Conclave (Vampire Conclave: Book 3), page 3
I hold onto the hope that we’ll discover a way to make Julian human again and that I’ll come up with a logical reason to withdraw from my engagement to Jhann Nysas, ruler of House Nysas. I know Jhann doesn’t want to marry me, and to be honest, I’m not sure why he hasn’t told Nadia that he’s in love with her. I knew that to be a fact the moment I saw him look at her at the ball. What is it about the alfar that causes them to deny the love they feel for others? Even my Aunt Shael refuses to admit that she’s in love with her sentinel, Alden Highborn. I make a mental note to talk to her about that travesty against romance. It’s so obvious that the two of them are meant to be together, whether she can bear his children or not. Alden doesn’t seem like the type of man who would refuse to marry a woman just because she’s barren, and considering the fact that he’s still unmarried, I can only assume he’s waiting for Shael to make the first move. My empathic skills don’t work on Alden, for whatever reason, but I have no doubt whatsoever that he’s in love with my aunt. The way he looks at her practically screams that truth.
Love is so rare to find with another person that it’s almost a sin to squander it. I can only speak for myself, but I plan to make sure I don’t waste a moment being with the man I love and making sure he knows exactly how I feel about him.
Thankfully, Nadia is just placing the first two pizzas in the oven when we step into the house from the back porch. The interior of the home is mostly painted a warm white with dark wood accents, flooring, and vaulted ceilings. The floor plan is an open one with the kitchen, dining, and family room all grouped together in one large space. Most of the furnishings are a mixture of white and beige with green floral accent pillows scattered around to add in a bit of contrast and color.
“How long do they need to cook?” I ask Nadia as I step around the kitchen island, which is basically a large, chunky, black, antique, cabinet-style table with a thick butcher block top that’s been darkly stained and polished.
As I lean down to set the timer on the microwave that’s been built into the island, Nadia tells me, “Twenty minutes.”
After I set the timer to ensure the proper cooking of my meal, I begin to rummage through the grocery bags on the island for a box of cookies.
“Darn it,” I say in utter disappointment, “we should have picked up a gallon of milk while we were at the store. Chocolate chip cookies always taste better with milk.”
“Meow,” Viktor says in total agreement as he hops up on the island to face me, swishing his tail back and forth as if to say he would like to drink some milk too.
“If you really want it, I can run back up to the store and buy you some milk,” Nadia volunteers.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” I ask, surprised by her generous proposal.
“If I minded, I wouldn’t have offered,” she says pragmatically, holding out her hand to me for the car keys. “And, I have to admit, I would rather have some milk to eat with the cookies too.”
I pull out the key fob to my Camry from the right front pocket of my pants and hand it to her.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she says, heading for the front door.
After Nadia leaves, I flip open the cardboard and cellophane lid of the carton of cookies and eat one straight away. It just doesn’t taste the same without milk though, so I decide to wait to eat the others until after Nadia returns.
Viktor jumps down onto the floor next to me and assumes his human form.
“So why was Pete here?” he promptly asks me, looking concerned. “Is something wrong with Kaylee?”
I shake my head as I notice Julian walk over to the couch to grab the teal throw blanket laying across the back of it.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I tell him. “Apparently, my dad left him a note telling him to come to this house today because he knew I would be here.”
“Rhys left him a note?” The scowl on Viktor’s face makes it obvious that he is less than pleased to hear what my father did. He seems to understand that in order for my dad to have that sort of knowledge about a future event, another time travel spell must have been used at some point.
Julian tosses the throw blanket at Viktor to cover his nakedness, which earns my companion an even deeper scowl than the one I just received.
“I totally forgot about needing money here,” I hear Nadia say as she re-enters the kitchen unexpectedly, catching me off guard.
Two things happen at once: Nadia pulls out a small handgun she apparently had tucked into the back of her pants underneath her shirt, and Julian quickly stands in front of Viktor to block any shots she might take to kill what probably looks like a naked intruder to her eyes.
“Who are you?” Nadia demands, looking like she’s on the verge of shooting, even though Julian is in the line of fire now.
I look at Viktor questioningly, wondering why he didn’t change into his cat form the moment he saw Nadia enter the room. If he had, we might not be having this awkward first encounter between the two of them.
“I suppose the proverbial cat is out of the bag now,” Viktor says with a slight shrug, seeming unconcerned that Nadia knows about his physical duality. “She was your sentinel for a few seconds before passing the job along to Julian. That’s good enough for me. I don’t care if she knows I can transform into a human.”
Nadia looks confused for all of three seconds before she asks, “Viktor?”
Viktor simply gives her a sly grin before saying in a singsong voice, “Surprise.”
“Well, now everything makes sense,” she says, finally lowering her gun and tucking it back into her waistband. “We all knew there was something strange about you, considering how long you’ve been with the family, but we just didn’t know what exactly.”
“Speaking of having a long life,” I say as I’m reminded that I’ve been meaning to ask Viktor something ever since Destin, “just how many lives do you have? I know that woman in Destin killed you, but then you came back to life a few minutes later.”
