Dangerous Influence (The Harcourte Vampyre Society Book 5) Page 26

  “He followed the body to the morgue. He’ll get a ride back here with a black and white,” he said, crossing to his mates. “We need to talk,” he said kissing Jolie on the cheek.

  “About?” she asked.

  “It’s about the Tueur,” said Flynn, slipping out of his gun holsters before dropping them onto the dresser.

  They watched him as he moved about effortlessly. Flynn was evolving further. Even in his boots, he barely made a whisper of a sound.

  Flynn carried one of the guns to the bed and slid it under Jolie’s pillow.

  That said it all.

  “I need a favor, Jolie.”

  She laughed. “It’s the night for it. Jacques asked the same thing.”

  Flynn lifted a brow. “He did?”

  Jolie told him what they had discussed.

  “I was going to make the same suggestion.”

  She wasn’t surprised. The men were very much alike when it came to keeping her safe. Plus, those lines between them were getting blurry.

  “Jacques has the experience—not that you don’t, Flynn, but he was born to be a guardian. He’ll be in his element.”

  “I am. I miss doing it. When you do something for six hundred years, you can’t let it go so easily.”

  He understood.

  “Okay, since that’s covered then, I have something else I need.”

  She waited. “What?”

  “Would you consider closing the office for a while? I’m not talking about forever, but a little while,” he asked pretty sure he already knew the answer.

  “I can do that,” she said amicably.

  He looked around in confusion.

  “What’s wrong, handsome?” she asked.

  “Okay, where is the real Jolie? What have you done with her?” asked Flynn. “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

  Jolie was amused. She loved catching them off guard. “I will close down, but I need a couple of days to find a stand in doctor to take on my case load.”

  He stared at her. “And if you can’t?”

  Jolie sighed. “If I can’t, I’ll shut down until we solve this, or until I have these babies—whichever comes first,” she said, touching her stomach. “They’re my priorities, and I’m a sitting duck in the daylight.”

  Jacques took her hand in his. “You’ll have to have one of us take you to work every day. If possible, we’ll sit in the office with your secretary until you’re finished with your patients.”

  “Again, okay.”

  “I think I could get accustomed to you like this,” said Flynn, smiling. “There’s no fighting and no fear of being shaved bald if I get too bossy.”

  Jolie laughed. “Don’t get accustomed to it, Flynn. Eventually, I’ll remember all the times you two brutes strong armed me to get your way, and I’ll come to my senses.”

  They didn’t doubt it.

  All three climbed into the bed after Flynn stripped out of his jeans and blazer.

  “Oh, Flynn?” Jolie said, after she got comfortable between them.

  “Yes, baby?”

  “Tomorrow night, we have to meet with Nathaniel and council.”

  With that, she called for death.

  “Wait! Jolie! I swear to everything that’s holy! I’m going to spank you!”

  Jacques simply laughed and followed his mate. “Good luck with that,” he said, before death claimed him.

  Jacques heard Flynn cursing, and his last thoughts were how much he loved his family.

  And how he’d die to protect it.

  ∞ Chapter Twenty-One ∞

  Tuesday Early

  Morning

  He was dreaming about her. In fact, it was so vivid that he could feel her mouth moving across his flesh.

  Then he felt the bite.

  It pulled Flynn from sleep with a gasp. Immediately, he knew who was straddling his body and drinking from his throat. Before he could even say her name, a moan was pulled from his lips.

  This was the best way to wake up.

  “Jolie,” he whispered, as her mouth moved over his jugular and she fed. The sucks were slow, timed to his heartbeat, and filling his body with uncontained lust.

  Slowly, she pulled her fangs from his flesh. When she stared down at him, his eyes had already bled that sexy blue-black that was synonymous with his hybrid mix of human and vampyre. He was watching her and with each blink, his pupils dilated like the predator he was.

  “I probably should have waited until you were awake, but you were lying there all warm and sexy. I couldn’t help myself.”

  The growl was low in his chest and barely audible.

  Jolie didn’t even retract her fangs. They peeked sexily from behind her lips.

  She knew what waking him that way would do, and she couldn’t help but want it.

  She wanted him in the worst way.

  Sitting above Flynn, Jolie watched as the fangs slowly descended, peeking from behind his lips. Jolie was in the mood to play.

  Who was she kidding?

  Provoking Flynn, pulling him from sleep with the sucking of her mouth, generally meant one thing.

  She was ready to have sex.

  Before he could attack, Jolie was up and off his body. Using her vampyre quickness, she was in the bathroom, door locked, and heading toward the balcony.

  It was barely dawn, and she wanted to play. Jolie leapt off the balcony, landing on her feet in the dewy grass. Before Flynn could even catch her, she was heading into the trees.

  Practically naked.

  ‘When I catch you, I’m going to teach you a lesson,’ Flynn whispered into her mind.

  Jolie couldn’t wait.

  There was nothing like this sexy game of chase with her mate. Yes, she knew it was dangerous, but she needed it to feel like herself again. While Jacques might protest, Flynn would playfully play along.

  As Jolie raced through the trees, she could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The sun was cresting into the trees, throwing shadows across everything.

