Jagger (Blood Brothers) (10 page)

The thought didn’t linger long before what felt like an explosion ripped right through her. It slammed her down on the table, her arms too weak to brace her. This didn’t make him stop, however. If anything, he focused on her pussy with even more ferocity. He licked and slurped at the gush of wetness her orgasm had produced.

“Jagger, oh, my God! I can’t take any more!”

He looked up with a growl. “This cunt belongs to me. Don’t stop me while I’m feasting.” His eyes were glowing again, and she saw that his fangs were out. Camryn tried to pull away from him, but the grip he had on her thighs kept her immobile.

A prick on her thigh brought her out of her haze. She hadn’t expected his bite or that he would feed off her blood but oddly, it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, an exhilarating rush raced from her head to her toes, sending her entire body hurtling to another body-shaking climax.

Her pussy clenched again as though ready for more of his skillful ministrations. When Jagger finally lifted his head, he licked away the blood that stained his teeth and lips. “That was just a sample of what’s to come.”

He finally relaxed his grip on her, and she used that opportunity to escape, sliding off the table and racing out of the kitchen. She didn’t stop running until she made it to her room, where she made sure the door was locked before she crumpled onto the floor in a sobbing heap. She didn’t want to feel this way about him, so easily manipulated when he looked at her or touched her. She didn’t want to fall in love with him and end up broken because she suspected that if she gave herself to him, he’d own her heart body and soul. She’d be a slave to the passion that only he could induce. She’d completely lose herself. And the scary part was, she knew she was almost there.

She wasn’t sure how long she lay there but by the time she stopped crying, her head ached. Camryn wobbled to her feet and dug through her suitcase to find a new part of underwear and a pair of jeans. She’d shower later, when Jagger was otherwise occupied. When she was fully dressed again, she plopped on the bed and closed her eyes to clear her mind. But no sooner did she start to drift off, when a light tap on her bedroom door alerted her to Jagger’s presence.

“Go away!”

“Camryn, there is nothing to be ashamed of. We both wanted that. It was inevitable that this happened.” Jagger sounded patiently understanding.

“Don’t you have the decency to leave me alone? I can’t deal with you right now!”

“We’ll have to deal with each other eventually. Whether you want to or not, we need to talk. I have something very serious to discuss with you, but I have something else to tell you right now.”

“Whatever it is you have to say, I don’t want to hear it. You’ve already demonstrated that you can’t be trusted. I told you I didn’t want any involvement but you couldn’t leave well enough alone.”

“Camryn, you weren’t exactly protesting. In fact, you had my head gripped so tightly while I was between your lovely thighs, I couldn’t have pulled away even if I’d wanted to. Not that I did. Why won’t you at the very least admit that you enjoyed it?”

“Just go away, okay? I’m not in the mood to go over the why and how it happened. I’d rather just forget it ever did.”

“You know that’s not possible, but as I said, we’ll leave that conversation for another time because I have something more pressing to tell you.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose to ease away the tension headache starting to form behind her eyes. “What?”

“Could you open the door please?”

“Why can’t you tell me from where you stand?”

He fell silent.

“Jagger?”

“I just received a call from Uncle Marco.”

Camryn jumped off the bed. She practically ripped the door off its hinges when she opened it. Forgotten was any drama between the two of them. “The baby?”

“Yes.” Jagger smiled. “Congratulations. You have a little sister.”

Chapter Nine

“How are you, kiddo?” Romeo greeted Jagger.

Jagger went into his uncle’s embrace relieved to have more people in the house. The arrival of his Uncle Romeo and his family would at least ease some of the tension in the house. Camryn had been avoiding him ever since their lovemaking session. Besides the joy she had expressed at the new arrival of her sister, she hadn’t had much to say to Jagger, choosing to hole herself in her room with her cell phone.

“Uncle Romeo, it’s good to see you as well, and you, too, Aunt Christine. You look beautiful as always.” Jagger walked over to the petite femme standing by Romeo’s side, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“You’re a charmer, just like the rest of the Grimaldi men. How have you been, Jagger?”