“If you’re asking me if I have nine lives, the answer is no. I must have more than that because I’ve died twenty times over the years.”
“Must be nice not to have to worry about dying,” Nadia says, sounding envious of Viktor’s supposed immortality.
“Not really,” Viktor states. “It’s quite painful to come back from the dead.”
“Have you ever died while you were in human form?” Julian asks.
Viktor contemplates his question as if he’s thinking back through all twenty deaths.
“You know,” he finally says, looking somewhat mystified, “I don’t believe I have. I’ve always been in my cat form when the deaths occurred. I wonder if that means something.”
“It’s probably just coincidence,” I tell him, hoping Viktor doesn’t have a secret death wish and won’t decide to jump off a cliff to end his days while he’s in my care. “You’re not allowed to die while I’m still alive,” I order sternly. “Besides, my Aunt Shael would miss your company too much.”
“True.” Viktor sighs as if he’s resigned to his fate for now. “She does depend on me to make her happy.”
“Please,” I beg, waving a hand in his direction to stave off a more detailed explanation about the time he spends with the queen of the alfar, “don’t say any more. I really don’t want to know about your sex life with my aunt.”
Viktor stares at me, unblinking, looking quite aghast.
“Sex life?” he questions, sounding somewhat mortified by the notion. “Why in the world would you think we’re sexual partners?”
“You mean you’re not?” I ask, feeling, and more than likely looking, completely confused. “I just assumed when you went off to her room with her the other night that the two of you were … you know … doing the horizontal mambo.”
“Oh, Sarah,” Viktor says, shaking his head at me as he looks at me in disappointment, “Shael and I have only ever been friends. Yes, like I told you before, I have been a lover to some of the kings and queens of House Moonshade, but never Shael. She’s far too valuable to me as a friend to ever cross that line with her. Besides, you know as well as I do that she’s in love with someone else.”
Now I feel awful for thinking so poorly of Viktor and Shael’s relationship.
“I assume you’re talking about Alden?” Nadia says.
“You knew about them already?” I ask her in surprise.
“I think pretty much everyone in Alfheim knows how the two of them feel about each other,” Nadia states as a matter of fact. “We all keep wondering when they’re going to make it official.”
I look back at Viktor. “Why haven’t you convinced my aunt to marry Alden? You, more than anyone, should know that they belong together.”
“Do you honestly believe that I haven’t tried?” he replies, sounding offended by my unnecessary admonishment. “I’ve been an ardent supporter of their unconsummated love for quite a few years now, but she just won’t listen to me. Perhaps you can talk some sense into her, since you’re a blood relative. She might actually listen to your advice.”
“I suppose I can try,” I say hesitantly. “But we just met. Why would she listen to a veritable stranger?”
“Even though you don’t know one another all that well yet,” he says, “you’re her niece. She and your father were very close, even for twins. She told me that she sees a lot of Rhys in you, and I believe that could work to your advantage. She always listened to her big brother, which means she might just listen to you too. I think it’s worth a shot. If nothing comes of it, then nothing is lost. If she listens to you, then she will finally find the happiness she’s been denying herself for all these years. She won’t even take Alden as a lover because she doesn’t want to give him false hope.”
“I’ll do my best to make her see reason,” I say, filled with a new determination to see my aunt finally be with the man she loves. Life’s too short not to live it to its fullest.
“Well, if that’s all settled, I still need some money to go buy the milk with,” Nadia says.
Julian walks over and hands her a twenty dollar bill.
“Thanks,” she tells him before turning to head back out the front door and attempting to leave the house a second time.
Viktor walks over to the double glass doors that lead out to the back porch. He opens one of them and drops the throw blanket Julian gave him to cover up with. Standing completely naked in front of the open doorway, he turns his head toward me and says, “I’ll be out here if you need me, Sarah. I haven’t had a chance to lie in the sun for quite some time.”
Before I can ask if he intends to go outside buck naked, he transforms back into a cat and prances away like he owns the world. Although I think that’s pretty much the attitude of all cats.
Julian closes the door behind him.
“What if Viktor wants back in?” I ask him. “Maybe you should leave it ajar.”
“He can scratch on the door if he wants to come in,” Julian states, firmly shutting the door and then walking over to pull me into his arms. “Right now, I want to finish what Pete interrupted earlier. Having had a small taste of you has made me want a lot more than just your mouth against my lips,” he murmurs before tugging on the waistband of my pants with both hands and quickly unbuttoning them before letting the zipper down all the way.
“Julian,” I admonish him, surprised by his actions. I glance to my right to look out the window over the sink to check on Viktor’s whereabouts. I see my feline friend stretch his body out before lying down in the sun on the wooden pier over the lake. “What if we get caught? Viktor is just outside and Nadia might return at any moment.”
Julian lifts me into the air while turning around to sit me on the kitchen island’s smooth table top.
