Chapter Seventeen
It felt selfish to take from him without giving something in return, but it was all she could give him in that moment. That didn’t mean she wasn't aroused beyond belief. She most certainly was. Almost enough to encourage him on further. But she had set a boundary…for more than one reason, and Simone was determined to respect that boundary just as Marcus was doing so steadily. She wasn't going to put him in the position of giving in to his lust against her express wishes by giving in to hers.
When she was fed she left him to recover his senses in peace, walking away on shaking legs. Their chemistry was so volatile. So dynamic. It frightened her almost as much as it thrilled her. She wasn't in the mood to examine her feelings, negative or otherwise, so she took a deep, steadying breath and began to get ready for the evening ahead.
She started by showering and ended by having him link a stunning diamond necklace around her throat. He had showered before going out to hunt and had changed clothes, but he wasn't in the tux he needed for the event, so they headed down to his apartment so he could change. A pair of authoritarians followed them into the elevator from where they had been positioned at her door. She knew he was leaving nothing to chance, that he was only trying to protect her and that she needed protecting, but she couldn’t help the suffocating feeling that stole over her when she thought of all of this security breathing down her neck.
Simone didn’t include Marcus in that sensation. It felt natural to have him close to her and protecting her. She didn’t know why it came so easily. She was used to taking care of herself and the feelings of independence she had carried around with her from the moment she had first stood up for herself many, many years ago. She had not needed someone to care for her for a very long time and she had not let herself be cared for until becoming queen fifteen years earlier. But even so, the catering to her needs and the guarding of her person had never felt as caring as she felt when Marcus catered to her needs and guarded her person.
Simone accepted the understanding with surprising ease. The rapidly growing affection she was feeling for him didn’t frighten her. Not in the least. It should. Shouldn’t it? She hadn’t felt this kind of affection for a person of the opposite sex in a very long time. It should feel alien and overwhelming. She should be guarded, knowing that she shouldn’t give her heart lightly or so quickly. But it all felt so natural. So right. She couldn’t explain why.
She sat in his living room amongst several boxes that reminded her he hadn’t been there very long. That he was still moving in. He might have unpacked more quickly had she not occupied so much of his time, she thought with a smile. She was left with the reminder that they had only known one another a week…and the understanding that it didn’t matter to her. A week. A day. A month. A year. The length of time didn’t matter. She would feel the same if not stronger. She could only see herself growing more and more used to him, more attached…more deeply in love.
Although that did not frighten her, what did frighten her was being in the feelings alone. Did he feel as strongly as she did? Was the relationship balanced? Or did he have an advantage over her? Would he approach this business with a level head and a cool heart while she was slave to her affection?
She couldn’t say. She didn’t know.
There was only one way to find out. She had to ask him. But she couldn’t bring herself to do that. Not so early on. She would be embarrassed if he was amused by her girlish crush. She would wait for more time to pass, for the feelings to deepen, for her to learn him better and be able to read him more clearly. It was the wisest choice and the choice that saved her from her potential folly.
She grew impatient waiting for him alone and she stood up and walked to the rear of the apartment and into his bedroom. She had not been here as yet. They had always bedded themselves in her house. She couldn’t escape the sense that she was coming into his personal space uninvited. She crept up to his bedroom door and knocked gingerly on the open portal.
“No need to knock. You’re welcome to come in,” he said, startling her as he came from her left where she had not seen him.
“I don’t want to intrude,” she said hesitantly.
He gave her a look that made her heart soar. It said, “You’re kidding, right? You will always be welcome.”
“Come in,” he said softly, reaching for her hand and pulling her into the room. There were fewer boxes here, but still some spotted here and there. He was almost fully dressed, only his tuxedo jacket missing. It was a very modern take on a tux, no cummerbund or ruffles, just straight clean lines and a bow tie at his throat. He wore it incredibly well and she felt her fiery physical attraction for him well up inside of her. He must have read the feelings in her eyes because he chuckled and stepped closer to her.
“Now, now,” he said admonishingly. “Let’s not undo all the hard work we’ve done getting dressed.”
“Not until later,” she agreed. But the understanding didn’t keep her hands off of him. She was wearing gloves up to her elbows, so the silk slid over the silk of his shirt in an almost frictionless caress. She gripped at him hungrily, her finger digging into his chest and arm. She expressed her need to him in the caress. She expressed the power of her feelings in that moment. She hoped he understood.
