Catch

Chapter Nine

The clack of the whip still echoed in my head as I sat bolt upright in bed. Sweat rolled off my skin and soaked the sheets. I blinked a few times and took in my surroundings.

Big wooden furniture, four-poster bed, the couch Tane had sat on. He’d been upset.

My shoulders unknotted; I was in his nest, safe, not with Luckard. With a deep, shuddering breath, I flopped back onto the pillows. Rurik lay next to me, oblivious. He couldn’t comfort me. Not that he wouldn’t want to but because the sun had risen. Even if the house burned like an inferno, he’d lay here and burn with it. So would all the vampires in this nest.

It was one of the reasons they needed us. Food, security, and I think some preferred our love. I rolled on my side and stared at Rurik’s profile.

Perfect nose and cheek structure, he could model for GQ or have any woman he wanted. He chose me. Penniless, no direction, mortal Connie.

I sighed. The nightmares would stalk me if I fell asleep again and I’d seen enough of Luckard for one lifetime. I jumped out of bed and hit the shower. Dried and dressed in a towel, I stood in the middle of the bedroom. What the hell was I going to wear? My tattered dress still lay on the bathroom floor covered in old blood.

Lifting Rurik’s pants off the ground, I glance his way. Not like he’d need them at the moment. I slipped them on and used a curtain tie as a makeshift belt then rolled the hem a few times. And rolled them again. Damn, moments like this made me realize how short I was. With a quiet growl, I snatched a shirt he borrowed from a guard off the coffee table and pulled it over my head. It came to my knees. Double damn.

Fresh air sounded like a great idea. Sunshine could chase away the willies my nightmare left behind except where did I find it? I stomped to the door and was thrilled when it opened. I half expected it to be locked.

By the doorframe I noticed an intercom. I stuck my head out the door and checked both ways. The place looked deserted. Should I buzz for help? I really didn’t feel like talking to anyone and they might deny me access outside. Screw it, I closed the door and took a right.

When I got to the next right, Gwen waited for me. She ran Tane’s security and helped rescue us from Luckard.

I stopped in my tracks.

Leaning her shoulder against the wall, she examined her fingernails. “Where are you going?”

“Outside.” I suddenly flashed back to my grandmother doing a similar thing when she’d caught me sneaking out one night. Gwen reduced me to feeling ten again.

“Anywhere particular?”

“No, I want some fresh air.”

She nodded. “Follow me.” Turning down the hallway she’d come from, Gwen led me farther from my room. She pointed to a staircase to the right. “If you follow those it will take you to the main kitchen. A cook is always present. We follow a flexible meal schedule since some of the humans prefer to stay on their vampire’s sleeping patterns.

What are your habits, so I can relay them to the staff?”

I knew Tane’s home needed to be big, but this exceeded my expectations and imagination. “Ahh, I don’t have a schedule. I eat when I’m hungry and what’s available.”

It was true. Working with Colby broke any of my meal habits, living with Rurik made sure I didn’t develop any.

“Are you hungry now?” She quirked an eyebrow my way. Her long brown hair still remained pulled back tight in a braid to her ass and a holstered gun hung from her belt.

“Sure, I could use some coffee.”

She didn’t go to the kitchen staircase though, she continued down the hall which opened onto a huge landing. Another wide set of stairs led to a lobby made of shiny black marble. Windows lined the walls and sunlight poured in. I glimpsed green leaves and some red flowers through them.

With a slight skip to my step, I passed Gwen and descended to the door.

She touched my elbow and stopped my progress. “That’s only the front drive.” With a lift of her chin, she gestured to the left corridor. “I want to take you to the gardens. It’s shaded and has chairs.”

I nodded. Sounded like a great idea.

Lifting a radio from her belt, she turned it on. “Dinner for two in the gardens.” Then returned it to the belt and glanced at me. “Coffee is not food.”

The garden grew next to the house. I twisted around and examined the ancient stone building we just exited. Not a house, a freaking mansion. “Wow.” It stood at least three stories high in this section, but I could see it rose higher as it got closer to the small mountain behind it.

“Master Tane houses a large family.”

“Master?” The title irked my American nature.

Gwen ignored me and led us down a flagstone path to a large natural swimming hole. The elegant landscaped garden kept its original jungle vegetation yet it appeared tame. More than one sitting area surrounded the stone-lined pool.

