Dangerous Sacrifice (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 6) Page 2
He stared at her. “Does that matter?”
She shrugged. “No.”
He wasn’t sure he could trust her. Then again, time was running out. If Jolie Harcourte gave birth to those babies, their existence would come to the end. The prophecy would be set into motion, and he’d lose control over his Tueur.
He didn’t want that.
He loved the power he had to kill, maim, and terminate at his whim. He was the Destroyer. Maybe he wasn’t born into that legacy, but he had done the job for so very long.
It was his.
No one was taking it.
Besides…if those children were born, and the prophecy came true, Death would certainly call him home. By call, he meant take his life and turn him to ash.
Death wanted him in the worst way, and this calling was all that stood between him and an eternity as her chew toy.
Yeah, that would suck.
“Are you sure that you want nothing in payment from me for finding her and her brother?” he asked incredulously. “I can give you riches beyond your imagination.”
That didn’t impress her.
Money wasn’t the key to her happiness.
There was something she wanted more.
“I don’t need riches. Really, all I need is her death, so I can enact my revenge on her and the Harcourte family. Knowing that justice would be served…that’s enough for me.”
He studied her.
“I don’t believe you.”
She began laughing.
“You’ve got me. I do want one thing.”
“What?” he finally asked.
Honestly, he knew there had to be a boon paid. No one would offer their assistance without getting something out of it for themselves. That wasn’t the kind of world they lived in—not realistically.
“Name your price, and it is yours.”
“You might want to hear it before you offer it up.”
“I’m a man of my word. Ask, and it’s yours.”
This was perfect.
It was working to her advantage.
“I want you to let the one male vampyre live. His name is Jacques, and he needs to bleed over losing his family.”
He didn’t like that option at all.
Jacques Degaul was the true danger in their family, and by letting him live, they risked everything. He’d seek revenge.
He’d try to kill the Tueur to make a point.
Shit!
Shit!
Shit!
There had to be a way to work around this.
“I’m aware of his name, but not sure if we can let that happen. When we kill his mate, he’s going to want retribution.”
She laughed. “I’ll handle that. You just make the deal.”
“May I ask why he gets to live?”
She didn’t answer at first, “I only wish to see him suffer, and then, I shall move in and take what I want.”
He considered what was being asked of him. He weighed out the pros and cons. They needed Jolie’s children to die. He needed to stay in control of his Tueur since he’d built them from the ground up.
Was it worth the risk?
He went with his natural instinct.
To lie.
Truthfully, they couldn’t risk that he could impregnate another vampyre and start the cycle all over again. Why let her know that?
If she couldn’t see it coming, she was a fool. That was on her, not him.
“Very well then. Thank you for your assistance. You can have his life spared, but if he gets in the crossfire, there’s nothing that can be done.”
She grinned. “I understand.”
“Now go handle this.”
She hopped off the desk and headed for the door.
“You won’t be disappointed,” she promised.
When she was gone, he leaned back in his chair. As the master, and man in charge, he was pleased that soon, he would have Jolie Harcourte, her unborn babies, and her mates in his grasp.
They would be his.
Screw the deal with the woman. He owed her nothing, and if she didn’t deliver, she was dead too.
This was about winning.
This woman had no clue with whom she was negotiating, and the first rule of living a long time was to know your opponent.
She was screwed.
He was the Tueur, and that said it all.
∞ Chapter One ∞
Late Spring
Ireland
Monday Evening
It had been an interesting three months as they avoided the Tueur. It wasn’t easy to keep one-step ahead, but somehow, they managed.
No, that’s not true.
Jolie knew how they kept cloaked from the killers. It was all Flynn. He was working his demon-y mojo, and so far, it was working. He was able to keep them off the radar just by blocking them when they had to go out. As long as they didn’t find them, and use the black magick Voodoo on them, they would be safe.
Other vampyres, even if they stood beside them, couldn’t tell what, or who, they were.
It was a handy party trick, and Jolie and Jacques were happy to utilize one of his skills.
The whole Flynn being converted from human to half-breed vampyre human, and then vampyre-demon, was still relatively new.
It was taking some time to adjust to for all of them, but mostly the family.
To be honest, it was odd.
Jolie had adjusted fairly well to the whole situation, but the one thing that still freaked her out was that Flynn didn’t need to go to death.
Could he?
Yes, he could.
Would he?
Not as of late.
Jolie was beginning to think it was to avoid Death and her lecherous man-stealing claws.
For the time being, Flynn had opted to stay on constant guard. She appreciated his love and protection, but she sometimes missed waking up with him still asleep. Pulling him from sleep, to molest her mate, had been one of her favorite things to do.
Now it was long gone.
Then there was the way he watched them.
Like now, she could feel him staring at her from across the room. As she was pulling from death, he was sitting not far from her, tracking her first breath.
It was startling.