His response was to bury his nose against the side of her neck and breathe deeply of her scent. His lips followed, grazing and caressing the rapid beat of her pulse where it throbbed in her neck. His mouth opened on her, his tongue flicking against her. Then his mouth drifted up to her ear and he said heatedly, “Why is it I can never seem to get enough of you? Do you know how hard it was, feeling the ecstasy of you feeding from me tonight but not being able to indulge in it? Not that I blame you for you reserving your feelings in that moment,” he added quickly. “I am merely speaking to the power of my own desires. Sometimes I feel as if there is a great chasm between us, and other times, like right now, I feel so close to you I am all but inside of you.”
His words thrilled her and encouraged her. They gave her hope that she wasn't in these feelings alone. She exhaled slowly, shakily. She turned her head and kissed him just beneath his ear before whispering into it, “You are always welcome inside of me. And you are always closer to me than you think.”
He drew back, surprise flitting over his features. For an instant she feared she had said too much. She might send him running away from her if she pressed for too much too quickly. She hadn’t been able to control herself. But then ease and hope swam through her when he said, “There is no place I would rather be.”
“We can talk about this more later,” she said, withdrawing softly to fetch his jacket from where it hung over the back of a chair. “We’re going to be late as it is. I do not like not being there to greet my guests.”
“I figured you would not. But they will have to understand that you have been through much recently. Also, it takes time to create such beauty,” he said, reaching a hand up to caress her jawline. He moved away from her after taking his jacket from her, shrugging into it smoothly. He took a moment in front of a mirror to make certain it was buttoned right and was settled well on his body. She couldn’t help but admire how delicious he looked in the sophisticated garb. After a week of being by his side nearly every minute of the day she had learned that he wore everything well, from suits to jeans. He was dynamic and utterly scrumptious no matter what he was wearing…not to mention when he wasn't wearing anything at all.
The thought had her mentally stripping him before she could stop herself. She recalled the flexing of muscle beneath lightly furred flesh and an erotic sense of strength and male power. She wanted him in that moment. Maybe even more than she had ever wanted him before. The craving was overwhelming and as she caught sight of herself in the mirror she realized her need was stark on her face. She quickly turned away. Not because she was unwilling to share her hunger for him with him, but because they had other responsibilities that night and she needed to control herself.
He turned away from the mirror and caught up her hand. She had had enough time to school her features by the time he brought her into his living room. He picked up his coat from a coat rack and snatched up hers from it as well. He handed her the lush mink and they both slipped on their coats. They exited his apartment, immediately picking up their tail who had been waiting patiently outside.
They reached the hotel without incident and without much conversation. The shared a limousine ride with their bodyguards so it wasn't as if they had much in the way of privacy. When they entered the ballroom of the hotel which was ablaze with light from tremendous chandeliers and was so enormous they had space for tables set with china and a space large enough for dancing. They would have an exquisite meal first, then they would socialize and dance. It was all very civilized. There was a DJ set up at the head of the dance floor and Simone stopped by to have a quick word with him, making certain he understood he wasn't to start the music until after the dessert course had been served and completed.
Dignitaries had begun to arrive and she moved fluidly to the entrance of the ballroom where she was met by her assistant Darcy. Darcy stood at her elbow on one side and Marcus took up position on her left. Darcy served one purpose only in this set up. She had studied the faces of all of the guests and could put their names to them. Although Simone knew most of the dignitaries on sight, she appreciated Darcy’s support when she was unable to place a face or a name. Still, even with Darcy there were many guests who were a plus one, unnamed and unfamiliar to them but familiar to their guest. Luckily most were polite enough to introduce their guest to her with a brief description of who they were and what they did in life. Guests arrived two abreast, going through a security detail first before entering and being greeted by Simone. Security was heightened and strict, what with her recent attack. Sometimes they came across too personally, their searches brusque and thorough. It left more than one person disgruntled. Simone smoothed their ruffled feathers as best she could, depending on the opulence of the event with its free flowing champagne and open bar to soothe them.
When the ballroom was almost completely full, she abandoned her post at the door and went to the head table which was set up to look no different than any other, except it was close to an exit in case she had to make a quick escape for whatever reason.
She made her way to her table, mingling all the while, allowing herself to be pulled in many directions. Everyone wanted something from her. It was a familiar sensation and she didn’t mind. To the humans in the room she was a wealthy socialite with money to burn. That made her a source of income for them, be they politician, business owner or partier. This made her very popular. This state dinner was working under the guise of a charity event. The humans who were attending had paid for their plates and had done so willingly just for the opportunity to get close to her and the others who would be attending. In the end it truly was a charity event. The proceeds would go to an outreach program for the city battling homelessness and drug addiction among the less fortunate. Simone had begun the foundation herself many years earlier as a means to connect with the rich and powerful in the human world and it had worked famously. She now had close relationships with many human movers and shakers. These relationships had been and would be key to vampire survival. The money making alone was worth the time and effort that went into these projects. Vampire society supported its own and in the modern world that took money. Connections such as these could only help make more money.
