Catch Read online

  The pink, tender flesh of the fish tasted mild. I never had the privilege to become a picky eater as child, I ate what was provided. Old habits were hard to break.

  “Do you like it?” He sat next to me. “I can have them send something else. They told me it’s a local dish, and I know you always want to try those.” His concern tugged at my heartstrings. I touched his cheek with my fingertips and nodded, too choked up to speak. Love was just a word until someone expressed it with a gesture. Rurik never gave me any doubts and I repaid him by finding me naked with Tane. I was a terrible, stupid person. “I want you to know that I’d never—I mean, I thought he only liked men and—and—”

  He pressed his thumb to my lips. “I know.”

  I ate my meal in silence with my lover next me. The events of the past twenty-four hours began to sink in. Tane, the asshole, and our blood bond, which some parts of me still didn’t want to believe. Who the hell did I piss off in heaven to deserve such a fate?

  There was probably a line of souls waiting for their turn to stick it to me. I swallowed my mouthful.

  Luckard, I wasn’t capable of dwelling on at the moment. The part of my brain that kept me acting normal couldn’t touch those memories yet, not unless I wanted to begin blubbering and finding corners to hide in.

  Colby and his killer. I glanced at Rurik and swallowed my last bite.

  He sat next to me on the bed staring at nothing, his knees drawn to his chest.

  My meeting with Colby suddenly weighed heavy. I never got the chance to tell my lover anything. “Rurik?”

  Whatever reverie held him vanished with my query. He raised his head and fixed me with his icy blue stare. Sorrow filled them. In the last year, they never looked at me this way. My courage disappeared like a golden coin at a second rate magician’s show. I couldn’t endure hurting him again. One heartache per day, thank you very much.

  “I just wanted to say thanks.”

  “It was nothing. Not as if I cooked it.” A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  “Not the food. For taking care of me.” I tried to touch his arm, but he’d sat bolt upright and wheeled around as if I’d slapped him instead.

  His eyes narrowed as his brow furrowed. “Take care of you? I failed you. They took you from my hands like I was a child.” He held them out in front of him and stared at his palms. “I’ve grown incompetent. The only person who means the world to me and they took you without effort.” The skin around his knuckles blanched as he squeezed his fingers into fists. “Helpless, I had to make an alliance with a slayer of all things to get you back. And then—then what they did to you. How can you thank me?” With unnatural speed, he grabbed my upper arms and trapped them against my body as he pulled me closer, knocking the tray to the floor.

  I struggled. Not the way I would if we played a game, more as if my life depended on it. I freed my right arm and gave him a full on slap across the face.

  The shock of his expression mirrored what I felt. He let me go and staggered off the bed.

  “Don’t grab me like that, Rurik.” My voice trembled. Fear gripped my gut and nausea rolled the fish in my stomach. Where the hell did that come from? When his hands pinned my arms, I flashed back to Luckard. The way he held me as we walked through the slums of Rio also secured my arms in a similar manner. “I’m going to need some time to figure things out.” And a boatload of therapy. Holy crap. A cold sweat covered my skin and I wiped at a bead that threatened to drip into my eye.

  Rurik growled as he swiveled to punch the wall. Again and again.

  It startled a cry from me and I started to shake. “Stop it!” The blankets fell to my waist as I let them go to wrap my arms around myself.

  A puff of plaster dust settled around my vampire lover. He’d left a hole in the wall.

  “I will tear Luckard’s hide off one strip at a time for what he did to you, Rabbit.” He snarled out this promise before pacing the room. “Every lash he gave you, I’ll inflict ten.” I hoped he did and once he was done, I wanted my turn with the whip. Tane may have healed my skin but my soul still bled.

  “I’ll have to hunt the bastard down.” Rurik still paced from the bed to the wall and back. His words sunk in and I finally understood what he wanted to do.

  With a jerk of my hand, I pulled the blankets off my legs and stood in his path. “You can’t go after him.” The crazy fool would get himself killed hunting Luckard. Not all vampires were created equal. Rurik had once explained that the Nosferatu clan sacrificed most of their humanity in exchange for greater strength and power. Rurik’s people hailed closer to their origins so they could easily pass for human, and it made them weaker.

  “Why not?”

  Thousands of excuses came to mind but not one that wouldn’t insult. “Let Tane find Luckard. It’s his responsibility, not yours.”

