“Slow down!” Simone insisted as she reinserted herself beneath his arm and took on his weight once more. “This isn’t a race, Marcus,” she admonished softly.
“I want you as far away from this place as possible,” he said. Then, realizing he was talking loudly, he again pulled away from her. “There are probably cameras here on the lobby level. We have to walk as if nothing is wrong outside of the fact a bomb has gone off and given us a fright.” She allowed him the withdrawal and they made their way quickly to the sidewalk. But where a crowd of building tenants were gathering and facing the building, chatting in short panicked bursts, trying to glean information from one another about what was happening. After all, New Yorkers had a thing about explosions in high rises. Was it a terrorist attack? If so, why attack their building? What importance did it have?
Marcus didn’t lean on her as they exited the building. Instead he walked beside her with his arm draped casually over her shoulders as a lover might do. He pulled her in for a possessive kiss on her temple, completing the picture of them being just a normal couple thrust into a nightmare like everyone else.
Only they didn’t hang around the crowd looking up at the building. They walked right through it and down the rest of the way to vampire central. They didn’t know where her guard detail was, but he imagined they would eventually come back to vampire central with their tails between their legs and their heads hung in shame. They would no doubt assume the explosion had something to do with their disappearing boss…and they would be right. Marcus only texted one of them ordering them to return to vampire central, rather then letting them search the building fruitlessly for their queen. He didn’t bother to explain all that had happened. He would save that for later.
In the end it wasn’t their fault. Marcus and Simone had been the ones to slip their detail. They had left them behind and had almost paid the price for it. Marcus could hardly take them to task for obeying a command from their queen. Or maybe he could. They were supposed to take care of her…whether she wanted it or not.
Regardless, they had to assess the damage. Marcus followed Simone to the infirmary on the 29th floor, only protesting slightly as she insisted he sit on the exam table and let the doctor look at him. Their infirmary was more like a small hospital. It took up the entire floor. They had all the latest and best in diagnostic equipment and healing resources, although they rarely had a need for them. Then again, most vampires who came into the infirmary were critical and in need of acute care. There wasn't exactly much that could qualify them as getting ‘sick’ otherwise. They healed from minor injuries so rapidly most didn’t even bother with the infirmary.
But in spite of their advanced healing processes, they couldn’t heal from anything and everything quickly and without assistance. Healing took care and energy…energy that must be fed in order for the vampire to keep out of torpor. For, once a vampire entered this coma-like state, they were less likely to revive without outside interference. After all, it was unlikely that a clean human resource would accidentally fall onto a vampire that was in a coma-like state so he could feed and come out of torpor.
No. Even vampires needed help from time to time. The infirmary was there to provide it without worry of raising the curiosity of the human medical field.
Marcus did not need all that much convincing that he should let a doctor look at him. He felt horrible and his body was peppered with shrapnel…shrapnel in the form of vampire bones. Correction, sycophant bones. That poison that pervaded them was now leeching into his system. The sooner it was removed the better.
It was an hour and many stitches later before he could consider himself healed enough to get to work. He was battered and bruised from the percussive force of the explosion and bone had been pulled out of nearly forty places on his body. His ears were still ringing, although nowhere near as badly as they had been. He ignored all of Simone’s protests that he should rest and called a meeting of all of the high-ranking authoritarians they had.
They had authoritarians inserted in the police force of the city, placing them in the most useful positions in order to keep abreast of all of the areas in which humans and vampires mixed. They also had a human resource in the form of Renee Holden, the homicide detective for the precinct who was obviously read in on e-vamps. Through these resources they would be kept aware of how things were unfolding in the human world.
All signs of vampire and sycophant involvement would dissolve into the night probably before anyone could find the bodies. Humans were a generally cautious lot and would take time before they walked into a scene where there might potentially be more explosives. Usually a dead vampire body disappeared within five minutes. Less, actually. Every last hair and every last spot of blood would be gone. There would be no clue they had even been there. So they didn’t have to worry about that.
The queen was worried about more personal things. The couple they were intended to meet for example. She wanted to know if they were dead. She was assuming so, but held out a small hope that they weren't. Only Renee or another resource could tell her that. Also, this meant that they had not hunted and her usual resource for that week was no longer available, so she would have to improvise.
