Page 23

TWENTY-THREE

Micha

My driver opened the car door for Ashley. “Thank you, I’ll take it from here,” I told him. The man was a lower-class demon. Quiet, but efficient, and well-practiced in keeping people away. Josiah and I had kept a low profile but there was always the occasional photographer, or in my case, a desperate woman who’d felt scorned after I’d used her and tossed her away.

“What are we doing now?” Ashley asked before entering.

I rested my hand on the edge of the vehicle, caging her in. “You are going home.”

The penthouse suite of a luxury boutique hotel awaited her arrival and would be our home until the end of the initial term of the contract we’d both signed. Afterward, when she realized there was no escape, I’d move her into my penthouse.

She’d completely forgotten about me and entered an arrangement with Isaac. It was all I could do to contain my fury. Her wary gaze and measured steps told me she knew I was on edge, careful to be utterly compliant. She hadn’t looked a single guest in the eye on our way out, and she ignored a blonde woman’s farewell, letting me shepherd her from the establishment with zero fanfare.

The pain I felt was unreasonable; I knew that logically, but common sense wasn’t winning. The way I felt about her was irrational and deeper than anything I’d felt for my ex-girlfriend, Anna from long ago.

She had been the love of my life—or so I thought. Her life was ended by men other than me when she was caught feeding on children. Later, I found out she had been engaging in the despicable behavior for a while and utilizing magic to hide her vice from me. Kids were off-limits to all beings and stealing from them the highest form of theft. If others hadn’t beaten me to it, the thrust of the blade would’ve come from me.

While Ashley was a thief, she wasn’t cruel. Sure, her use of immature social media slang and whatnot pissed me off in the past. And yes, she could be scatterbrained, leaving messes behind at her workstation in the form of coffee cups and other odds and ends.

But she was it for me. The brightness of her spirit called to me, her love of life, and her adventurous spirit touched me on a daily basis, making me feel a little lighter, a little less burdened.

Josiah and I had been stuck in a rut for a long time, building Ipomoea into what it was today. It was time for me to live again. Ashley would be a big part of that and anything that interfered would be torn down, literally.

“What?” My angel glanced at me.

“Get in.” I nodded at her. “I have some quick business to attend to. Stay in the car.”

The first thing I had to do was get rid of the parasite I’d witnessed her entertaining. He was in the club again; we’d passed him on our way out. He’d touched her.

That was not allowed.

Closing the door firmly behind Ashley, I unbuttoned my suit jacket and strode back inside, breezing past the receptionist.

Once I got to the main room, I passed several tables until I found my mark and set myself down right beside him.

“Excuse me? Do I know you?” Irritation flashed in his eyes as he slid his beverage closer to his chest. The vampire probably thought I was about to poison him.

Cruelly smiling at him, I replied, “That won’t be necessary, gorgeous.”

I had to wonder if he remembered paying my Ashley that same compliment. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and his lips slid into a smile before he answered. “Would you like to get out of here, handsome?”

After I plucked his cup away and swallowed the contents, I said, “That sounds like a good idea. Shall we?” I stood up and held out my hand, the man following.

Lust, thick and heady, weaved around him in a thick curtain. It was unnecessary to make sure he trailed behind me; his aura told me everything I needed to know.

Once we stepped outside, I cupped his cheek. “I can’t wait for you, come,” I said gesturing toward the side of the building. As we walked down the sidewalk, I glanced at my car. The windows were heavily tinted, but I could sense Ashley’s perusal, her insistent gaze. She’d find out very soon the lengths I’d go to keep her safe.

We tucked down a garbage-strewn alley, discarded wrappers and other filth sticking to the bottom of my shoe. If my woman didn’t understand the depths of my feelings for her yet, she’d soon learn of my sacrifices. My favorite shoes would see the inside of a bin the second we got home.

Placing my hands on the vampire’s chest, I massaged his pecs, my lips skirting his cheekbone. His spirit wasn’t nearly as tasty as a human’s so after a single inhalation, I ceased drinking him in. Besides, it wasn’t the point.

He began grinding against me, his erection digging into my thigh as his want rose. Clasping his neck, I drew him nearer, pressing my cheek against his.

My fingers fumbled with his belt buckle as he began panting, blinded by his desire for me. He wasn’t quite as attractive as most vampires were, so I imagined this was a special treat for him.

Despite my disguise, I ensured I still had the countenance of a god.

When I tucked my hand down his pants, he gasped, his dick throbbing in my palm. “Shh, shh,” I coaxed him, as his exhalations grew louder.