This was also a good way to cultivate prey relationships. Prey came from all social strata, even the wealthy. Inviting them to an event like this only improved relationships with them.
As she was pulled from one group to the next she was aware of Marcus never leaving her side for a moment. He didn’t leave to get himself something to drink, he didn’t leave to do anything else. He stuck to her like glue. Wherever she went she introduced him as she might any companion or date for the evening. She found him surprisingly sociable. She didn’t know why, but she had not imagined him being able to connect with strangers so easily. Then again, it was a necessity for all vampires in order to initiate prey relationships. All vampires had to be social to an extent. Even a vampire like Halo whose social connections seemed to be limited to those women he could take to bed before feeding from them. Of course that had changed recently as he was now in a relationship with, of all things, a human female…and human females were not notorious for allowing their male partners to sleep around…even if it was for sustenance.
But Marcus was a step beyond just passably sociable. He was charming and engaging. He drew in women and men alike…although women responded to him far more thoroughly than males did. Human and vampire males didn’t take too kindly to being out-charmed. But he reined it in just enough to keep women engaged and men from getting jealous. It was a delicate balance and he managed it well. It gave her a sense of pride to be on the arm of so compelling and intelligent a man. He was hers. For however long it may last, he was hers. And if she had anything to say about it, it would stay that way for some time to come. She had no desire to chase him away or let him go and she wasn't afraid of the craving to keep him close. The only thing she feared was an imbalance; that he might not feel the same way. However, there was time to discover these things about one another. There was no need to rush. She would simply enjoy him for the moment just as he was.
For the moment, that meant proudly clinging to his side and announcing to all of those women who were watching and longing that he was very much taken, that he was her territory…and that they encroached on that territory at their own risk. Her own possessiveness bemused her. She tried to look at it and analyze it, but there was no need to make sense of it. She was infatuated. He was dynamic and wonderful and she was proud and lucky to have him as her own.
He showed her no affection other than a hand at her waist that guided her or surreptitiously caressed the curve of her hip. When finally they found a moment of peace together in a far corner of the ballroom partially behind a potted plant, he drew her close enough to whisper in her ear, his lips brushing against the rim of it, his warm breath spooling inside of it as he said, “You need to take a moment and sit down. Just to relax and clear your head. I never realized how demanding this position is.”
“You’ve worked with princes before,” she noted.
“But even they were not so in demand and so much the center of attention. Everyone is watching you all of the time. True, Leo is the center of his world…but you are the center of the universe it seems.”
“You’re flattering me,” she said with a chuckle.
“It’s true. To think all of those times when we missed connecting. All the times you and Leo were in the same room together but I was unable to be there..”
“Your attention was where it should have been…on Leo’ business. You missed the treaty signing as well?”
“Yes. I was detained in London on another matter. An assignment for Leo.”
“I’m intrigued. What would possibly tear you away from your charge’s side?”
“That’s a matter best left to him to discuss with you if he so chooses. I cannot break his confidence. I hope you understand.”
“Mm, your loyalty is one of the reasons I chose you for this job. I cannot fault you for it.” She sighed and pressed her hands to his chest to him out of her way. “Come, we’ve hidden amongst the foliage long enough. We’re going to draw attention.”
He did not step back however. Instead he encroached closer, backing her into a wall. Her breath came quick as she was overwhelmed by his dominant, masculine presence. She had never been one to get all a-flutter with a man, so her reaction bemused her…and not for the first time. Every time he drew close or commanded her to do his will in these silent ways she felt this positively anxious feeling. No. Not anxious. Anticipatory. She always wanted to know what he would do next. She couldn’t wait for what he was going to do next.
The desire was directly in contradiction to her sense of propriety…that is probably why it felt so heightened. The idea of possibly being caught, the idea of him claiming her in public…it was compelling. It heightened her desire for him.
Marcus’s lips nipped around the tender frame of her ear, sending erotic chills down her neck, chasing the wash of his hot breath. His hand curved over her hip, tracing the swell of it until he was caressing her backside intimately in a full-fledged grasp. He used that grip to draw her in to his body further, to connect their hips. She could immediately feel what his dinner jacket was hiding. He was thoroughly aroused. He was craving her that intensely in public. So intensely that he didn’t care who was watching.