“I’ve been good, but I hear you’ve been even better. And these two must be Jaxson and Adrienne. They’re both as adorable as everyone says they are.”

The little girl, whom he knew to be only three, was small for her age. She pulled her thumb out of her mouth to tug on one of her long braids. She stared at Jagger silently as she clung to her father’s pant leg. Romeo lifted his daughter into his arms.

“Say hello to your cousin,
piccola
.” Adrienne shook her head before burying her face against her father’s neck. Romeo stroked the child’s hair and shot Jagger an apologetic look. “She’s shy, especially around men. Thankfully, she took to me well enough.”

“It makes sense. The bond between a parent and a child is a powerful one,” Jagger acknowledged.

Romeo kissed Adrienne on the head. “That it is. I knew these two belonged to me the moment I met them. But don’t worry about Adrienne, once she warms up to you, she’ll be more receptive to you.” He turned his attention to the boy beside him. “Jaxson, say hello.”

The little boy looked Jagger up and down, intelligent hazel eyes seeming to sum him up. “Hello. Where are you from, mister?” Jaxson finally asked. “You talk funny.”

“Jaxson, don’t be rude. It’s not polite to say things like that,” Christine lightly scolded.

“But he does. He sounds like one of the characters from my cartoons. Are you just faking it?” The boy asked.

Christine turned a bright shade of red. “I’d like to apologize for my son in advance. Where our daughter is quiet, our son is very outspoken. He’ll say whatever and I mean whatever pops into his mind.”

Jagger chuckled. “It’s quite alright. There’s not enough honestly in the world. Nice to meet you, Jaxson.” He held out his hand to the child.

Jaxson eyed his hand suspiciously before giving him a firm handshake. “You still didn’t answer my question. Are you faking?”

“Jaxson!” Christine groaned and shot him an apologetic stare.

Jagger chuckled. He liked this kid. “Chto vy dumayete?”

The boy’s eyes widened. “That’s so cool. What did you just say?”

“I asked, what do you think? That was Russian. Do you know where Russia is?”

Jaxson glared, clearly insulted. “Of course, I do. I have a globe in my room. Will you teach me Russian?”

Jagger nodded. “Of course.”

“How about now?” the boy demanded.

“I’m sure you parents would like to get settled in first. But, I promise I will set aside time to teach you. But you must practice even when I’m not giving you lessons. Do we have a deal?”

The boy presented him with a gap-toothed grin. “You got a deal.”

“I’m really sorry, Jagger,” Christine apologized, although she couldn’t quite hide the smile on her face.

Romeo snickered. The older vampire seemed content, his happiness evident. It was quite obvious to Jagger that his Uncle Romeo loved his new family very much. They were a motley crew: an Italian father, Chinese mother, and two African-American children, yet somehow they all fit together. Jagger wanted happiness like that for himself. He vowed he’d have it with Camryn.

As if he’d conjured her up by his thoughts, she came trudging down the stairs with a big smile on her face and wearing a pink sundress, the perfect foil for her dark brown skin. She took his breath away.

“Hi, Romeo.”

“How are you, brat?” Romeo greeted back. “I’d hug you, but as you can see, my arms are full. Congratulations on your new little sister. It’s quite a feat that your mother actually had the daughter she wanted. Once word gets out, the immortal world will be abuzz. Female-born vampires are rare, and when they reach adulthood, very powerful. I’m sure Marco is strutting around like a peacock.”

“Judging from the way he sounded on the phone, he was quite pleased with himself. Very surprised maybe, but extremely happy,” Camryn agreed.

“The message that the baby had arrived was on my cell phone when I got off the plane, but I wasn’t given any vitals. What is her name?”

Camryn beamed. “Gianna Marie Grimaldi.”

Romeo smiled approvingly. “After Mama and Papa.”

“They were your parents’ names?” Camryn inquired.

“Yes. Forms of them, at least. Mama’s name was Maria; Papa, Giovanni.”

