Sarim's Scent (5 page)

Khafil navigated his Audi through the streets to his condo, congratulating himself on a job well done. Although he hadn’t gotten Victoria to spill the beans, he couldn’t have asked the Darvan Gods for a better ending to the evening. Victoria was in his hands. She was still the same sweet, vulnerable girl underneath that entirely sexy, sophisticated exterior.

Excitement swam through him as he thought of the humiliation Sarim would feel if he knew his loyal Khafil had tracked his heir down, had had dinner with her, and had taken her back to his apartment. When he checked back in with his Abu later on, he would have to school his thoughts. He had an arduous task before him tonight. Glancing at Victoria’s now-sleeping form, he chuckled. Well, not too arduous.

Taking advantage of the silence, he focused on his plans for later tonight. First, he would have to empty his stomach of the food he had eaten earlier and feed. While he could eat to appear “normal” around humans, he had to throw up the food within a couple of hours, or he would be become extremely sick with severe stomach cramps.

He had no choice but to feed in order to regain energy he’d need to partake in tonight’s activity. Fresh blood from a human source would be ideal, but it wasn’t an official hunting season and he didn’t know the Taalib Dumas in this area. In order to avoid detection, he would feed from the bags of donated blood he had stored in the cooler at the back of the trunk.

He pulled into his garage and parked in his spot, toward the far end of the complex beneath a busted light, courtesy of a swift hit with a baseball bat. Unfortunately, deceit had become second nature. He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror. The self-assured, handsome man looking back at him made his stomach turn. Victoria trusted him. He was about to exploit that trust and, for now, keep her ignorant of who she really was. Turning the ignition off, he looked over at her again. Yep, he was a real class act, his father’s son. He had been raised to fulfill his duty, no matter the cost.

He gently shook Victoria’s shoulder. She slowly opened her eyes, then sat right up.

“We’re here,” he stated. Seeing her confusion, he clarified, “At my place.” Where he would secure her fate.

Sitting, Victoria took a few seconds to allow the last dredges of sleep to leave her brain. She still couldn’t believe she had changed her mind and had agreed to spend the night at Ivan’s.

Once outside the parking garage, the cold air did the trick and she felt on high alert, although she remained quiet as she followed Ivan to his apartment. His place was nice, very nice, the ultimate bachelor pad. She followed him across a plush carpet to the living room where a fifty-inch flat screen television dominated the far wall.

“Have a seat,” he said, nodding toward the sofa. “I’m going to put your luggage in the guest room.” He vanished down the hallway.

She sat on the black sectional, then placed her purse on the glass table and surveyed the room. Paintings of all kinds decorated the other three walls. Some were modern with splashes of colors. Others landscapes, and the ones on the wall closest to her were portraits. Her gaze rested on a rather formal drawing of a man who looked quite familiar. She rose to her feet and went to the painting to get a closer look.

The man was so attractive, he looked unreal. He stood tall, with chiseled features showcasing high cheekbones, sculpted lips and smooth café au lait complexion. His long black hair was gathered in a ponytail pulled back from his face. Turning her gaze to the picture beside it, she couldn’t shake the feeling she’d met him before. Or at least caught a glimpse of him. But that was impossible, wasn’t it? She hadn’t seen Ivan in years. The other picture contained a black skyscraper standing against a full moon. A chill crept down her spine. She rubbed her arms and headed toward Ivan’s kitchen. It looked rarely used and contained a pub-style table with two high-backed chairs.

Turning around, she took her seat and relaxed, waiting for Ivan to reappear. He had been gone for a while. Noticing the remote on the table, she picked it up and pressed the ‘on’ button, surprised to find it set on her favorite channel,
The Food Network
. Funny, Ivan didn’t strike her as the culinary type, more the take-out type.

What would she and Ivan talk about? If their conversation grew serious, she was afraid she’d blurt out her suspicions about her father. Tell Ivan all about the tattoo. The possible implications it meant for her.