It was dangerous to allow such impropriety. He could be setting himself up for a rigorous vetting that came when a person of royalty decided to become deeply involved with someone. True, he had just gone through a similar vetting process, but it was nothing compared to what could come. It was also true that that vetting process was usually carried out by that royal person’s lead authoritarian. She didn’t know what would happen because he was lead authoritarian. He couldn’t very well vet himself. Or perhaps he could. She didn’t know. But she suspected he wasn't thinking of the consequences that came with announcing himself as consort to the queen. The scrutiny of the authoritarians was only the start of it. There was then public opinion to consider…and if there was one thing that could be counted on, it was that the public would have a very strong opinion, be it positive or negative. Either way it was intrusive. Was he ready for that kind of judgment? Did she mean enough to him to want to go through such rigorous trials?
She didn’t know. They needed to talk about it first. So, she awkwardly ducked away from him, side-stepping out of his immediate reach and nervously touching her hair and her hip where the burn of his touch still lingered. ”Someone might s-see,” she stammered breathlessly.
He frowned darkly and a severe look of disappointment entered his eyes. A superior look of disappointment. As if he were looking down on her and she had not passed muster. She didn’t like it. He shouldn’t judge her. She was doing this for his own good. He ought to appreciate that.
However, before she could explain herself to him, a familiar voice and presence announced itself to her.
“Well, its good to see you cousin,” Leo said. “You’re looking as delicious as always. Tempting every man in the room.“
Simone flushed as she looked over her shoulder to see Leopold standing just a few feet away. He looked amused, his gaze shooting from her to Marcus. How much had he seen? She realized from his comment he had likely seen everything. Very little escaped Leo’s notice.
“Leo. It’s good to see you too. I wondered if you were going to make it tonight,” she said, trying her best to sound casual and easy.
“Wouldn’t miss it. Although there is a frightful amount of humans,” he said, shooting a wry look at the room over his shoulder.
“Hush,” she admonished with a laugh. “You’re terrible.”
“And you’re glowing. I wonder why. Marcus, it’s good to see you as always. How are you liking your new position?”
“Well enough,” Marcus said shortly.
“I should never have recommended you. I promoted Stanton, but he’s nowhere near as good fun as you were.” Leo turned and saluted a nearby vampire with a raising of his glass. The vampire nodded in return. No doubt this was Stanton. Simone had to smile at her cousin’s irreverence.
Leo was much younger than she was. He had been born on earth to Simone’s aunt. Her aunt had since tragically died. At the hands of sycophants. It had affected Leo deeply. She had never been fooled by his irreverent charm and happy-go-lucky façade. Beneath it all he was a serious man who took things hard and worked tirelessly to turn every sycophant he could find into dust. He too had been an authoritarian before he had become prince. It was said that he was her natural successor, that when she decided to stop putting herself in the running, he would be the next king. He was immensely popular. A good politician. And a good man.
It was perhaps a good thing that humans and vampires had a different outlook on the things they expected from their politicians. Or rather the way they expected them. For instance, a vampire’s sex life. A vampire could be as promiscuous as he wanted to be without fear of judgment. Vampires simply lived too long to worry about things such as who was sleeping around. Only the queen, or king, was subject to public opinion as far as whom they chose as their consort. Mainly because that person became the second most important person politically in their society. His opinions and actions would clearly impact the acts and thoughts of the reigning monarch. It was important to know where they stood and if they were worthy of that kind of position. Consorts for princes were also vetted…but only if they were of the marrying kind…if the relationship was as serious as a marriage. For Simone it was whomever she was sleeping with on any kind of a regular basis.
Leo could very well express concern over seeing her in an intimate clutch with Marcus. He was very outspoken and very protective of his cousin. In the past he had always passed harsh judgment on whomever she was seeing…more like an elder brother or father than a cousin. She knew he meant well. He was concerned for her well being as well as the well being of the vampire nation. Both were equally important to him. The only thing more important was perhaps his younger sister. Half sister. Leo did not make that distinction however. Simone’s cousin Arabelle was significantly younger than Leo, having been born to his mother a century after himself…and right before she had been murdered. Leo had raised Arabelle himself. She had been an infant when her mother had died so Leo was the only parent she had known. Leo had fed her every day, had carried her in his arms as he went about his business. Only his dangerous job had separated them. It was one of the reasons why he had gone into politics. He had wanted to make a difference without risking his safety and perhaps abandoning the child he considered a daughter if he should die in the line of his very dangerous duty. Leo had become prince when Arabelle had been a young child and had held the position in London ever since. He was, in fact, the longest reigning prince in the history of their people. As a result he was well known, well trusted and well and truly the only person on the planet perhaps more popular than she was. It was one of the reasons he would make a very good king when she stepped down. He was simply waiting for her to decide when exactly she would do that. He would never run against her. As long as she wanted to reign he was in her corner. She had always treasured his devotion.