I stood at the edge and stared into the water. The bottom held what looked like sand and I didn’t see any fish or plants. A low waterfall filled the pool and it emptied via a stream at the other end. Large leaves of tropical bushes drooped to touch the water in some places so I could see the slow current as it eddied around them. I stuck my fingers in the cool, clear water. “I think I died and went to heaven.” My whisper went unheard since Gwen already sat at the far end of the pool area at a table.

She poured coffee from a carafe she’d taken from a tray waiting for us.

The strong smell of Brazilian coffee drifted in my direction. I stood and wiped my wet fingers on Rurik’s slacks. They’d dry before he’d need them back.

“Cream?” Gwen asked as I approached the table.

I saw pastries, cheese, salad and a plate of thin slices of roast beef. My stomach somersaulted in delight. “Yes.” I took the offered cup then filled my plate.

Gwen joined me.

“Tane sure knows how to live.” I cut into the meat.

“Master Tane is very generous.” She eyed me from across the table. “You need to get use to addressing him by that title.”

I snorted then bit into my supper.

She set her half-eaten pastry on the plate. “I don’t understand. You are aware of the bond you share with him?”

“Vividly.” I sipped the coffee and closed my eyes to savor the flavor. “I don’t see a collar and tag around my neck, so I’m nobody’s bitch.”

“You don’t like him.”

“No shit.” I hated him. He wrecked everything. I opened my eyes and finished off my defenseless meal.

“Why did you agree to the bond?”

I choked on a mouthful of salad. My cheeks burned with embarrassment as little bits flew from my mouth and landed between us on the table. “I-I…” Grabbing the cup of coffee, I washed down the rest of my bite. “I never agreed to anything. He forced it on me.” The cup rattled as I slammed it down.

She sipped her drink and watched me. “I find that hard to believe. Some of Dragos’

cronies maybe, but not my Master. He allowed Rurik to keep you since he is so fond of him. It’s a mark of favor.”

My meal sunk like a lead anchor. Tane had that effect on me. He twisted the truth and made himself look a martyr. “I don’t see much of a difference between Dragos and Tane. One crazy Nosferatu took the place of another.”

She shook her head. “Then you never knew Dragos.”

“I got closer to him than I ever wanted to.” The skin on my neck tingled where he’d bitten me eighteen months ago. I rubbed it with my fingers. Dragos almost drained every last drop of my blood. I would have died if not for the bond.

“Dragos’ rein became lax over the last century. He ignored those who broke the laws and also broke a few himself.” She set her coffee cup on the table. “I should know. It was my job to clean up evidence.” The amber of her eyes darkened as she stared at nothing, lost in the past.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. “Do you mind if I take a walk around the garden?”

“No, I’ll accompany you.”

Not that I minded her presence, but I needed sometime alone to think. “It’s all right, Gwen. I’m sure you have more important things to do.”

“Actually, no. I’ve been assigned as your bodyguard. You’re the most important thing I have to do.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a half-hearted smile.

The urge to reach across the table and smack it off her face burned in my shoulders.

“If I said ‘no’ would it make a difference?”

“I have my orders and you don’t sign my paycheck.”

“Why the hell does Tane want to protect me?” The question bypassed my brain-mouth filter.

She rose from her chair. “I know. What a cad, trying to keep you safe.”

The sarcasm wasn’t lost on me. I stood and saw a stone-pebbled path that led deeper into the jungle-like garden. “That’s not my point. We don’t exactly like each other. I think he’d be relieved if I disappeared.”

Gwen’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? That’s quite a dynamic you two have going on.”

She rubbed her chin and followed me as I walked to the path. “Since Tane has taken over he’s tightened the reins and leads with an iron fist. He has returned to older ways of secrecy, and introduced some newer concepts to his people. Living with and caring for humans who have decided to commit their lives to them has been… encouraged.” She walked beside me now.

I laughed. “So he needs to set an example and take very good care of me.” That must gnaw at his balls. As we walked through the jungle paradise, I kept giggling to myself every once in a while. The irony tickled me and being bone weary, also made me a little silly.

“Stop that.” Gwen rounded on me.

I stumbled back a step into a large leaf fern.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe he cares. Did you ever consider the possibility?”

Ick. “I’ve seen how he takes care of those close to him. He may have a fancy home and people may flock to him, but it doesn’t mean he cares.” I always hated the way Tane had addressed Eric, as if he’d been a servant. Loved ones didn’t give commands.