My canines descended at my urging while my mouth filled with saliva. It was rare me or Josiah fed on a vampire, and the blood was uniquely tasty. Moving my lips to the column of his neck the same time I increased my grip on his now moist organ, I bit.

My teeth sank deeply into his flesh, severing his jugular veins and releasing a warm flood into my mouth. The man cried out and I twisted his cock, hard.

His arms flailed as his mouth stretched into a scream, shattering the stillness of the alleyway and joining the cacophony of distant sirens. He was pressed against the brick wall, struggling against my hold until his body began to go limp. When I had my fill, I released him, letting his body fall to the oil and dirt slicked ground.

He whimpered, his eyelids fluttering, and then I crouched beside him, letting my fingernails grow.

“Why?” he asked, his voice barely intelligible.

My laugh echoed, low and dark. “Because I wanted to.” No point mentioning Ashley, he didn’t deserve her being his last thought.

Thrusting my fingers into his chest, I pulled out his stuttering heart, coating my hand and wrist with his blood and scraps of his flesh. He blinked; pure panic reflected at me as I chomped into the organ as if it were a piece of fruit.

Leaving it clenched in my teeth; I found a relatively clean bit of material on his shirt and ripped the garment to wipe my hands down. They remained stained, but it was the best I could do.

After taking a few more bites, I tossed my meal in a dumpster as I passed it by. Ashley was waiting for me.

The car was idling by the curb at the center of the block and life went on around me as if nothing had happened. Normally, I would’ve called in a clean-up crew to make sure my activities were erased. I didn’t bother this time. As it was, the headlines had been screaming about a serial killer terrorizing the Northeast for a couple years; it’d be attributed to that, I was certain.

“What happened to you?” Ashley asked, her eyes wide.

My nailbeds contained congealing blood and rust-colored stains marred the backs of my hands. “No one messes with or touches what is mine,” I replied.

She shrunk back against the seat, watching me out of the corner of her eye. “What does that mean? What did you do?”

“I took out the garbage. Mason,” I addressed the driver. “The car will need a deep cleaning.”

“Yes, sir,” he responded.

Ashley stared out the window. “What will you expect of me? I did read the agreement, but I was wondering how this was going to be.”

“You’ll remain in my care with the exception of your required shifts at Angels. I am employed and expected to fulfill my duties in office. While I am away, you are to stay indoors, in the apartment. Everything will be provided for you so there is no reason you should have to go anywhere. Should something come up, you may call me. I have a cellphone waiting for you at home.”

“Will I have my own room?” she asked, her voice low.

“No.” Watching her reaction to my answer, I felt and saw her trepidation. Her mind must’ve been spinning with a multitude of possibilities, and I couldn’t stop from smirking.

Finally, I had the woman in the palm of my hand—I owned her, no less. There was nothing she could do to stop me from taking what I wanted from her. Matthew was known for talking about “choice”, but little did anyone realize that agreement equaled permission in his world, for almost everything. Even better, Ashley had signed in blood. We were a part of each other now, even if on a minor level.

Eventually, I’d pour my blood in her mouth. The sooner, the better. My angel wasn’t going anywhere I didn’t want her to.

The vehicle pulled up in front of the hotel and Mason opened the door letting me out first, and then Ashley. Her head tilted up, taking in the towering building. “We’re on the top floor,” I told her.

“What about my stuff? From home, I mean. I have things there. My clothes and stuff.”

Placing my arm at her lower back, I lead her forward and we passed through the front doors before stepping inside the dedicated elevator in the far corner of the lobby. “As stated in the contract, everything is provided for you. You have no need of those things.”

The lift began ascending. “You do realize I have sentimental items that I might want with me for the month, right?”

My chest rose and fell. “I’ll arrange something.”

“No, I want to get them myself. How do you know what I want?”

I whirled on her, and her heels hit the wall before I caged her in, an arm on either side of her head. “You think I don’t know you? I know everything about you.”

Ashley sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes lowering to my lips. It was all I could do to regulate my breathing as the scent of her desire rose around us. A wisp of her red aura trickled upward between us, telling me she was carnally affected by my proximity.

She fucking wanted Isaac, not me .

Leaning in, I pressed my lips against her neck, nipping and kissing. Her arms hung limply by her sides as she fought her desire for the new man in her life. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her pulse racing along her veins. When I concentrated, I could hear the dual symphonies. Her body was playing melodic tunes just for me.

