saw Jennalynn in the window and couldn’t help smiling. He’d gotten lucky. Really, really lucky.