But his devotion was a double-edged sword. Would he be the first to raise the hue and cry about her relationship with Marcus? Or would he remain silent out of loyalty to them both? It was hard to tell with Leo. Would he care for her by protecting her privacy or would he care for her by revealing the potential influence and the variable that Marcus was?
She would only know if she asked him. Asking him would show her cards. If he hadn’t seen them acting intimately with one another, she would be drawing his attention to things best left buried. She cast a dirty frown in Marcus’s direction, but he was too busy stepping forward and taking Leo’s hand in his. As he shook it he stepped in and hugged his friend in that brief, impactful, back slapping way men shared. That was when she realized there was far more between them than just former employer and employee. They were friends. Close friends. The best of friends if she was reading them right. They exchanged grins along with that hug and their handshake lasted a good long time.
“It’s good to see you my friend,” Leo said.
“You as well,” Marcus said.
“I’ve missed you. Can’t seem to find another ornery bastard quite like you to take your place,” he teased.
“There are plenty of my people ready for the job. I thought I recommended Gabriel?”
“And I did promote him. But as I said, it’s not the same. I shouldn’t have let you go,” he said fondly.
“Why did you then?” Simone asked curiously. She simply hadn’t realized the sacrifice both men had made in order for Marcus to come and serve her.
“Because I wanted you protected by the best. I wanted the best on the committee. It’s as simple as that,” Leo said.
“But to put yourself distant from a great friend,” she said a bit anxiously. They had engineered this together, she realized. She didn’t know how to feel about that. She felt slightly manipulated. Especially considering the development of the closeness of their relationship. Had that been engineered as well?
“It was worth the sacrifice. I knew you would be well suited to one another,” Leo said with a smile.
Simone felt that sickly sensation grow inside of her. All along she had thought their relationship to be a spontaneous one. Had she been played? Had Leo intended for Marcus to become her lover? Had Marcus been a party to such a plan?
“We are better suited than you can imagine,” Marcus said quickly as he turned a meaningful gaze onto her. His expression told her he knew what she was thinking and his eyes warned her away from the feelings. She accepted his intentions for now, putting her sense of betrayal at bay until she could talk to him in private. She would give him a chance to defend himself. She wouldn’t pass summary judgment against him. He had earned that much at the very least.
Leo and Marcus exchanged a few more words, but she tuned them out, instead looking around the room at everyone else. She was aware of a great many eyes on her and she was glad she had kept Marcus at bay in public. She didn’t want their relationship to be under a microscope. No more than she wanted it to be constructed out of some plan between Marcus and Leo. She had no taste for either event…and the possibility of both had dulled the shine of the evening for her.
She excused herself from them after a moment, moving away and into the crowd. But Marcus didn’t let her get two steps without falling into step beside her.
“You ought to spend time with Leo,” she said, a mixture of acid and generosity in her voice. “I’m sure you have much to tell him. You are such great friends after all.”
Marcus grabbed her by her elbow and by her waist and steered her back along the wall and into another dark corner.
“I knew it. I just knew you were going to jump to conclusions about Leo’s intentions and mine. I would be offended and tell you that you ought to know me better than that, and maybe you should, but I realize that a week is not long enough to develop that kind of trust and understanding of one another. Simone, I am not the sort of man who would take a woman as a lover as part of an agenda. I cannot speak to Leo’s intentions, it never occurred to me that he might be manipulating me as well as you, but for myself…I am innocent of that kind of trickery.”
She remained tense in spite of his reassurances, but it only took a moment of looking into his sincere face and eyes for her to tell he was imparting the truth. She did know him better than that. He was a man of integrity and honor. It was one of the things that had so attracted her to him. She couldn’t pretend otherwise just because of a few words exchanged that could be taken out of context.
“Of course,” she said softly, putting her hand on his arm and squeezing. “Of course you are. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“No. You shouldn’t have,” he said with a grim frown. “But I can understand why you would have. I have watched people try to manipulate you in one way or another all night. Why should Leo or I seem any different?”
“Because he is my beloved cousin and you are…trusted,” she said, steering herself away from showing all of her emotional cards to him. Now was not the time to exchange such intimacies. Those were better left to a time when she wasn't the center of attention. “Come. I ought to mingle. You’ve taken up a great deal of my time and I wouldn’t want people to get too nosy,” she said.
Again he frowned. She couldn’t imagine why.
It never once occurred to her that she might be hurting him.