What was irritating them the most was the lack of privacy in their own heads. When they’d gotten to Ireland, they needed to lay down a few laws. While Flynn could block them from his mind, they didn’t have that ability anymore.
It had caused a few fights.
Flynn didn’t get the problem, but they did. Before he’d been converted by Death, they had the luxury of privacy. Their thoughts should be just that—theirs.
With Flynn now stronger than they were, having that one wall of defense was important.
Not that she thought he’d ever hurt them, but still…
At that moment, he was watching her, and she could feel the hum of his body not far from hers. As she lay there, Jolie could hear his breathing hitch—which caused hers to do the same.
Demon Flynn was incredibly hot, and already, she wanted to jump him.
She’d lasted a whole twenty seconds since waking up.
This wasn’t new.
This was the norm.
It was to the point that Jolie couldn’t say no. Maybe it was the hormones, or the pregnancy, but when he went ‘vemon’, as they had begun calling it, or vamp and demon, she wanted to crawl.
His laughter filled the room.
“Good morning, baby,” he said.
“Flynn, you’re not supposed to peek into our heads,” Jolie warned, opening her eyes.
“I didn’t.”
She stared at him. “Then what are you laughing about?”
He stared at his mate. “I was watching you naked, and when you woke up, your body reacted to me. Your nipples went taut, your breathing hitched, and I was thanking the powers that be that you were perpetually horny.”
“Really?”
“Uh, what
else would I be laughing at?”
She wasn’t going there. Jolie knew that Flynn never lied to them, so she opted to trust him. Like Vanth, he wasn’t actually able to, or that was the impression they got. If they asked outright, he would answer.
Like it, or not.
“I can’t help it. I have this reaction around you.”
That he understood.
“I can’t help that you turn me on either,” he said, lounging in the chair.
Jolie loved watching him, so she got why he did it too. Flynn was a big man, and he was leaning back in the chair, his legs open, and his raven hair loose around his face.
She wanted to molest him in the worst way.
Sue her.
They were sexy mates.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, still not moving from his position in the chair.
Jolie put her hand on her belly. She was now halfway through her pregnancy, and she was definitely showing. Her two babies were growing, moving, and on their way to life.
Maybe.
If they could stay ahead of the Tueur—that is.
“Actually, I’m starving.”
He grinned. “Well, I happen to be right here,” he offered. “If my woman needs food for our children, I think I can take one for the team.”
She laughed. “You love taking one for the team. In fact, you are the MVP on the team.”
He was well aware, and to be honest, he liked it that way.
“You better believe it.”
Jolie stood and stared into the mirror at her reflection. She was naked, and all she saw was the belly. It was startling to her. She was so accustomed to being lithe, fit, and thin, that this shocked her. There were times she’d walk past a mirror, and surprise herself.
She’d have to look twice.
“Flynn?” she asked, placing her hands on her belly. Since he’d never lie, she needed to know.
“Yes, my love?” he asked before moving toward her.
“Do you think I’m fat?” she asked.
Flynn knew this was a landmine waiting to go off. The human he’d once been was alerting the demon never to tread into that mess.
He was dead, not stupid.
“Why do you think you’re fat?” he asked.
“Uh, have you seen me?”
Flynn stood behind her, allowing Jolie to lean against his frame. As she rested against him, he stared up and down her torso, his eyes bleeding that deep black that reminded his family that he wasn’t alone inside the human shell.
“Yes, you’re changing, but it’s beautiful. Have you seen your breasts? I could write sonnets to them alone. Then add in that you’re carrying our children. You’re not fat, Jolie. You’re lush, fertile, and that’s incredibly sexy in a woman. If you weren’t pregnant, I’d be trying to fill you with my child over and over again.”
Her heart skipped in her chest.
His words made her body heat and her skin flush. Then again, it could be that he was erect and pressed to her back. That throbbing told the tale.
He was still sexually attracted to her.
“I always will be,” he said, and then realized what he’d done.
Shit!
She laughed. “Just don’t peek in Jacques’s head. That freaks him out.”
“So I can stay in yours? It’s lonely without being part of you,” he offered.
His honesty mattered to her. “Yes.”
Flynn understood their wariness. When they’d first bonded him, back when he’d been human, he’d felt the same, but with Jolie…
She was his.
He claimed her as mate, and he would look, lurk, and peek, if it meant ensuring her happiness.
“I won’t go into his,” he promised, cupping her much fuller breasts with his large hands. The weight of them did crazy things to his libido. It called to the deepest desires with just a touch.
He needed to focus.
“Where’s my Azriel?” he asked.
She took his big strong hand and placed it over the one spot on her belly.
Flynn called to his child.
He could hear the rustling of wings as she responded. It pleased him. His child was fully converted into the demon she’d need to be for Death to train her as the Destroyer.
Jolie heard the sound in her head and knew what was happening. Did it bother her?
No.