For Isaac .

I reached down and bunched her skirt around her waist, moving it out of my way to trace the seam of her underwear. She squirmed against me, her hips swaying back and forth, desperate to escape.

My knuckles brushed against her bare skin as I peeled the lace down, then traced a finger against her lips, cupping her mound. She whimpered and gasped when my mouth moved lower, my teeth scraping her collarbone, then the swell of her breast. Her skin was heating, and the fragrance of her lust made my head spin.

The palm of my hand grew moist as her body bent to my will and I plunged a long finger inside her. Ashley cried out, her back arching, crushing her chest to mine.

We’d arrived at the penthouse floor, but her thighs were shaking, and my hand was soaked. My fangs were scratching the flesh of her shoulder lightly, and I didn’t want to move, to let this moment pass.

I was lust drunk, my cock pressed to her belly and straining for her. I could practically taste her sweet blood through her skin, and I wanted to bite into her, consume her, force her to be a part of me.

Instead, I tugged her skirt back down. Blocking her from moving, I tilted her chin up to look at me. Lifting the finger covered in her juices, I raised it to my mouth and licked it clean. Her pupils were dilated, the crimson mist of her aura surrounding her. My head still buzzed, my ears ringing. But I could still hear her intake of breath.

“Come,” I instructed her, motioning her to move forward as the doors opened.

Her legs almost gave out and I held her up, guiding her from the lift. Ashley smoothed her hair back, tucking the tresses behind her ears as we stepped into the white marble hallway. I couldn’t hold the laugh at bay as she swatted my arm away when we crossed the floor to the main entry.

She cast a gaze at me and went back to swiveling her head, taking in the vast ceiling and oversized flower arrangement on a thick table in the center.

The doors slid open to the suite and her eyes widened, peering at the bank of twenty-foot-tall windows. The view of Central Park was spectacular from here, the ponds glistening like gems in the sunlight, surrounded by a sea of green.

As I expected, she’d gone straight to the window. I knew she’d love the view; she wasn’t so jaded she’d demand it as so many others would. There was nothing artificial about the girl, no pretense.

Ashley was still trembling slightly when I walked over to the window. “It's beautiful,” I said, and nodded at the view. “Just like you.”

She gave me a tight-lipped smile. “So, what now?” She was clearly uncomfortable over her unrestrained reaction to me.

“Look around. See where everything is. This is your home for the next thirty days.” Afterward, her home would be elsewhere with me. She’d find that out when the time came.

My cell phone rang as soon as she left the window and began exploring the massive suite. The ten thousand square feet took up the entire top floor of the hotel. There was plenty of room to roam, which was exactly what I did when Josiah’s name glowed on the screen.

My first thought was he’d discovered my subterfuge, and he was calling to threaten me with annihilation or some other, ridiculous action he wouldn’t dare complete.

Not that it mattered if he tried, nothing would come between me and what was mine.

Ashley started down a hallway as I answered. “Someone other than you is in your office,” Josiah said, his voice guarded.

“Yes, that would be Dashiell. I told you about him previously.” Josiah had responded to that text message with an emoji. “You responded. Or perhaps someone else had your phone.”

“Is everything all right?” He asked.

“Yes. Dashiell has been doing very well, or he wouldn’t be permitted to assist.” Seriously, the man should know better than to question my judgment.

“Mm,” my best friend hummed. “Keep an eye on him. Della and I should be returning in about six weeks.”

At first, the absence of the man didn’t affect me much. When you’ve been alive for hundreds of years, time became inconsequential; you never ran out of the valued commodity. Eternity blended together in many ways. But now, it irritated me. Josiah had gotten everything he ever wanted and had no second thoughts about leaving me at the helm and assuming I’d lead.

“I do have other interests besides sitting in an office all day.” The sound of Ashley opening multiple doors reached me, despite the distance between us. She’d be in our bedroom, soon.

Josiah sighed and I could hear him moving about whatever space he was in. “Yes, I realize that. Thank you for your dedicated service. I must not express my appreciation often enough. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have this time away. So, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I do trust Dashiell; he has a sharp mind and a keen eye.” The door to our room snicked shut. Was Ashley about to change or shower? My jaw ached, thinking about her damp, fragrant skin. “Do you have anything else?”

“Yes, I do. Ipomoea has been invited to a gala, and I need you to attend in my stead. One week’s time. Make an appearance; it’s good for networking. I’ll email you the details.”

After we hung up, I made a beeline for the bedroom.