Chapter Ten
Marcus rolled over in bed and threw an arm over his eyes to block out the sun radiating on the other side of his lids. He could feel the energy of the sun radiating along his body and it immediately struck him as strange. It was on the wrong side.
HE opened his eyes and found himself looking out at a strange city. A new city.
That was when he remembered where he was and how much his life had changed in just a few short days.
Even so, this was not his new bed. It was even stranger than the new bed he'd been sleeping in the past few days.
That was when he truly realized where he was. He remembered the night before. He quickly looked to his left to see an empty bed.
She was gone. Where? Why hadn’t she woken him?
He should not have spent the entire night. He had meant to be out of there before Darcy woke up so they wouldn’t run into each other. OF course, she was going to find out eventually, depending on how public they made their association, but he was bound to think Simone would prefer to keep affection in the bedroom and hints of her relationships limited to very few moments of possible exposure.
He wasn't sure if he was going to behave quite that maturely. After being in her arms and in her body for the majority of the night, he couldn’t see himself being able to keep his hands off of her delectable body.
Marcus got out of bed, throwing back the covers. The cold of the room struck his warm body and he suppressed a shiver. She really did keep it far too cold in this place. He would think he would be used to the cold, coming from London. It was a place with terrible weather and frosty winters, but he had managed to remain warm in spite of the dreary weather of London.
Now it was an icy New York City, the expanse of Manhattan chilled through, the streets piled with slushy, dirty snow. It was still quite a few months before he could expect it to melt away.
He found his clothes and got dressed quickly, partly because of the chill and partly because he was hoping he could escape the apartment unseen still. He didn’t know whether or not to be perturbed with Simone for not waking him. She shouldn’t want to incite gossip any more than he did.
He ran his hands quickly through his hair, settling the mussed waves. He remembered the dozens of times she had raked her fingers through the strands, her nails stimulating his scalp, and he immediately grew hard thinking of it. Mainly because she had done it most when he had been engaged in a particularly sensual act. It was hard to avoid the sensory memory and the images that went with it.
He regained control over his thoughts and his body quickly and slipped through her bedroom suite and into the hall. He crept toward the living area and heard activity to his left in the kitchen. He would hardly be able to make it to the door unseen. Perhaps he would get lucky and the person would be deep enough in the kitchen for him to get by unnoticed.
That was when he remembered his coat. He glanced into the living room. Yep. There it was. Right where he had left it in a haphazard toss across the arm of a chair. Simone’s fur was also draped over the chair.
Thee was no way he was going to be able to retrieve it. Not without exposing himself to whoever was in the kitchen. He listened to the activity of the person and waited until he was certain they were far enough into the kitchen. He then stepped quickly across the room, heading for the foyer. He was just coming into the spot where he would risk the most exposure when suddenly he heard, “Marcus.”
He stopped in his tracks and looked back toward the person who had paged him. It was Simone. She was seated at the breakfast bar with a plate of food in front of her and a cup of what he assumed was coffee in her hand. He looked at her, trying to escape the naughty school boy caught doing bad things feeling he had creeping over him. He tried to dismiss the feeling. He had done nothing wrong.
Or had he? He had slept with the boss. It’s probably didn’t get more wrong than that.
“Good morning,” she said softly, her eyes drifting over him in a head to toe assessment that felt like a burning physical caress it was so hot. “Would you like something to eat? Some coffee perhaps?”
Now that he had been caught, it would be rude of him to rush out as if there were plague in the room. Besides, he was following her lead in this. He would let her decide how much exposure they were going to get.
He headed toward her and the second seat at the bar.
“I wouldn’t mind some coffee,” he said, coming to sit on the barstool. He glanced in the kitchen to see Darcy puttering about. She immediately fetched a cup and filled it with hot, freshly brewed coffee. She put the cup in front of him with a smile.
“Good morning,” she said with a shy sort of smile.
“Morning,” he returned. He picked up the cup and went to have a sip.
“There's cream and sugar right here,” she offered, pointing to the small pitcher of milk and a caddy that held all kinds of sweeteners.
“Thanks. I like it black,” he said.
She smiled and gave him a brief nod. “Are you certain I can’t get you something to eat?” she asked.
“I’m fine. But thanks.”
Again she nodded, then moved back into the kitchen where she was tidying up from having made Simone’s breakfast of omelet and bacon. He was bemused by this. Most vampires ate only one meal a day…if that. They didn’t need food, didn’t derive energy from it as humans did. So, most only ate dinner. He didn’t know if this was all she would eat that day, but he suspected she would be having dinner as well.
“Hungry?” he asked, knowing she wasn't. They were both very sated as far as energy consumption and exchange was concerned. He did notice she was wearing a pretty shimmering purple scarf around her neck, effectively hiding all signs of his brutal passions from the night before. His markings would be much easier to hide, as they were on his shoulder and would be under his shirt.
“Yes. Sit down a minute,” she said with a smile.
“I really should get home…take a shower. Change clothes.” He glanced at Darcy. “As it is the guards watching your apartment are going to know I spent the entire night here. I’d like to keep gossip down to a minimum.”
“Does gossip bother you?” she asked, arching one delicate brow.
