Raising my hand to his, I gently pushed his hand away from my face. Abrupt motions were not a good idea so I kept them slow and simple. Turning my body away, I took four steps away from him towards the fire to allow for two things—for me to get away from him and to allow him a good view of my backside to distract him from the fact that I was getting away from him.
Turning around to face him again. It was time to ask some hard questions.
"Where is my guard?" Calling him Solomon would have made him sound more valuable to the demon and I was afraid that he would know how much leverage he would have if he put his life on the line.
"Indisposed." He shrugged.
Tapping the tip of my shoe, I brushed my lips with the tip of my fingers. "I want him back."
The demon shook his head, "I am truly sorry, my love, but that is not possible." Shrugging his shoulders he took the few steps towards me, smoothly destroying the little space that I had left to call my own. Bending over, he gently grasped my hand between his own and turned my palm over to expose the inside of my wrist. Glancing up at me with clear desire in his eyes, he kissed the inside of my wrist warmly but gently.
My heartbeat stuttered at the touch of his lips on my pulse point. But I wasn't going to show weakness because I needed to get us out of this shark tank.
"My dear, let me formally introduce myself." He released my hand as he bowed deeply, "I am Leonzio Emilio Castillion and I am your honored host."
My eyes narrowed towards him. He was handsome, smooth, and had a name that would be considered a prime choice for a Hollywood heartthrob. He could have given Antonio Banderas a good run for his money. I chewed the inside of my lip as my mind reeled through possible options for our freedom. I had to get us out of here—both of us.
"Did you mention dinner?"
"Si, cena… dinner." He nodded at me happily as he stood back up and extended his arm to me, "Shall we go?"
"I'm afraid that I will be unable to attend dinner or anything else without my personal guard. He will need to be returned to me or you might as well enjoy your dinner by yourself as well as any
other
plans that you had in mind that included me." I flicked my hand back and waved at the air like I was trying to prove my point. It felt a little silly to tell the truth.
The demon stared at me, assessing my conviction over my point to regain Solomon. Was I serious or not? He was trying to decide.
I placed one foot out, allowing my leg to stretch out slightly as my hip lowered by a fraction, giving me a pedestal to lay my fisted hand upon. I could tell that his eyes were drawn to my extended leg and was slowly devouring the image of my silhouette underneath the satiny dress. I felt powerful and I could feel my lips curving up into a small smile. I was playing with fire and I knew it.
"So can I call you Leo?" I couldn't imagine calling him Leonzio all the time but if it offended him I guessed I was going to have to.
The demon's ruby red eyes glistened at me as he licked his lips and leaned in closer to me. "Yessss," his words came out in a slow hiss.
"Leo, I need my guard. How could I discuss anything or feel comfortable enough to even have dinner if I don't have my guard with me?" I shrugged as if it were a simple math equation. I walked over to the wingback chair near the fireplace and sat down slowly, crossing my legs so that he could see me doing it.
Power
. It sang through me.
Leo eyed my crossed legs and down to my red satin shoe that I was bouncing up and down as his eyes followed it. I almost chuckled to myself.
"So?"
Leo cleared his throat as he straightened his suit jacket and reached up to his collar—loosening it a little bit. "I'm afraid that it is not possible." He shrugged.
"And why is that?" I was angry—it was clear in my voice.
"Because he is in the dungeon. No one is ever released from the dungeon… not even after death. But it is not something that you should concern yourself with, my sweet. You are too beautiful to concern yourself with the trivial matters of the guard." That's when he turned towards the door.
Oh no! He's going to leave and I haven't gotten Solomon out of the dungeon yet.
"That is all well and good, my dear Leo." My voice was thick and sultry. Leo turned around to face me as I stood up and began to slink towards him. I used the momentum that the shoes gave me to walk with as much hip as I could muster without looking silly. My steps finally took me within slapping distance of the demon but I was using my power of persuasion, not butt kicking.
