N. Walters - Damek's Redemption

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” the other said. The sound of locks being opened reached her ears and their voices faded as they entered the apartment. That was too close for comfort.

“Come.” Damek hurried her toward the elevator and she wasn’t surprised when the doors slid open the moment they stepped in front of them. They stepped inside and he pressed the button for the lobby. In no time they left the building and slid into the waiting limo.

Jerome pulled away, heading back toward her family home in Queens. She released a deep breath. “More hunters.”

“Yes.” He carefully set the books aside and reached for her. She went into his arms easily, loving how they felt around her. “We will watch and study them. As long as they are no threat to us we will leave them be.”

Sonia wasn’t certain that was the right thing to do but kept her own counsel for now. If any of the information they discovered might be helpful to The Keepers, she would convince Damek to pass it along to them.

When he kissed her, she forgot all about the hunters and her family waiting for them. There was only Damek. Their lips touched and tongues met and she lost herself in the heat between them.

His hand slid up her thigh to cup her butt as he deepened their kiss. Wanting to feel his hard flesh beneath his clothing, she flicked open the buttons on his shirt and found the sculpted muscles beneath it.

He settled her more securely in his lap so she was facing him and pulled her close until her pelvis was pressed against his erection. She broke their kiss, gasping for air. Her body still thought it was human and she didn’t mind. It was kind of freaky to think about not needing to actually breathe.

“I think we should see more of the city. Maybe drive around Central Park.” His hand slipped under her blouse and found her breast. He shoved her bra down and teased the pert nipple.

“Excellent idea.” No way could she wait until they got back to her apartment. With her luck, her family would catch them coming in and they’d have to spend more time at the party. And she needed Damek. Now.

He reached out and pressed the intercom button. “Drive around the city until I say otherwise.”

“Yes, sir.” Sonia could hear the slight laughter in Jerome’s voice and knew he was plenty aware of what was going on back here even though the privacy screen was firmly in place. Then Damek kissed her again and she didn’t care.

He teased her lips with kisses and then carefully raked his teeth over her jaw, raising goose bumps on her skin. “Now where was I?” He stripped her blouse off, tossed it aside and unhooked her bra, drawing it away from her body. It joined her blouse on the seat beside them. He cupped her bare breasts and smiled at her, flashing some sexy fang. “Ah, now I remember.”

Sonia’s laugh quickly turned to a gasp and it was a long, long time before they made their way back to her apartment.

Sonia smiled at Byron as she walked into Inhibitions. She couldn’t say she enjoyed it here, but she was getting used to it. The place was hopping, the music pounding, people dancing and liquor flowing. A hundred heartbeats echoed in her head and she could smell the faint tang of blood on the air.

“Evening, ma’am.” No matter how often she told him to call her Sonia, Byron insisted on being more formal with her. All the staff treated her as if she were made of gold and needed to be protected.

She glanced down at the huge diamond on her left hand and smiled. They’d gotten married in a small, intimate ceremony just two weeks ago, with only her immediate family in attendance. She still couldn’t believe they were married. Damek had stunned his staff when he’d informed them, and since then they’d all been extremely courteous and careful around her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it and hoped they’d lighten up over time.

She was still waiting to hear her new husband say those three little words, still waiting for him to tell her he loved her. But the ring on her finger was a solid commitment, a statement. A vampire as old as Damek didn’t convert and marry a woman if he didn’t care deeply for her, maybe even love her. She held tight to that thought every day.

Sonia had come to accept that he might never be able to make himself vulnerable enough to admit his feelings for her. He’d spent far too many years alone, her vampire, too many years of having no one to depend on, no one he could trust.

Things were different now. She had his back and always would. Maybe after a few hundred years or so he’d truly start to believe that and let down his guard.

She grinned. It was still startling to think in those terms. She was going to live for a long, long time. Her husband might think he was stubborn, but she was an Agostino and could out-stubborn a donkey. She would eventually wear Damek down and have him professing his love on bended knee. The image almost made her laugh. She couldn’t imagine her proud vampire down on his knees, but it was something to shoot for.

“Hi, Byron. The boss in his office?” She already knew the answer to that but tried to keep up the façade of being human as best she could. She tried not to come here when it was so busy. Although she’d gained great control over her new vampire abilities, being around all these beating hearts and hearing the blood rushing through their veins made her hungry. Bloodlust hammered at her, causing her fangs to elongate.

She kept her mouth closed, not wanting to frighten everyone. She damned her lack of control and wondered if she’d ever find it again. She hated being a prisoner to her hunger.

“He sure is. You go on back.” He stuck out his huge arm to keep a patron from bumping into her and for that she was grateful.

She swallowed hard and started toward the office, keeping her head down and her eyes on the floor. She felt him before she saw him. Damek. His strong, protective arm came around her and he quickly guided her through the thrumming masses and into his office. She breathed a sigh of relief when the door shut behind them.

“You should have told me you were coming earlier,” he gently scolded. He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “You push yourself too hard. You have remarkable command of your base instincts for one so newly made. Most vampires as young as you would have lured a patron to a dark corner and probably drained him dry.”

“I just hate feeling like this.” And she hated whining. She was alive and was very grateful for that. The rest would come in time.

“I know.” He flicked open the top three buttons of his shirt and exposed the long, strong column of his neck. Hunger erupted and she surged forward, sinking her fangs into his flesh. His blood flowed into her mouth, hot and potent. She drank greedily for several long seconds before she realized what she’d done.

She made a small sound of distress in the back of her throat and started to withdraw, but Damek’s hand cupped the back of her head, holding her to him. “Drink, my love. Let me provide what you need.”

Two tears trailed down her cheeks as she continued to drink. He always seemed to know what she needed even before she did and readily provided it without hesitation. He showed her a hundred times a day, in a hundred little ways how much he loved her. It was wrong of her to want more when he already gave so much.

Her love for Damek filled her to overflowing, but she wished she weren’t so needy, so dependent on him. It wasn’t fair to him.

She eased her fangs out and ran her tongue over the pinpricks, closing them. Carefully, she fastened his buttons and straightened his collar.

“Sonia.” Damek cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger and tipped her face up. “So precious.” He leaned down and caught one tear on his tongue. “Don’t be so sad, my love. You are too hard on yourself. You have come so far in such a short time.”