Jagger frowned. “Isn’t that the name of—”

“Yes.” Romeo cut him off abruptly. It was clear he didn’t want to discuss anything rogue related. Jagger couldn’t blame him. The Grimaldi family had suffered at the hands of a rogue hell-bent on destroying them all. Until recently, there hadn’t been much cause for celebration but now there was a bounty of good things happening to them; Niccolo had been reunited with his mate and son, Romeo had a new family, and now there was the arrival of a new baby. It was almost like talking about the bad stuff would bring a damper on all the special events.

Christine seemed to notice the sudden tension. “Well, I guess since no one is going to introduce us, I’ll have to do it myself. Camryn, right?”

Romeo smiled sheepishly. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but it is my right as your husband to do the introductions. Christine, this is the brat, otherwise known as Camryn. Brat, this is the love of my life, Christine.”

Camryn offered her hand but Christine pushed it away. “I think we can do better than that. We’re family now.” Christine pulled Camryn in her arms and the two women hugged.

“And these two angels are my son and daughter, Jaxson and Adrienne. Two of the three reasons I’m happy to wake up each morning.”

“Aw, how sweet.” Camryn sighed. Her eyes gleamed mischievously. “And I suppose, they’re also the reason you no longer go barhopping. Word is, you’ve been thoroughly tamed.”

Romeo grinned at his wife. “I told you she was a brat.”

“Pee pee.” Adrienne spoke at last.

Christine held out her arms. “I’ll take her. Camryn, would you be so kind as to show me where our rooms are?”

“Of course.”

Jagger watched Camryn lead Christine and her daughter upstairs.

“Why don’t you join your mother and freshen up?” Romeo suggested to his son.

Jaxson looked indignant. “But, I want to hang with the men.”

“And you will, son, but you still have pancake syrup on your shirt from this morning’s breakfast. Don’t you want to change and look your best for when you meet the rest of the family and your new little cousin?”

The child tapped his chin as though trying to weigh his options. “What’s in it for me if I do?”

Romeo lifted a brow. “You won’t lose your video game privileges.”

“Oh. Well, I’ve given some thought to this matter and I think, it would be a good idea if I do go freshen up.” The little boy raced up the stairs.

It was only when Jagger was sure the child was out of earshot that he burst into laughter. Romeo joined him.

“How old is your son?”

“He’s six going on forty. He’s sharp as a tack, isn’t he?”

“He is certainly that.”

“Jaxson definitely keeps me and his mother on our toes.”

“You sound very proud of him.”

Romeo’s smile widened. “Extremely. My children had a rough life prior to our adopting them. Their birth mother was a drug addict and they were brought up in an abusive home. Adrienne didn’t even speak more than a few words until recently, but Jaxson helps her with new words every day. He’s very protective of his sister. And apparently, he already has a little girlfriend in school.”

“At six?”

“It’s probably mostly kid talk but I can already tell my boy is going to be quite the lady’s man when he’s older,” Romeo bragged. “I have a feeling he’ll be beating the girls off with a stick, just like his papa.”

Jagger grinned at that. His uncle’s conquests were legendary. “And your daughter is precious. She’ll have quite a few gentlemen friends of her own.”

The smile disappeared from Romeo’s face as swift as it had appeared. “The hell she will. Adrienne will never date. If some punk comes sniffing around my little girl, I’ll snap his damn neck.”

Jagger could tell his uncle was serious and found the double standard Romeo displayed toward his children very funny because he was sure there would be hell to pay when his daughter was a teenager. He wondered what Christine would have to say about it. “You really love them all, don’t you?”

“More than you can ever know. I couldn’t love them more if they were from my blood. I used to tease Marco and Nico about them settling down and starting families, but now I know the joy of having one of my own. It is like nothing else, and I wouldn’t trade them for all the traveling, barhopping, hell raising, and pussy chasing in the world. I didn’t really understand real happiness until Christine came into my life, and adopting the children has been the icing on the proverbial cake.”

Jagger had never considered himself an envious man, but he found himself thinking again that he wished to experience the same type of love and relationship with Camryn.

“Why don’t you put up your feet? I would imagine your flight must have been exhausting.”

“It wasn’t that long but it makes a difference when you’re traveling with two restless children.”