“Have you forgotten that I have excellent hearing?” he asks, looking into my eyes. “I can hear Nadia driving down the road, and if Viktor makes it back onto the porch, I’ll be able to hear it. Besides, even if they catch us, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”
“I would be embarrassed, for one,” I state weakly, because even to my ears, it doesn’t sound like a good enough reason not to have a little fun with Julian while we have a moment to ourselves.
“I promise I won’t ever do anything to embarrass you,” he states while lifting one of my feet up to slide the sandal off. He drops it onto the floor and quickly pulls its match off of the other foot. “All I ask is that you have a little faith in me, because the only thing on my mind right now is giving you pleasure while I satisfy my curiosity about something.”
I swallow hard because my body is begging me to let Julian do whatever he wants to it.
“Curiosity about what?” I ask breathlessly, even though I have a sneaking suspicion I already know the answer to my question. I just want to hear him say it out loud.
Julian looks into my eyes and says in a gravelly voice that verges on being a moan, “I want to know what you taste like.”
“I’ve never done anything like this out in the open before,” I tell Julian, feeling shy about what we’re about to do but knowing my mind will just have to take a backseat to the needs of my body. “But I trust you. I’ve always trusted you, Julian.”
He grins at me just before he comes to stand between my legs and leans over to gently tease my lips with his own before deepening the kiss. As he moans in pleasure at the first meeting of our tongues, I can feel his mouth tremble from the action. When he leans back from me, I involuntarily whimper in dismay because I don’t want the kiss to end so soon.
“Lie back,” Julian instructs me, as he reaches with both of his hands for the waistband of my pants.
Once I’m lying flat on the island with my legs dangling off the side at the knees, Julian tugs on my slacks, and with one quick pull, he has them off, leaving me clad in only my panties from the waist down. I feel exposed and slightly vulnerable, considering my semi-naked state, but I didn’t lie to Julian before. I do trust him. I trust him enough to place myself in such a compromising position willingly because I know that he would never do anything to hurt me either physically or emotionally.
When I feel the first touch of his mouth against the top of my right thigh, my heart begins to beat wildly inside my chest as every breath becomes harder to capture. The wet warmth of his lips and tongue as he kisses his way up toward my hips makes another more sensitive part of my body throb with an insatiable need to be touched with the same adoration. While Julian’s mouth is working its magic on one thigh, he slides a hand up my other one, mirroring the pace of his kisses. As each travels higher along the smooth contours of my legs, I begin to feel slightly lightheaded with anticipation, because I know where all of this is bound to lead. By the time Julian’s mouth and hand reach their final destination, I’m breathing so hard I just pray that I don’t pass out.
Julian’s fingers wrap around the middle of my panties and tug them to one side, granting his mouth free access to the center of my being, which is practically crying out for his touch by this point. Just before his mouth leaves the tender flesh of my inner thigh, I feel his tongue begin to vibrate. I immediately take in a large gulp of air to help prepare myself for what I know is coming next.
The first touch of his lips and tongue working their magic against the most sensitive part of my body is like throwing a lit match onto a pile of dry kindling. The fire Julian ignites begins to blaze its way through every vein and nerve ending I possess, causing me to forget that I’m just a mere mortal as I ascend to the heavens on a cloud made of pure bliss. The pleasure from Julian’s ministrations builds with every passing second, causing me to close my eyes as I begin to chant his name over and over again, finding myself having to remind my lungs to breathe in enough oxygen to ensure my survival of this experience. Even though the physical pleasure Julian is giving me is beyond anything I’ve ever experienced before, I know it’s only affecting me so deeply because of the love we share for one another and the everlasting bond between our souls.
As I approach the brink of having my world completely shattered by Julian’s intimate caress, I cry out his name one last time while every muscle in my body tenses up before shuddering as wave after wave of euphoria consumes me from head to toe. My body then goes completely limp, and I vainly try to bring my heart rate under control. I suddenly feel exhausted from the experience, even though I didn’t do anything but lie back and allow the only man I’ll ever love to pleasure me.
With my eyes still closed, I vaguely feel Julian slide his mouth back down to my thigh and clamp his mouth around a mound of flesh just before he sinks his teeth in and begins to drink from me. I gasp in surprise because I wasn’t expecting him to feed, yet I find the action strangely exhilarating. As he draws my blood into his body, I hear him moan as if he’s experiencing sexual pleasure from the act.
I reach down with my right hand and rest it on his head as he continues to feed.
“Drink, Julian,” I urge him, as I bury my fingers into his thick soft strands. “Drink.”
After a few minutes, he pulls his head away from my thigh and begins to lick away the blood around the wound as if he doesn’t want to waste a drop of my precious bodily fluids. Eventually, he lifts his head and stands upright. I watch as he leans down and grabs my pants off the floor. In no time at all, he has me fully clothed. He then walks around the island as I continue to lie there in a heady state of complete satiation.
He places his head directly above mine, only upside down from my vantage point.
“Are you all right?” he asks, looking worried. “Did I hurt you?”
I immediately shake my head. “If it had hurt, I would have said something. I just didn’t expect you to feed on me afterwards. It took me by surprise.”