These were smaller problems. Marcus was worried about the bigger picture. He was worried about the fact that she had been brazenly targeted…and that the sycophants had known enough about her habits to predict where they could attack her.
It turned out there had been a total of five sycophants and the two vampires in the hall sent to extract the queen. That was quite a large source of sycophants. The queen had taken out the others before he had entered and helped with the last ones. Her ability to take care of herself impressed itself upon him. She was no easy target. He could depend on her to do her part.
He couldn’t allow her to hunt however. Not until they could make it safe for her. That meant they had to act quickly. She would begin to fade if she didn’t have a resource for energy. That left it up to Marcus. He had to provide for her. He had to hunt and bring the energy to her. She would then feed from him and take a share for herself. It wasn't the ideal choice, but it was the choice that best protected her.
Marcus didn’t waste time. He hunted as soon as he was able to be seen in public without having to explain a limp or the stitches on his face. That took about a day. The stitches were removed and all signs of a limp were gone by the next evening. He was as healthy as he ever had been…save for some residual soreness. So, he hunted. And he brought himself into the queen's presence the next evening right after the hunt.
He approached her as she stood gazing out of the windows into the black night at the array of lights from the buildings surrounding them. Since they were higher than most they had the best view, and unobstructed view toward central park from that particular spot. But he suspected she wasn't seeing anything beyond the window. As she toyed with her necklace at the base of her throat, it seemed she was staring at her reflection more than she was what was beyond it.
He came up beside her and touched her shoulder. She gave a start, making him realize just how lost in thought she really had been. He reached out and caressed her cheek and she gave the slightest of smiles and turned her face into the touch. She sighed, not from pleasure or anything like it. More from resignation. He could feel it in her.
“Am I to be a prisoner in the building for the rest of my tenure as queen?” she asked him. She knew he had hunted for her, that he was going to feed her like a baby. He didn’t blame her for being irked by the curtailing of her freedom. He would feel the same way. She couldn’t stay locked up in her ivory tower, hiding from the world. She couldn’t afford to. She couldn’t deny herself the pleasure of a hunt. She couldn’t avoid the world and all her responsibilities in it.
For instance that very night they had the state function off premises. The ball that was going to mingle the upper echelon of vampires with the upper echelon of humans. It was crucial that they maintain good relationships with those humans hi
gh in power from all different countries. They never knew when they would have to call on one of them for a favor regarding vampire interests.
As queen, she more than anyone had to be there. They didn’t know she was a queen of the vampires of course. To the humans she was a powerful and rich woman of business. Her influence and her money was craved from all quarters…especially those that were in government. She had a reputation for being generous to political campaigns. Of course she did. It was crucial she gather favors in her pocket like so many coins. That, on top of the vampires they had in public office, made for a lot of vampire influence in a lot of governments. The network was huge…an it must be maintained. No one else could maintain it like she could.
However, Marcus feared for her safety and her life at this event. The sycophants were probably just waiting for her to step foot outside of the protected walls of vampire central. Then they would make another attempt.
Unfortunately the gathering had been planned off site. At a hotel. Its grand ballroom and catered dinner were expensive and priceless. Treating everyone like royalty was paramount. It would be remembered later when it was most important.
So they would have to go out. But this time her protection detail would rival that of the President of the United States. No one was getting close to her. No one was being given the chance.
At least not physically on an up close approach. That didn’t keep a sycophant from finding a perch somewhere along the route and try to take her out with a rifle or another sort of weapon. They were helpless to prevent that, unable to keep eyes on everyone. But they would do their best. Like the Secret Service, they would prepare for all threats as best they could.
One thing he could do was give her energy. She had expended a lot during her tussle the night before and she was clearly suffering for it. She was pale and obviously weak. The physical drain on top of the mental one had left her fragile and shaking. It was not the face she wanted to show to the world as she hosted this party.
She gazed at him long and hard before speaking.
“You know what troubles me the most about all of this?” she asked him.
“How close he got?” he said. They both knew who ‘he’ was. He had drawn the conclusion that Draz had ordered this attempt. There was no proof of course, but who else could or would have orchestrated such an event?