They went into the living room and took a seat on the sofa. Romeo turned to Jagger. “I hope you didn’t take offense when I cut you off earlier. I thought it was best if we didn’t discuss Underground business in mixed company. Christine is nervous enough with all this
il Diavolo
business and I didn’t want her agitated in front of the children.”

“That was wise. There’s no need to upset them if not necessary,” Jagger agreed.

Jagger’s eldest uncle, Dante, was the founder and head of an organization they called the Underground, which Jagger had recently joined, that sought to eradicate the rogue threat. Finding
il Diavolo
—and taking him and his minions out—was now the Underground’s biggest priority.

“Has Uncle Dante found out who Giovanni is? Is he really your brother?”

Romeo sighed. “It’s certainly beginning to look that way to us, and it looks like Adonis may be as well. You know how our kind has a natural feeling of kinship with one who shares our blood?”

“Yes of course. I felt it with my Papa.”

“Right. And when we confronted each of these rogues in person, I feel a connection to both. Although naturally, it’s not as strong as the bond I have with your father, Marco, and Dante. There are so many unanswered questions that remain.”

“Such as?”

“Giovanni called Dante and set up a meeting with him, but he didn’t show. Christine won’t listen to me, but I think her friend Nya is in league with him; I’m trying to figure out how. Nya came around to our house a couple of weeks ago while I was away. Christine wasn’t going to tell me about the visit but I managed to get it out of her. Of course, I wasn’t happy about it. I just don’t trust her.”

“Nya was the tall dark woman with Giovanni?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve seen her before.”

“Where?”

“Do you remember when Adonis tricked me into believing he was my father? He took me to one of his homes. She was there.”

“What? Why didn’t you say anything before?”

“It didn’t occur to me to say anything about it until I saw her show up in Scotland with Giovanni. There was so much going on and then I went back to Moscow to do my training with my uncle. I should have said something about it earlier.”

Romeo furrowed his brows, his expression serious. “Do you remember anything from the encounter? Anything at all. Did she speak to you? Was she helping him hold you hostage?”

Jagger could tell it was important for Romeo to know about this woman because of his concern for his family but he didn’t have much to tell. “We didn’t speak. In fact, she didn’t acknowledge me. I only saw her the one time and she was heading out. Adonis seemed to be irritated that she was leaving. She seemed…I’m not sure how to describe her. I just remember when I saw her two things ran through my mind.”

“What?”

“I remember thinking she was quite stunning and that she didn’t seem like she was interested in being around Adonis. It was just a feeling I got from her and I’m not sure why I felt that way.”

“Christine mentioned something about her being with someone she isn’t happy with. I wonder if she might have been referring to Adonis. Regardless, I can’t risk the safety of my family for a hunch. Christine wants to see the good in everyone but she’ll just have to accept that not everyone’s motives are altruistic.”

“You’re right. What other things have you worried?”

“We’re still trying to figure out who the witch is. All we know is that her name is Liliana and she’s connected to Giovanni somehow. Everything is very confusing, especially since that huge confrontation and I’m a bit unsettled with the things going on right now.”

“How so? There have been so many good things happening to our family.

“And that’s what worries me. There’s always been a pattern throughout the years. Whenever something positive happened with the Grimaldi’s, something tragic would come along. Things are quiet now and I feel it’s giving us a false sense of security. We have to remain on our guard. This is only the calm before the storm. You mark my words, Jagger, the storm
is
coming and it’s going to be a big one.”

<><><><>

Camryn’s heart filled with love when Marc placed baby Gianna in her arms. “She’s perfect.”

And she was. Camryn ran a finger along Gianna’s soft skin, which was a light gold with red undertones. She had chubby cheeks, rosebud lips and a head full of sandy curls. Her ten little fingers and toes were all there and she had that fresh baby powder scent that Camryn loved.

She placed a kiss on the baby’s cheek. Gianna responded by opening her eyes and letting out a long yawn. Even her little pink gums were adorable. There were no fangs that Camryn could see which was a plus. Her eyes were still cloudy so the color wasn’t evident yet. But Camryn knew her sister would grow up to break many hearts, whether her eyes turned out to be the dark brown of her mother’s or the amber shade of her father’s.