  Her ability to feel Flynn chasing her was ebbing away.

  Here was the weakness of their species.

  Jolie raced toward the tree where they’d carved their names. As she approached it, someone was already there. Before she could slow down, she was taken to the ground.

  Flynn had beaten her there.

  As they fell, he made sure he landed on the bottom.

  Then he rolled, pinning his mate with his fangs through her shoulder.

  It was so very much like their species.

  It stole her breath.

  “Flynn!”

  He slowly slipped, barely taking any blood. Jolie would suffer out in the daylight, and he wouldn’t as much. This was about the sport of claiming his mate.

  When he released her, he stared down at her. “Jolie, this isn’t safe.”

  “I’m safe with you. You’ll protect us.”

  His heart skipped as he thought about the little lives growing in her body.

  “I knew you’d come for me.”

  He always would.

  She was his other half.

  Slowly, he ignored the fact that they were pressed into the soft moss of the ground. Instead, he worked his mouth across her throat and jaw.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered. “I will die loving you, Jolie Harcourte.”

  Her heart skipped.

  “I love you too, my sexy detective.”

  His mouth slid down her body, trapping her hands at her side. Flynn had caught her, and he was going to enjoy his prize.

  “Yes, Flynn, God! Yes!”

  He trailed down her body, scraping his fangs across her flesh like she always did to him. When he found her wet and ready, he teased her with the tip of his tongue. It was barely a touch, driving her mad. As she tried to pull her arms free he simply held her trapped.

  ‘I love the way you taste,’ he admitted.

  Jolie moaned as he swirled his tongue over the most sensitive part of her body. When he’d work her to the
edge, he’d change it up, tormenting her.

  “Flynn!”

  He took his time, lapping and teasing her to make her insane. ‘When you touch me, this is how I feel,’ he admitted. ‘I wake up every day with this need.’

  ‘Flynn, I need you. Please make love to me.’

  She didn’t have to ask twice. Only, he wasn’t going to let her fall into the orgasm without him. There was something amazing about how their coming together in the morning set the pace for their day.

  ‘You told me about the council and ran,’ he stated. ‘Do you think that was fair?’

  Jolie couldn’t think. He had her legs pinned with his broad shoulders, and he knew she was weaker during the daylight. Her wrists were cuffed by his hands.

  ‘No, it wasn’t.’

  ‘What should you do to make amends?’

  Jolie opened her eyes. He was above her, staring down. His eyes were blue again, and Jolie’s heart skipped.

  “Set me free and let me say I’m sorry.”

  When he did, Jolie rolled, and Flynn ended up sitting, his back against the tree where their initials were carved.

  Jolie didn’t give him time to speak.

  Instead, she slid him deep within her body.

  Flynn moaned.

  Jolie began the ride.

  It was slow.

  It was heated.

  Her eyes morphed back into the lavender color. As her now free hands slid up his torso, burying themselves in his hair, her mouth sought his.

  Their fangs were gone.

  Now they were simply Flynn and Jolie.

  Lovers.

  A couple.

  As she rode him slowly, his eyes never left hers. Here was the woman he loved. Even though she was the undead, she was his treasure. As she moved effortlessly, his erection sliding in and out of her warm body, they never looked away.

  So much was conveyed with a look.

  It was love.

  It was peace.

  It was the offering of an eternity together.

  As the heat rose, taking them to the top, Flynn gently brushed a strand of black hair from her cheek.

  It undid her.

  The tears came.

  Then they followed.

  The pleasure erupted around them, pulling both under the heated wave of orgasm. She whispered his name, over and over again as she tumbled, and he did the same.

  When they both floated back to the surface, he was holding her to his larger frame.

  Protectively.

  Lovingly.

  The gentle stroking of his hands up and down her back said it all.

  It spoke of their union.

  “Next time you pull that, I won’t be so easy going,” Flynn whispered into her ear. “In fact, someone’s ass is going to be red, and it won’t be mine.”

  She laughed. “That’s not a deterrent, and you know it. I figured I was going to be in trouble anyway.”

  That had been his plan.

  Only, he knew she was worried. He could see it reflected in her eyes. Not much scared her.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you, Jolie. I swear to God, or Death, that you’re going to have these babies. I’d do anything to protect these babies—even sacrifice myself.”

  She believed him.

  Pushing himself up from the ground, Jolie wrapped her legs around his hips and placed her head on his shoulder. As he began navigating the fallen trees, carrying his precious cargo, he could feel her tears on his shoulder.

  He was sure tonight was going to be an issue.

  His gut was screaming.

  The council always had ulterior motives, and they would strike when they saw fit. Now they had to worry about that, the Tueur, and what was coming.

  It sucked.

  They needed to get out. Soon, Flynn was going to help Jacques pack their family up and leave the states.

  What choice did they have?

  They were out of options, and luck.

  * * * H a r c o u r t e * * *

  Flynn dressed and got himself ready to face the world. He would rather be with Jolie, but he had a job. A part of him wanted to turn in his badge, but there was that tiny piece that knew he needed to keep working.

  Why?