With a shake of my curls, I brushed past Gwen and continued walking higher up the mountain. My little stroll became a hike. “Crap, I’m tired, and my feet are killing me.”

I’d been barefoot, not being able to wear Rurik’s shoes and losing my high heels the other night. “Let’s go back.”

“Wait.” Gwen grabbed my arm and stopped my turn. “I smell something wrong.”

A chill shot from the base of my spine to my shoulders. Stiff backed, I twisted from side to side and tried to find a scent. Nothing unusual troubled my nose. Flowers, plants and dirt all registered. “I don’t smell it.”

“You wouldn’t.” She let my arm go then brought her face close to the ground as if sniffing a trail.

I blinked, opened my mouth to ask what the hell she was doing, but snapped it shut.

As a blood slave of a Nosferatu vampire ruler, standing on the side of a small mountain in Brazil, Gwen smelling the dirt really shouldn’t surprise me.

A handgun appeared in her hand and she motioned for me to get down.

I didn’t need to be asked twice, I dropped to my stomach and waited. Lightheaded from the sudden move, I stared at one of the pebbles on the path. An ant crawled on top of it as if on a hill. I could relate.

Gwen crept soundlessly through the underbrush. I didn’t know if I should follow.

Allowing Rurik to hunt me for fun this past year taught me to be quiet. I could move like her if I concentrated and didn’t let fear rule me.

One step at a time, I inched forward. Move a leaf, check for things that might creak, step, then repeat. So focused on the jungle floor, I almost got up-close-and-personal with Gwen’s ass.

Still as stone, she studied something on the ground in front of her.

I twisted to look at the path. We’d gone about thirty feet from it.

“You can stand.” Gwen rose with fluid ease and returned the firearm to its holster.

“She’s been dead a while. The killer is long gone.”

What? I shoved past her and regretted it. A young woman lay in a shallow grave.

Bits and pieces of her missing, some of the wildlife must have been snacking. Her long brown hair braided in hundreds of thin strands and twisted into a complicated knot on her head. It appeared as if she’d been dressed to go out somewhere fancy. Her dress and heels seemed intact, but her eyes were gone.

My stomach heaved without warning.

Gwen yanked me away from the body so I wouldn’t desecrate it. “Come on, I need to get you someplace safe then take care of this mess.”

I wiped my chin with the back of my hand. Breakfast didn’t taste as good the second time around. “Will Tane let the police in here?”

“For this? No.” Gwen shook her head and still held my arm as she guided me back to the path. “Whoever did it will get punished though, if not killed. He has no tolerance for murder, there’s no need for it.”

The radio on her belt squealed.

I jumped as if Satan had pinched my ass and I might have wet Rurik’s pants just a bit.

She lifted it to her mouth and spoke in Portuguese. I understood enough to make out the words blood and truck. Her frown deepened and she raised her voice while gesturing with her free hand.

I glanced back at the jungle where the body lay. The rays of the setting sun were fading behind the mountain. Zombie movie flashbacks wreaked havoc on my nerves.

“This would be a perfect setting for horror movie. All we need is a full moon.”

“That’s the last thing I need, Connie. Let’s go.” She took my hand and led me downhill at a quick pace.

“Is a blood delivery here?” My words came out between pants.

“I thought you didn’t speak Portuguese?”

“My vocabulary is good, but I can’t string them into sentences. I’m blonde, not stupid.” The mansion peeked between the leaves of the trees.

“There are too many vampires here for our humans to feed them safely. Most won’t be happy to drink cold blood, yet it will have to do.”

“Why are there so many?” It didn’t make sense to gather in numbers. Like Gwen said, supply and demand wouldn’t work.

“When Master Tane disappeared, many came to help with the search. They’ll be leaving tonight after the party.”

“A party?”

She stopped and stared at me. “Rurik didn’t tell you. I explained it to him last night after he’d fed.”

“He got distracted.” What an understatement.

“You need to attend.”

“No, I don’t.”

“Word is spreading about your bond to Master Tane. He’ll require your presence, a show of solidarity.” She stepped very close and glared down her nose at me. “This isn’t up for negotiations.”

I swallowed around a dry lump in my throat. “Okay.”

She nodded and stepped back. “Let’s get you settled so you can get ready for tonight.”

“What about the body?’

“What body?”