  “As your master?” He loomed as his anger projected onto me. “He doesn’t care about you, Rabbit. I should be the one to protect you. Or do you think I’m incapable of it?”

  I grabbed my head as Rurik spun our conversation around. “Oh my God, when did I get on this crazy train?”

  “You always doubt me. I’m more than just a play thing.” His voice quieted on the last statement. “I used to rule the most powerful city in Europe.”

  “And gave it up because of me.”

  His glare softened and it seemed as if he saw me for the first time since Tane left the room. “No, I didn’t.”

  I blinked.

  “Politically, it was sound for me to leave. My people had all left. What’s the point of ruling an empty city? I left Tane with a powerless shell, and in return, I gained the sympathy of the councils.” He sighed and gave me a small crooked smile. “My people have scattered to all the winds yet still report back. I have more influence now than ever before.” He tapped his head with a finger. “Not just pretty.”

  “No, sometimes too clever for your own good.” I took a deep breath and swallowed what pride I still possessed. “Don’t leave me alone.” The thought of being left to my own ideations seemed daunting, as if I stood on the edge of a cliff with the soil crumbling beneath my feet. Clutching at any distraction kept me from going over and falling into the pit of despair I’d recently climbed out of. I didn’t think my sanity could survive.

  “Connie.” Pain laced my name. He reached out to hold me, but hesitated.

  I met him the rest of the way and rushed into his waiting arms. “They never even asked me any questions. I would have done anything to make them stop hurting me…” My words turned into sobs. I hated Luckard even more for turning me into a blubbering idiot.

  Rurik carried me to the bed and crawled in next to me. His arms felt safe. Strong and solid, his presence became my anchor in the storm of insecurity that raged inside.

  The raw memories of the whip as it bit into my flesh hurt. I’d tried to deny them, except they were too vivid and fresh. How could I deal with it? I’d never been tortured before. The shame of what extent I would have gone to just to make them stop.

  With my head on his shoulder, Rurik ran his fingers through my hair.

  I flinched. I couldn’t help it.

  He pulled his hand away and went to rest it on my hip, but stopped mid-air then placed in on the bed. “Mon Dieu, Connie. I don’t know what to do.” The skin of his neck, where it pressed against my face, felt warm. He’d fed before returning to our room. “Don’t stop touching me. They win if we let them do that to us.” I kissed him behind the ear, a gentle press of my lips, and whispered in his ear. “I might be jumpy, you’ll have to help me get over it.”

  “Did th—” He cleared his throat. “Did any of them take—rape—”

  “No!” Like I didn’t have enough issues.

  He grimaced since I’d shouted by his ear.

  “Sorry.” I drew his face toward mine and kissed the tip of his nose.

  His eyes fluttered shut.

  I kissed each lid with their thick, dark lashes. It tickled as the
y brushed along my lips. His hair matched them in color as I ran my fingers through the long strands.

  He sat so very still, as if afraid to move and spook me. We had our share of road bumps in this relationship, but yesterday we hit a freaking land mine.

  Things had gotten so complex in such a short amount of time. It didn’t sound like Rurik would leave me. The knot in my stomach tightened. Would I have to stay here in Tane’s city now that we’d confirmed our blood bond? I didn’t want to.

  Our ideal life of traveling the world on a whim made me happy, however all good things came to an end. Now our uncertain future made me shudder.

  “We don’t need to go any further. I’m in no hurry.” Rurik misunderstood my reaction. It wasn’t him who upset me. Actually, without him I would have been a lunatic by now. His presence gave me the rock my sanity required. He might be willing to wait but I couldn’t.

  Insecurity drove me, fear shriveled my soul, and doubt bloomed in my mind, still his love could ease these things. I pressed my mouth to his and with a practiced ease of my tongue I expressed my intentions.

  Kissing me back, he shrugged his shoulders and slid out of his shirt then tugged it over his head. For someone who said he could wait, he acted very impatient. Yet, he hadn’t touched my body.

  He made an encouraging noise and lay down as I kissed along his neck toward his chest. The lean muscles of his abdomen and sides twitched under my hands as I caressed them and slid farther down.