  He had to protect the vampyres.

  A year ago, when he found out they existed, he wouldn’t have been so magnanimous.

  Now, it was the reason he stayed a cop.

  While he was there, watching over the murder rate, he could tell if a vamp was risking their lives. Once they popped onto his radar, he’d let Jolie know, and she’d filter it to the council. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do it.

  See, they hated him.

  He was an aberration to them, and that scared the vamps. While they hated humans, unless they were food or energy, they couldn’t put him in a category.

  He was an enigma.

  “You look handsome,” she said, moving toward him. When she ran her hand down his silk bat tie, he blinked.

  “I’m sorry. I was thinking.”

  “About?”

  He grinned. “You.”

  Jolie went into his arms. He smelled like forest and musk, and she didn’t think it was because of his cologne. Flynn, much like Jacques, was picking up his own distinct scent.

  It heated her blood.

  Jolie had to admit that it was alluring, and that was probably the point. Mates attracted each other by smell, and Flynn was no longer full human.

  He was more and more them.

  “I’m going to drive you to work, and I want you to stay in your office. If that douchebag doctor comes near you, I’m going to kill him. Am I clear?”

  She laughed. “I think I can handle a human. This isn’t my first day of being a vampyre. You can calm down.”

  He lifted her chin. “Obey me.”

  She blinked a few times. “Yes, Flynn.”

  “Go finish getting ready.”

  She walked away.

  Jacques watched them from bed. “She’s going to kick your ass as soon as she comes out of that compulsion.”

  Flynn laughed. “I’ll take my chances. Jolie living is worth her tossing me around the room.”

  Jacques wasn’t sure Jolie could beat him in a fight. Their mate had evolved into something very unique. While vampyres were strong, humans had endurance and superior genes. They could be out in the light, and they didn’t have the limitations.

  Flynn Brogan now had both traits. It was making him a force to reckon with, and even Jacques knew it.

  Death and bonding him had created something new and strong. In this case, Jacques was glad. They needed all the help they could get.

  “Flynn, do me a favor?”

  “What?”

  “Go vamp for me.”

  He didn’t hesitate.

  It was immediate.

  His eyes bled black, and his fangs descended into his mouth. A few weeks ago, Flynn would have had to work harder at making it happen.

  Jacques approached. “Your eyes are nearly black. You’re losing the blue.”

  He was fine with that.

  “Your fangs are getting longer too.”

  Flynn had already noticed it the last time he’d checked them out in the mirror. Before, they had been smaller than Jolie and Jacques’s.

  Now his were bigger than both of theirs.

  “It’s probably all the blood. I don’t eat food anymore. I’d rather it this way. For what’s coming, I need to be stronger.”

  Jacques sniffed the air. “You smell differently too.”

  He moved closer.

  Flynn didn’t even flinch. Before, a naked Jacques this close to him would have freaked him out. Now, it didn’t make him flinch.

  Jacques sniffed his mate.

  “What do I smell like?”

  He couldn’t describe it. All Jacques knew was that it smelled really good.

  His fangs descended.

  “Like home. You smell like home.”

  “Here?”

&n
bsp; “France. I don’t know how, but you do.”

  Flynn didn’t know either. He’d used the same soap, and he’d not changed anything.

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “Both.”

  Flynn lifted a brow. “Uh, that might need more explanation.”

  “I want to bite you.”

  “Uh…”

  Flynn didn’t have time to move. As soon as the word was out of his mouth, Jacques struck.

  He’d pinned Flynn to the wall and was drinking voraciously from his throat.

  “Jacques, slow down,” he muttered, feeling the room go gray around him. His vision was blurring, and he was in trouble. “Please, slow down!”

  He needed help, and fast.

  ‘Vanth,’ he called silently to the demoness.

  It was too late.

  As he hit the ground, the lights went out.

  Flynn looked around.

  He didn’t know where the hell he was. The room looked like some brothel. There were red walls, curtains of gold, and laughter.

  When he stepped through the thin sheers, he saw someone sitting there.

  “Uh, hello?”

  “Sit.”

  The chair slid across the room, hitting him in the back of his legs until he dropped into it. Then it slid toward the beautiful woman.

  When it stopped inches from her, she stared into his eyes.

  “Do you know who I am?”

  “Death,” he said, picking up the scent. He’d detected it on Jolie a few times.

  Her tongue whipped out, licking at his throat. “Yes, that’s who I am. Do you know why you’re here?”

  He shook his head, trying not to think about the woman before him. She scared the bejezus out of him.

  How could she not?

  Jolie had told them about her, but here he was, face to face with her.

  “I am their mother,” she stated. “I created the undead.”

  “Okay. Why am I here? Am I dead? That’s not going to make me happy.”

  She leaned forward.

  Death was curious.

  This human was special, and she knew it.

  “You need to stay alive. You need to keep Jolie from dying, and you need to make sure those babies are born.”

  He blinked at her.

  “You may speak.”

  “Uh, okay. Personally, that was my plan. Since Jolie and Jacques are my mates, and I will die to protect them, they will be born.” He looked around. “Then again, I’m with Death. I have to be dead.”