“No. I thought it might bother you though.”
“Not at all. I learned to stop caring about people’s judgments of my personal life a long time ago. I’m not looking to hide the fact that we are lovers.”
Again he glanced at Darcy, who had a small smile curving over her lips. She was a very young looking woman…and she was young by vampire standard at only sixty-six years of age. He knew this because he had researched everyone who had contact with Simone on a daily basis. It was his job to know.
Well, maybe he did care about gossip a little, he realized. It said something about him that he had ended up in the boss’s bed after only one night on the job. It was hard to explain it even to himself. He had allowed himself to be swept up and swept away…showing a surprising lack of discipline. Since he thrived on discipline, it felt strange to have allowed himself such weakness of character.
“I guess I am a little self-conscious,” he said. “I’ve never done something like this before. I don’t usually make love to coworkers.”
“Then who do you usually make love with?” she asked with amusement.
“Not coworkers.” he said dryly.
“How do you ever meet anyone who isn’t related to you by business. You no doubt lead as busy a life as I do. I find it very difficult to meet anyone I’m not working with or cultivating as a source of food.”
She was right of course. It was difficult to cross paths with someone who had nothing to do with his work. It was possible for any vampire to become lawless or be called up n front of the committee. It would make a personal relationship uncomfortable and biased. He had limited himself to vampires that were not hunters or authoritarians. Well mannered vampires. Lawful vampires. Vampires he had little risk of coming across in his daily work. Of course it was hard to meet such vampires because, as she had said, he was a very busy man, but he managed.
“I tend to be a loner anyway,” he said, speaking with bald honesty. “I can’t remember the last time I was this intimate with someone. I spent practically every waking moment watching over Leo. I plan to do the same to you. But…this isn’t for convenience sake,” he added firmly. “Ease of access has nothing to do with it.”
“I didn’t think it did,” she said. “Although you have to admit it is very convenient. Follow me around all day; sleep in my bed at night. I’ll feel very safe.”
Again, she surprised him. She was making an assumption…that he would want to be in her bed every night. All based on a single sexual encounter. Granted, it had been quite an encounter and he wasn't likely to keep his distance any time soon, but they hadn’t discussed their feelings on the subject. They had been busy indulging in other things.
“Well, I’ll be happy to help,” he said with a sly grin. He reached out and pushed back her hair behind her ear. She was wearing it down today, the mass of copper penny waves aiding in hiding the bruises on her throat. By pushing her hair back he was exposing the scarf, allowing him a chance to study the damage as best he could. Even with the scarf she was significantly bruised. He had bitten her more than once, although subsequent bites had not been as savage as the first had been.
“Are you sore?” he asked softly.
“In all kinds of places,” she said with a smile dancing in her eyes. “But I don’t mind.”
He couldn’t say he minded either. They’d made love vigorously and savagely and he also had more than one sore place on his body. But he reveled in the reminders of their passion. Apparently she did as well. There was a certain intimacy to that knowledge. He leaned in and kissed the side of her neck, just above the line of her scarf, against the discoloration he found there.
“I’m sorry if I was too rough,” he whispered, ever conscious of Darcy. Of course, she was a vampire and they had extraordinary hearing, but at least he was making an attempt at preserving her privacy.
“I liked it fine just the way it was,” she whispered back, nuzzling his cheek for a moment. Then she frowned and reached up to scratch at his jaw. “You need a shave. You’re prickly.”
“I’ve gone more than a day. Practically two. Isn’t it funny how, even though we are aliens, we are so identical to humans that we grow facial hair and body hair just the same way as they do? What are the odds of that?”
“Many life-forms evolve from ape-like creatures. I’ve met a few. There are differences, like our enhanced senses and our tremendous reflexes and the fact that we never gain weight or age. Not the way humans do in any event.”
“And we were like that before the lightning strike?” he asked. “All of it?”
“Yes. All of it. We were born this way. The only artificial genetic mutation was from that lightning strike. When we were electrified our alien DNA was rewritten and now we even give birth to future generations of vampires. In the beginning we had wondered if that was going to happen…if it would be just the original vampires who would have to feed on energy or if it would be passed on. It was a question that was quickly answered. Fortunately, nature provided us with the way to nurse and feed our children. Our children are born with a full set of fangs and they bite at the mother’s breast in order to suckle the energy they need. We cannot feed them in public, nor would we want to. Raising children and nourishing them is a very private business for us…as you know. Perhaps more so than humans who have no compunctions about feeding their children in public. It’s another way in which we differ vastly from humans. Also, I believe that if we weren't so alien we might not have been so susceptible to that electrocution.”
“Some humans can survive the process of becoming an e-vamp,” he pointed out.
“And we’ve always wondered if that wasn't because there have been aliens who have come before us who left streaks of themselves in human genetics. The human genome is a complicated thing.”
“As is our own.”
“As is our own,” she agreed. “No one knows why some things are the way they are…or why we’re even capable of having children with humans at all. You would think we aren’t compatible…but we are. In the end it’s all for the best. We blend in quite well here.”
“Although…” He grimaced. “This brings us back to the question of purity, and you already know my feelings on that.”