  Rubbing against my stomach, the bulge in his pants spoke of his body’s response. I unfastened the buttons on his black slacks and exposed his hard cock. His breaths got heavier as I drew closer to it, yet he remained still. My lover was usually a much more active participant. Demanding and aggressive, he normally would have taken charge by now.

  I finally reached my destination and kissed along its length. Lifting his hips, he pushed his pants lower to give me better access. I gazed up his body to meet his heated stare before slipping him into my mouth. By leaning my head back a little, it gave him the view I knew he liked as I swallowed and sucked.

  His hand reached out to my hair, but settled back onto the bed to grasp the sheets in a tight fist instead. I didn’t want him to be afraid to touch me. Would I ever startle or flinch again? Probably, nevertheless I needed to adapt or it would tear us apart.

  Releasing his cock, I straddled him. “Give me your hands.” Rurik eyed me warily for a moment, placing his hands in mine.

  I placed one on my thigh and the other on my breast. With some coaxing, I got him to caress my skin.

  Sure, strong passes of his hands over my back, my stomach, and down my legs made me crave his embrace. It soothed some of the raw ache buried inside. I’d felt lost and only realized it now. He offered me safety, even if he thought his protection poor.

  The palms of his hands brushed over my nipples and they pebbled. I sucked in a breath as electric pleasure shot from his touch through my nerve endings. Golden light of bliss chased the dark shivers away. I needed to be. No thoughts and no worries to cloud my overwrought mind. Rurik could do this. He knew how to drown me in hedonistic desires.

  Moist warmth of his mouth followed his hands as he sat and wrapped his arms around my body. Pulling me closer, he suckled with an uncharacteristic gentleness, lapping his tongue in a circle around the sensitive bud. The strength of his arms gave the sense of security I longed for and I melted into them.

  “Rurik.” As the name left my lips, I sensed him tense just before he swung me down to the mattress and crawled on top.

  The movements came too fast and too sudden. My limbs stiffened and I startled.

  “Sorry.” He withdrew. Hurt and frustration marred his voice. I would not let Luckard ruin my love life. The injuries he inflicted should have been only skin-deep, except I could still feel the manacles around my wrists and the sense of vulnerability.

  “Don’t.” I grabbed Rurik’s shoulders and tugged him back. “Help me get through this.” Desperation cried in my words. I cupped his face in my hands and gave him a tender kiss. “I want you.”

  “I can’t stand the fear in your face.”

  “Kiss me.” I ran my hands along his smooth back then wrapped my legs around his hips to pull him even closer.

  “I’m going to kill him for you.” Then he covered his mouth over mine with a fiery hunger so I couldn’t respond.

  Pressed into the mattress with his weight on me, a moment of panic began to rise again. I moaned and made myself hug him closer. My heart fluttered an erratic beat.

  He wove his fingers in my curls as the kiss grew deeper and slower. Each stroke of his tongue soothed my anxiety like a balm.

  I sighed and the knots in my neck relaxed. My heart still hammered, except with anticipation now.

  With a shift of his knees, Rurik brought his cock to my entry and slid inside with a light thrust. This loving tempo excited me as much as his more aggressive practice.

  Our gazes met as the kiss ended. I could have drowned in the depth of his stare.

  “Rabbit.” That one word expressed all he felt. I belonged to him, just as much as he belonged to me. It was something we both wanted and needed when we’d met.

  Lifting my hips, I encouraged every gentle plunge, allowing him deep inside. My breaths came faster as the ecstasy built in my core. “Yes. Oh, yes.” I tried to increase the rhythm, but he ignored my efforts.

  He randomly placed small kisses over my face until he reached my right earlobe.

  With the edges of his teeth he nibbled it.

  That area contained a link to my g-spot, allowing a direct button to induce an organism. He’d been very pleased when he discovered it a few months ago.

  Sometimes so was I.

  As soon as he stimulated my weak spot, I’d gone from a frightened girl to a wanton woman in seconds. I bucked and grabbed and scratched while he slid in and out at a maddening slow pace.

  His low, sexy chuckle sounded in my ear.

  “Bastard.” I cried out and arched my back. “Yes.”

  Hot, heavy breathing answered me. Rurik clasped my hair in his fists before he ground against me and shuddered.

  After he’d caught his breath and rolled off, I crawled into the comfort of his arms.

  He pulled me close. “Let’s not leave the bed tonight.” 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 aw
ay 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.