“Relax, darlin’,” Luc told the frightened woman. “I’m sure Jacob told you no one here will hurt you.” Gazing over her head, he smiled as both Abby and Damien climaxed loudly, Grace’s sudden intrusion doing nothing to dampen their pleasure. “See, they didn’t mind you watching at all. I’m Luc Preston and you’re Grace No Name.” Luc held out his hand and waited patiently for her to take it.
Grace swallowed the huge lump lodged in her throat and tentatively shook his hand, holding her breath as her small hand got lost in his huge hand. She couldn’t stifle a sigh of relief when he released her quickly then felt ridiculous when he smiled knowingly, his light brown eyes warm with humor at her obvious discomfort. “I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was looking for Abby, and then I….” she stammered to a halt as she found she couldn’t explain why she stayed and watched them instead of quietly leaving.
“Just one more thing you’re going to have to get used to around here,” Abby said from behind her, a definite bite in her tone.
Grace turned to see both of them dressed and standing directly behind her, Abby with an irritable look on her face and Damien eyeing her with a raised brow and questioning glance before he turned to smile at her.
“We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Damien LaRue and I’m happy to have you in my home. I haven’t had a chance to tell you how sorry we all are that one of our own caused you such harm. I assure you it won’t happen again under my roof. Jacob told us about your run-in with the worst of our kind. Are you all right?”
Grace hadn’t expected them to be so nice or solicitous of her feelings and found herself floundering in confusion. She wanted to hate these people, wanted to blame them as much as Mason for her trauma, but it was proving more and more difficult to maintain her anger and fear of them. “Yes, thanks to Jacob’s timely intervention.”
Sensing her unease, Abby stepped forward and took her arm. “Come on, Grace. Let’s go have another talk.”
Abby led Grace back down the hall and out onto the back terrace through the ballroom doors as she struggled to temper her anger and disappointment. She knew a relationship with Damien wasn’t going to be easy, but she hadn’t expected him to be so stubborn about not fucking her without someone else in the room. His calm, but irrevocable statement of, “It’s safer that way” just pissed her off, especially since he refused to tell her why he thought she wouldn’t be safe having sex with him alone in their room.
As if that wasn’t enough to get her ire up, she had seen the bloodlust on his face as she rode his cock, seen the desire to take her blood, something she was told only enhanced the pleasure yet he continued to deny them both that aphrodisiac. As pleased as she was at the turn of their relationship, she was frustrated at the obstacles that still kept him from claiming her fully as his mate.
“It’s too nice tonight to stay inside,” she told Grace as she sank down on a padded white wicker chair and took a deep breath of the humid air, the night sounds echoing in the bayou both familiar and comforting.
“It’s sticky and humid,” Grace complained but took a seat next to her and gazed out over the well-manicured lawn lit with bug repelling outdoor lights.
“I like it. I’m sorry you had to learn the hard way that I was telling the truth about these guys and your safety. Are you going to stay?”
Grace appreciated her blunt manner and answered her honestly. “Yes, for now. Frankly, I’m too scared at this point to do otherwise.”
“I don’t blame you. I had twenty years to get used to the reality of vampires and three years to reconcile and adjust to the fact that I’m a mate to my guardian. Not that I mind that in the least.”
Grace smiled at her, the rueful grin pulling at Abby’s mouth and the teasing glint in her bright blue eyes making Grace relax. If she was comfortable with knowing Grace had watched her and Damien fucking, then she could be also. “I’m just grateful you’re willing to mentor me, especially after I didn’t heed your advice today.” Shuddering at the memory, she admitted lowly, “I’ve never been so terrified in my life, not even when I woke in Mason’s bed and learned I was a victim of a vampire. At his worst, Mason wasn’t as scary as those creatures I faced tonight.”
“Did they have creepy bulging eyes and spittle flying from their mouths?”
“Yes. Gross! And their shuffl
ing walk was something out of a horror film. I’ll take Jacob over them any day.”
“If I wasn’t so crazy about Damien, I’d take Jacob any day too. Or Luc, or his brother, Jon, or…”
Laughing, Grace held up a hand. “I get the picture. They’re hot, I’ll give you that. But that’s not enough to make me jump into bed with him.” Absently, Grace reached up and ran her finger over the mark on her neck, the small spark of pleasure that touch wrought making her wonder what other sensations she was denying herself because of her fear and uncertainty.
“That mark says you don’t have much choice about being attracted to Jacob, but it doesn’t automatically mean you’ll fall in love with the man or want a long, very long, relationship with him. Only you can decide if that’s what you want. I would ask that you don’t give in to the sex unless you’re sure of your feelings. Jacob’s had enough heartache in his life.”
“Has he been a vampire long?”
“I’m not sure how long, but since the civil war. I know he had a fiancé, parents and siblings that he was close to. Damien was turned almost fifty years before Jacob and together they thought they had killed the vampire that made them. Now, they’re not so sure. They think she might’ve survived their attack and is behind these recent attacks.”
Grace was digesting the information that she also had to beware of an evil vampiress when a large tiger came ambling out of the bayou, walking with slow, predatory steps straight toward them. Jumping up, she stammered, “Abby, q-quick, we n-need to get inside. Where the hell did it come from?”
Laughing, Abby rose and went to meet Micah, saying over her shoulder, “Relax, Grace, they’re tame. Damien rescued them years ago.”
Grace watched in disbelief as Abby wrapped her arms around the huge tiger’s head and hugged him, then simply stared as the big cat rubbed his head all over her in affection, deep, rumbling purrs vibrating from his throat. When another tiger, this one a little smaller joined them, Grace simply sank back in her chair and wondered how many more surprises were in store for her here.
Damien waited until he heard Abby wish Grace a good-night before meeting her at the base of the stairs. He thought she would be pleased that he had finally caved to both his desires and hers, but her miffed attitude after sex earlier said otherwise. He had spent the daylight hours pacing upstairs, shut in his darkened bedroom, unable to put himself in the death sleep his body desperately needed because of his mixed feelings about fucking Abrielle.
On the one hand, sex with her last night and tonight had been more than he could have ever imagined, the pleasure so intense it took every ounce of effort on his part not to sink his aching fangs into her, completing the mating process and binding her irrevocably to him. Ironically, it was because of those very out of control, body enveloping, mind ruling sensations that he refused to allow himself to succumb to the urge to take Abby’s blood. He knew from listening to his brethren that the taste of their mate’s blood on their tongue sent them into a mindless frenzy of pure, unadulterated lust that rivaled that brought about by connecting with the woman whose mark responded to theirs. Between the heightened sensations brought on by the combination of both draws, he couldn’t keep from fearing a relapse of control, couldn’t keep the image of that young girl that lay dead underneath him after he had been driven beyond conscious choice from being replaced with the image of Abby’s lifeless body.
After hours of contemplation, he had decided having Abby close, being able to touch her as well as keep her safe and being able to enjoy the exalted pleasure of fucking the one woman meant for him on a regular basis was enough for him. It was more than he had ever had or thought he would have. Considering it was only a few short weeks ago he was still planning on meeting the dawn after the rest of his brethren were settled happily with their mates to now looking forward to many long years of having Abby by his side, he figured he had come a long way. Why risk what they had, the pleasure they were already able to indulge safely in to risk losing everything for the selfish indulgence of wanting more?
“Abby, wait a minute,” Damien stopped her before she could follow Grace upstairs.