But it was too early to claim fatigue and head to bed, which would have been the coward’s way out. But being scared was something she had given up after deciding to track her father down. No, fear was not an option for her any longer.

“What are you over there thinking about?” Ivan entered and crossed to within a few feet of her.

“How strange that you watch cooking shows. I never pictured you as someone who enjoyed working in the kitchen.” That earthy, woodsy scent played havoc with her mind. Realizing she was leaning toward him, she caught herself and straightened.

“Oh, I know my way around the kitchen, as well as other things.” His voice deepened, and she felt a familiar tug in her lower body. The intensity of his gaze burned into her, so she averted her gaze and stared at the TV. She couldn’t afford to look into his eyes.

Funny things happened when she looked into his eyes, and she needed all of her senses alert.

Ivan clicked off the TV just as the host was preparing to plate the duck and faced her, giving her no other option except to pay attention to him. “You never did tell me why you were doing here.”

Why did he keep asking that question? Glancing at him underneath her lashes, she once again found herself staring into liquid brown eyes.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, she began to feel tingly all over her. Heat coiled in her stomach. He had to be the most gorgeous man she had ever laid eyes on. Unable to break the stare, a feeling of rightness filled her. Spending the evening with Ivan had been the right thing to do. She felt so safe in his presence. Maybe Ivan could even help her with her search. He was obviously doing well and possibly had access to resources she didn’t. In the past, he had always helped her and been supportive. Opening her mouth, she was once again about to unburden all of her problems to Ivan.

A loud “No” reverberated in her head. Closing her eyes, she could almost hear a voice shouting in her mind. What in the hell just happened?

Ignoring a stab of fear, she gathered her courage and opened her eyes. Funny, Ivan’s eyes didn’t look so warm and inviting now. Instead, they’d gone cold and dark.

“I haven’t been up to much recently,” she said, lying smoothly as she shifted away from him. “I’ve always wanted to travel to the South, and I needed to get away after my mother died. I planned on taking the train tour of North Carolina and to be honest, I was running out of money. So I decided it was time to go home.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re hiding something from me?” Ivan’s smooth tone belied the blaze of heat in his eyes.

Clearing her throat, she swallowed. Lying always made her nervous. “Nope, I’m pretty boring. I’ve been up here for a few weeks, living off savings.” In an effort to look convincing, she shrugged her shoulders. “And that’s about it.”

His only response was an hmm. “Would you like something to drink?” He got to his feet and went to the far corner of the kitchen where a wine rack had been built between the cabinets. “I have from super dry to semi-sweet.”

She gave an audible yawn. “Thank you, but no. I think it’s time I turn in.” No way could she be in his presence any longer. Ten more minutes and she’d be blabbing about everything, including the strange voice in her head. He’d probably call Bellevue. Maybe that wasn’t a bad answer. Maybe she was cracking up. “Could you please show me where I’ll be sleeping?”

“Follow me.” Ivan led her down a wide hallway and gestured. “You can use the first one on the right. Go ahead. I’m going to be up for awhile.”

“Okay.”

An awkward silence filled the air.

“Well, then, goodnight.” She had her hand on the doorknob when he called her name.

“Yes?”

“I’ll wake you up around six, so you can catch your train on time.”

Pausing mid stride, she turned around, surprised by his thoughtfulness. A stab of guilt pierced her conscience. This was Ivan. Her dear friend whom she hadn’t seen in forever and she was practically running away from him.

She met his dark gaze and the strange sensation of something filtering through her mind began again. No. She couldn’t do it. She had too much at stake. She turned and headed back toward the guestroom. Slipping into the room, she closed the door and leaned against its back, feeling like she’d had a narrow escape.

What in the world was she going to do?