Over the last three months, she’d come to grips with it. Her one daughter would be forever safe. Who could destroy the destroyer?
That alone was a blessing.
As for baby two, she had yet to give them a sign that Flynn’s blood had changed her.
They were all waiting.
Including Jacques.
“I can tell you,” Flynn offered.
“No, this is for Jacques to discover when he’s ready to find out. We agreed to that, remember?”
He did.
Flynn knew the truth.
His blood would keep them safe. They only needed to be born, and get to an age where she would get her abilities.
“Hello, little love,” he crooned, rubbing his child through her flesh.
The second he touched the tattoo on her belly, it sent energy into the room. It connected them, but as of yet, they’d been unable to activate it.
After Flynn’s near killing spree, she was hoping that it wouldn’t be dangerous.
“I can’t wait to hold you in my arms. That’s going to be a wonderful day.”
Jolie’s heart quivered.
If you wanted to see a puddle of mush, let the demon coo to his baby. Flynn went from a tough, hardcore detective and demon, to a softie.
It was sexy.
“Again, stop thinking that you’re fat. You’re not. You’re actually smaller than you should be. You’re growing two children.”
“You think?”
“Yes, but I wish you were bigger.”
She stared at him in the mirror. “Why?”
“So you’re easier to catch.”
She laughed as he scooped her up in his arms. When she dropped her arm over his shoulder, to hold on, his mouth sought hers.
‘Mate,’ he whispered into her mind.
With that, he moved his fangs across her throat. The scraping sound turned them both on, and it was clear what they were now dwelling on.
Sex.
“Jesus, Flynn, you make me all hot and bothered.”
He was aware.
They’d mated, shared blood, and each carried a tattoo from Death.
This was nothing.
Once all of the ink had been activated, it would be a sexual frenzy. Before his transformation, they were bound together. Still, there had been a chance Flynn could leave. He’d suffer, but it had been a possibility.
Now?
It wasn’t an option.
Her death and his demon were bound with titanium threads. He couldn’t leave her, and she’d die without him. His blood, the blood they so freely craved, was their addiction. While Jolie gave off pheromones to ensure her children’s survival, Flynn’s blood became a craving neither could resist.
He was sure that once they figured that out, there’d be some pushback from them. Flynn hadn’t been asked, and if he was…he couldn’t lie.
They couldn’t stop feeding from him.
In fact, if they tried to feed from anyone but their unit, they wouldn’t be happy. They were linked, and that was it.
He’d trapped them to him, and he to them.
Flynn was more than okay with that.
“What do you want to do with that need?” he asked, whispering in her ear. “We can sneak off, and I can make you scream my name until you’re hoarse.”
God!
She wished.
In fact, Jolie wanted nothing more than to jump him.
Drag him to the floor.
Slid him into her body and ride him until he came.
“Feed,” she offered, testing to see if he was in her mind still.
Flynn grinned, and the
long fangs ascended into his mouth. His eyes bled back to their crystal blue, but he wanted her to know that he was hungry too.
“Then let’s go,” he offered, setting her free.
When Flynn headed toward the bed, Jolie watched him. With a snap of his fingers, his clothing was gone.
Jolie ogled him.
She couldn’t help it.
Flynn’s skin was tan, sexy, and all hers. The dark black hair kissed his shoulders, and it was so fluid, that it reminded Jolie of the finest silk.
“Breakfast is served, my Mistress.”
When he rested against the headboard, Jolie realized she was staring at him—where she’d been attracted before, now she was enthralled.
“I feel the same,” he offered. “I look at you both, and my heart overflows with love. I can’t contain it. I can’t fight it. I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
Flynn watched his mate, mistress, and the love of his life head his way.
She looked insanely delicious. There was nothing as sexy as seeing your woman ripe with child.
His child.
Jacques child.
It turned him on.
Flynn’s erection throbbed in need, and when Jolie stared at it—it only made the sexual reverberations a million times worse.
As she approached, the bed beside them stirred.
Jolie’s second mate was waking, and he was just in time to feed. This had become their ritual.
Flynn no longer fed on their blood. Well, that wasn’t true. During sex, he’d bury his much longer, wicked, way pointier fangs into their flesh.
He couldn’t live without them either.
“Am I missing something?” Jacques asked, rolling toward his mate. He was pressed to Flynn’s side, and his head was resting on his thigh.
That was the other thing that had recently changed.
Flynn was far less inhibited.
Before, when Jacques had once told him that he was struggling not to touch him during sex, it had been an issue. The human part of him wasn’t comfortable with that.
Now, it really wasn’t an issue, but still neither man had moved on the opportunity.
In Jolie’s head, that was her secret fantasy. She could see the three of them rolling around naked, but Flynn wasn’t in a rush. He figured that when Jacques made the move, he’d welcome it.
“I was about to feed our mate. Are you hungry too?” he asked, already knowing the answer.