“Hey, pretty girl, I’m your big sister. It’s a good thing you have me to teach you the ropes. You’re going to need it in this family.

“Oh, brother. Should I pray for divine intervention now or later?” Marc groaned.

The crowd of family in the room erupted with laugher. Almost everyone was in attendance, including Montana and Oliver, Marc’s business partner. Camryn couldn’t help but notice the looks those two exchanged every so often. She made a mental note to ask her Aunt Montana about it later because it was clear Oliver was smitten. Even Darren’s partner, Bryan, had come to see the baby.

The only one missing was Dante, but Camryn didn’t ask too many questions about it because she knew it was a sore subject with her mother and Marc. Besides, she was way too busy getting acquainted with her little sister. Camryn lowered her face to the baby’s head, inhaling that wonderful baby smell again. Gianna smiled.

“Do you see this? I think she likes me. This kid has taste.”

Her brother, Darren, snorted. “I think it’s just gas.”

“Shut up, D. You’re just jealous because she didn’t open her eyes when you held her.”

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Now, I have two bratty little sisters. Life will certainly get interesting from here on out.”

The baby crinkled her little nose and her mouth shaped itself as if to suck. “Uh oh. I think she’s hungry.” Just as the words left Camryn’s mouth, Gianna let out a wail like nothing Camryn had ever heard before. “My sister has a set of lungs on her, too.” She reluctantly handed Gianna over to Marc.

“I think you’re right.” He nuzzled his tiny daughter. “Are you up to feeding her, Maggie?”

Her mother lay against the pillows looking exhausted, but content. “Yes, of course. Give her to me.”

When Marc brought the baby to her, the love between the couple was there for everyone to see. It was strong and tangible. “Maggie will need some privacy,” Marc announced.

Maggie smiled gratefully, then asked as the room began to clear, “Baby, would it be okay if I had a few words with Camryn alone?”

“Of course,
ciccina
. I’ll be in the hallway if you should need me.” Marc leaned over the bed and planted a lingering kiss on his wife’s lips, and then one on Gianna’s cheek. He seemed reluctant to leave mother and daughter.

Once alone with her mother, Camryn averted her eyes as her mother undid the fastening of her gown and offered Gianna a nipple. The baby latched on, sucking hungrily.

Camryn giggled. “She’s a greedy little thing, isn’t she?”

“Just like her father.”

“Gross, Mom. I didn’t need to hear that.”

Maggie laughed. “Prude.”

“I am not. I just don’t want to hear about my mother’s sex life. It’s bad enough that I’ve heard you and Marc getting it on. On several occasions.”

“It’s because we love each other.” Maggie sighed, stroking the baby’s soft curls. “I can’t believe she’s here and she’s everything I’d imagined her to be and more. I feel like I’ve been pregnant forever. GianMarco and his brothers seem to think having a daughter was an amazing thing, practically a miracle. I think it was meant to be.”

“Jagger mentioned it being rare for female vampires to be born. From the way he described it, it happens so rarely that when it does it’s a huge deal in the immortal community.”

“Well, I always knew. Right from the start.”

“So was the labor rough?”

“A little. It has been twenty-two years since I last gave birth, after all, and Gianna weighed nine pounds. I think she probably got that from the Grimaldi side; you and Darren were both just shy of seven pounds.” She chuckled. “I think the hardest part was calming GianMarco down. I knew he was worried, but I didn’t expect to have a frantic husband hovering over me. It certainly wasn’t like my first two go rounds.”

“Daddy wasn’t in the delivery room with you when we were born?”

Maggie shook her head. “He preferred to stay in the waiting room. I guess some people are just squeamish when it comes to childbirth.”

“That’s no excuse. Daddy was just being selfish as usual.”

“But he was at the hospital each time I delivered. He was so proud of both of you.”

“Why do you always defend him? He was a lousy husband and a mediocre father. Do you realize he hasn’t spoken to Darren since he came out?”

Maggie frowned. “That’s disappointing to hear, but I’m sure he’ll eventually regret his decision to not have a relationship with his son.”