Victoria shifted on the bed, then stared at the ceiling. She sat up, fluffed her oversized pillow and placed it beneath her head as she leaned against the headboard and scanned the room. It was beautiful. It even smelled woodsy, just like Ivan. The cream-colored sheets on the queen-sized bed felt like silk against her skin. The comforter was cream-colored as well and felt wonderfully soft. It had to be down. The carpet was just as plush as the carpet in the living room. A room like this room would have usually wowed her. But not tonight. Her mind was buzzing, and she was unable to relax enough to sleep.

Ivan dominated her thoughts. Since she had met him at the train station, her whole body felt alive, like white-hot electricity was flowing through her. Being around him for an evening had invigorated her, making her forget all of her problems and issues. At least at the time. She’d felt free, alive.

She turned on her side to get comfortable. Closing her eyes, she visualized his face. Thick, curly lashes any woman would take a daily horse pill to have framed his dark brown eyes. His eyebrows were black and well groomed. His lips were thick and cupid bow shaped. His cheekbones were high, and he had deep dimples. His cinnamon complexion made him look like a mythical Egyptian God. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man-if she had ever had the time to seriously pursue one. He was tall, over six feet, in shape, intelligent, well mannered, and seemingly financially secure.

He made her heart beat faster and looking in his eyes made her feel tingly, at peace, and safe. Victoria giggled, then covered her hand with her mouth, not wanting Ivan to hear her. He would really think she was crazy. She quieted herself and shook her head. She was acting like a teenager with her first crush. In a way, that was the case. She had never really looked at other boys or men. She always found them lacking, failing to measure up to her imaginary ideal man. She didn’t sense inadequacies in Ivan. He held her interest. He made her feel alive.

Was all this intensity just a result of seeing an old friend? Was she mistaking her happiness at seeing him again after so many years for feelings of attraction? Or was she so anxious about her missing father, she was eager to latch on to the only male she had bonded with in some time? She rubbed her temples. She was too tired to think. She should just go to sleep and think about everything tomorrow. A big yawn escaped her. She rolled onto her other side, closed her eyes, and slipped into sleep.

Ivan raised his head off his pillow. Lying on the bed, in the master bedroom two doors from Victoria’s room he’d waited patiently. Remaining still. He’d been waiting for over an hour for Victoria to fall asleep. Patiently at first, then he began to get irritated with her constant sighing. After thirty minutes, he stopped pacing his room and decided to give her some extra help getting to sleep. Help in the form of a mental command which, thankfully, had worked.

He sat and pondered what to do next. Usually seduction for him was easy. With a human woman, it was nothing to read her mind to find out what she liked in bed. A harder touch here, a gentler rub there. He had spent many nights pleasuring human females. They gave themselves over so completely once he’d proven he knew his way around the female body. Too bad they didn’t have the stamina of a female Taalib Duma or a vascany.

However, seducing Victoria had to be done delicately. She was not a regular human female to be treated roughly and carelessly. He had already tried to bend Victoria’s mind and while he could plant thoughts and give her powerful suggestions, he could not plant the idea of sex with him or make her do anything against her will.

She was the direct descendent of the Abu. She was a princess among his kind. He wanted to make it at least a pleasurable experience for her. If his assumptions were correct, she was an innocent, and, being so, she deserved her first time to be pleasurable.

If the council found out about what he was doing and reported him to the Darvan Gods, he would spend eternity being tormented in Hell. It was imperative he make the seduction seem like a dream. But only one she truly wanted to participate in. In a dream state, Victoria would be more receptive. He still felt slightly disgusted by the actions he was about to take. However, duty bound him to finish the assignment he’d started. During childhood, he had befriended Sarim’s heir and now he had located her. Now he had to finish it by seducing and impregnating her. If he succeeded, his double life would be over.

But Victoria would never forgive him when she found out how deep the deception ran. However, as father of her child, the Abu’s heir, she would be forced by Taalib Duma law to marry him. He would assume a leadership position on the council. His family would be in essence the leaders of Taalib Dumas. If everything went according to plan, there wasn’t a damn thing Victoria or Sarim could do about it.

He assumed his trance position on the floor. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then let his mind reach out to hers. Let the games begin.