“No,” she said softly. “It’s that there were vampires at this attack. Not just the sycophants he usually recruits. Legitimate vampires, vampires that had not turned to sycophanthropy, had joined forces with a diseased creature like Draz. It breaks my heart. It feels like a tremendous betrayal. I don’t know what to make of it.”
“Don’t think on it too much,” he said softly to her, grasping her hands in his. “Draz, for all his sickness, is a dynamic and compelling creature. He is bound to win over a misguided few. The weak minded. The disgruntled. But I assure you, my beautiful queen,” he said, pulling her hands up to his lips and kissing the knuckles of first one hand and then the other, “this is not a common occurrence. You are far more dynamic and compelling.”
“Thank you, but I don’t need flattery,” she said with a frown.
“This isn’t false flattery or an attempt at simply buoying you up. I mean it. People are drawn to you and the legal ways of being a vampire. Let me take care of those who aren’t. That’s what you have authoritarians for. We are the ones who are made to hunt down these lawless few.”
“If they are so few then why do I need so many of you?” she persisted.
She had him there. He had to concede her point.
“Every society has its dregs. Every society needs its law keepers. We aren’t so unique that we are above such things. I know,” he said quickly. “I know you wish that weren't the case, but its simply a fact of life. You have to take heart in the fact that the majority of your people follow you and lead lawful lives. That has to be enough for you.”
“I don’t want to settle for ‘enough’. I want all.” She squeezed his hands to cut off his counter remark before he could make it. “But I know that's unrealistic. I just wish it weren't so.”
“I know. Come on. Let me feed you and then we can make ready for tonight.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the prospect. He watched her lips turn up with sly speculation. She discarded her depressing thoughts and focused on the appealing offer of the moment. But just as quickly a sadness entered her eyes.
“I ought to be hunting for myself. With you feeding me you will have to hunt twice as quickly between feeds.”
“You will hunt for yourself. In time. We have to neutralize the threat to you first. Don’t dwell on it. Come on. Come with me,” he urged as he led her toward the back of the apartment. He led her into her bedroom and then turned her into his arms. She came willingly, but her lips brushed his neck and she said, “I only wish to feed. Nothing more. Not right now.”
He drew back a little and looked into her eyes. “I figured as much. I know your mind is not settled. You are welcome to lose yourself with me…I will be here to care for you. But I make no demands on you in a moment like this.”
She sighed and smiled.
“You are far too perfect for me,” she said.
“Hardly perfect. Let’s see how well I control myself once those pretty little fangs are sunk into my flesh and you begin to feed from me. I have never felt anything like what it feels like to feed you and to feed from you. You are so incredible. So beautiful.” He bent his head and kissed her at the base of her neck on the yoke of her shoulder. “I find it nearly impossible to control myself.” He lowered his voice as his lips brushed her ear and he said, “Let’s see if I can manage this without coming for you.”
She shivered and he knew she was smiling. She enjoyed her power over him. It was the right thing to say to remind her of it. She needed her power back in that moment. True, she had prevailed that night, but she had also lost her sense of being needed and loved. He was more than willing to provide for her what her thoughtless people had taken away.
He bent his head further, exposing the back of his neck to her reach and trying not to shiver as she kissed and lightly licked his skin in a path beneath his collar. She nuzzled the bony prominence at the top of his spine and he instantly grew hard. His breathing quickened. Marcus clenched a fist, trying to remind himself that his only purpose was to feed her.
The idea of giving sustenance to her was arousing all on its own…without the sexual sensations that came with it. Her wanted to provide for her. He wanted to be key to her survival. It gave meaning to his life and drew him closer to her.
She opened her mouth on him and he held his breath. Her fangs pricked. Her tongue licked. Her hands stroked his torso wherever she could reach. For a woman who did not want a sexual encounter, she was reeking of sexual need. He was just wondering how he was going to control himself when suddenly she sank her fangs deep.
As she suckled and began to draw from him the energy she needed, he forced himself to keep his hands to himself, to simply give himself to her without taking a single thing.
It was by far the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.
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 show
ering 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.