“I wish I had the luxury of being as hard-nosed conservative as you are, but as queen I must keep an open mind. I do tend to come across as conservative on occasion, but I am equally fair when the occasion calls for it. I keep an open mind. As should you as you serve on the committee.”
“I am who I am. You knew this when you took me on,” he said with a slight frown.
“I know. I am simply asking you to open your mind to all possibilities.”
He was silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with her request. He would govern as his conscience dictated. He had been open about who he was. He would not change in basic principles just because she asked him to. But neither would he shut his mind to all other opinions. That would be ignorant, and he would never wish to be accused of ignorance…not by others and not by himself.
“I had best get on,” he said, rising from the stool and taking one more sip of the barely touched coffee. He thought about kissing her farewell with a great deal of zeal and passion, but he wasn't quite ready for such a public display, even if it was just Darcy there. He suspected she might not be as easy as she claimed to be about it. He would have to see, test the waters carefully and slowly. Still, it took effort to leave her without touching her. It surprised him how much he craved to do so, even in spite of having had her so thoroughly the night before.
She caught his hand however as he tried to move away. She came up off of her bar stool as well and stepped in to his body. She erased any doubts about her self-consciousness as she came up flush to him and stroked her hands over his pectoral muscles. She wrapped a hand around his neck, her fingers driving into his hair in that hungry way she had. She pulled him down to her mouth, her lips barely grazing his as she nuzzled against him.
He gave in rather quickly, surging forward and catching her elusive mouth. He kissed her deeply and he kissed her well. Their tongues clashed as passion rode him hard. If not for Darcy he would have taken her once again before leaving. The knowledge rode him hard and he had to force himself to part from her. They disengaged, their hands the last thing to cling to one another as they parted. He marveled at his appetite for her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting a woman more.
He took his leave of her and headed down to his flat.
His morning was filled with her. With meetings where he could not touch her and dared not look at her too long lest others see the hunger in his eyes he felt for her. He was frustrated by his lack of concentration and decided to throw himself hard into his work. He would be meeting with the committee for the first time that day. He intended to make a strong impression. He first met with his top network of authoritarians, those who organized the assignments handed down to the others. He was not privy to every instance of law breaking…not until it came time for that lawbreaker to face justice in front of the committee. These men were his enforcers. They also kept him apprised of all things sycophant.
His reports of the morning were not good. While they had little in the way of direct resources or spies in Draz’s camp—it being nearly impossible to get someone that close to him—they were still able to glean some of the more important information. And that information was noisy, full of rumblings of an impending action against the vampire governing body. A threat to the queen.
He took this very seriously. He immediately intensified her guard. Instead of two men looking out for her there would be three others besides himself. The extra guard would be insuring without being too intrusive. His meetings with Danton gave him insight into how she would react to such close scrutiny and smothering watchfulness in her life.
“She barely tolerates the guards she does have,” Danton told him. “Be careful or she will dismiss them all in a fit of pique.”
“That wouldn’t be rational, and she doesn’t strike me as an irrational woman,” he said with a frown.
“But she is still a woman,” Danton pointed out. “She is prone to her emotions just as any woman might be. She can perhaps be even more sensitive,” he said, “when the mood strikes her.”
“That sort of creature is not the woman I am coming to know,” he argued with him.
Danton tilted his head to one side. “You have only known her a day with any intimacy.”
Marcus’s attention sharpened at the choice of words. He narrowed his eyes on Danton, wondering if gossip had already reached his predecessor’s ears. It probably had…otherwise he wouldn’t have been very good at his job. It was the head authoritarian’s job to know everything there was to know about the queen, including and probably most importantly her private life. Anyone who had close contact with the queen needed to be examined and watched closely. Then again, it wasn't Danton’s job any longer. He may have already let go of his responsibilities to her. Indeed, he was due to fly out the morning after next. ”I am a quick judge of character. You learn much about a person when you watch them hunt.”
“I had heard you had hunted with her last night. How did you find the experience?”
“Enlightening,” Marcus said shortly. He got the feeling Danton was toying with him. The other man clearly knew all about the night before. Why was he dancing with Marcus in this fashion?
“I should think so. It is clear you might come to know the queen even better than I have,” Danton said, his tone just shy of smugness.
“You disapprove,” he said directly, dropping all pretenses.
“I find you to be…moving too fast into position. I had thought you to be a consummate professional.”
“I am,” Marcus said bitingly. “It is not for you to judge me.”
“Far be it from me,” Danton said with a little bow. Then his eyes seemed to narrow on Marcus. “But don’t let me hear that you are not doing the job you are set out to do and doing it well. You will answer to me if you don’t.”
Marcus could respect Danton’s concern, so he eased back on his defensiveness. After all, the other man did not know him at all.
“Don’t be afraid that I won’t take care of her,” he said softly to the other man. “On the contrary, I will stay as close as possible and protect her from all manner of hurt.”
“How can you do that if you become a source of hurt yourself?” Danton asked directly.
“I am quite certain I won’t harm her. She and I are both mature adults and quite capable of managing an adult relationship exclusive of our positions in the world.”
“That, my friend, is nearly impossible.”