Laying a hand against the lapel of Leo's jacket, I brushed off an imaginary speck of dust and looked languidly into his eyes, willing him to hear me the way I intended—with tons of sex appeal. "But I will
not
do anything, eat anything, speak of anything, or even listen to
anything
without my guard by my side." I smiled at him and raised a single eyebrow to lay it on a little thick, "I'm sure you understand. A girl must have her… vices."
"So is that what he is to you—your lover?" The demon raised his hand and clutched mine to keep it from moving.
"No, not actually. He is my
vice
," I shrugged. "Take it however you like."
Leo stared down at me as I batted my eyes up at him.
Geesh I was sinking low to be acting like this
. Leo's mouth opened slightly and then closed quickly as he looked around the room.
"Does he… drink from you?" Leo's voice shook with emotion. Was it anger?
"No, he has not. Ever." My eyebrow shot up again, "What is it to you?"
Leo stood back from me and tried to assess what he was going to do with me. He ticked his questions out on his hand, "So he is not your lover. He does not drink from you. And yet, he is your vice?" He looked unconvinced.
"Yes," I answered simply, shrugging, "He is like my little safety blanket. I just feel more myself when he is around."
Leo crossed his arm and tapped a knuckle against his lips, looking down at me as he considered the possibility of getting me to do what he wanted without allowing me my way on this one point. He looked towards the open window and then back at me, to the open window and then back at me.
"I promise you that I am not bluffing on this, Leo." My vision darkened and I could see a shimmer of purple flash before my pupils, "I will do nothing without my guard. And when I say 'guard' I mean Solomon."
Leo looked at me seriously and nodded slowly as he took a step towards the window. He was finally convinced that I was serious. He stood by the window and looked like he was getting ready to leave.
He's going out the window?
"Leo."
He turned to look at me, eyeing me one more time from head to toe.
"Yes?" His voice was like a vapor.
"He must be alive and in good shape. I will not allow my guard to be damaged… in any way." I stared him down.
"Of course, my dear." He gulped audibly and my heart dropped slightly.
What had he done to Solomon?!
"Dinner will be served shortly," was his only reply as he turned towards the window and stepped out, into the dark and moonless night.
I was beginning to worry when dinner was not served as 'shortly' as the demon had inferred. In fact, I had fallen asleep on the loveseat in my room before I heard a movement and awoke to find Leo standing in front of me, hair as slick as ever and a broad smile across his face. He definitely thought that he had the upper hand in this situation—I could tell.
Pushing myself up to a sitting position, I smoothed my hair and dress. Thankfully I slept leaning backwards so my makeup should still all be in place.
I eyed him suspiciously as he bowed formally and offered his arm to me—a gesture to symbolize we were getting ready to go somewhere.
I stood slowly from the couch, allowing my dress to slink down my body in a cascade of satin that I was sure to draw attention. Slinking over to him heel by heel, I accepted his proffered arm and gave him a sultry smile. Yes, I was still working him.
He smiled widely at me and leaned down to kiss my cheek. His lips were burning up—two points of such intense heat that I was sure he was leaving a branded mark on my skin. When he pulled back to see my reaction he seemed to enjoy the tiny bit of fear that had shot up my spine. Could he see that in my eyes?
"My dear, I apologize for the unscheduled delay. It took a bit longer to push the paperwork through to allow your… guard to visit with us at dinner." His eyes flashed on the word
push
.
Was that an innuendo?
"I appreciate your attention to detail, but I was not aware that demons had a legal system that required paperwork to be submitted." I eyed him suspiciously again.
"Yes, well, we do." He shrugged. "It all boils down to the culture that we are embedded in—the American legal system seems to be more bogged down by paperwork than any I may have come into contact with. With the exception of England." He chuckled to himself at that.
Wonder what that really means.
I raised one shoulder and leaned my head towards my shoulder while slightly lowering my eyelids. It was one of my trademark moves for looking sexy—I would draw attention to my almost bare shoulders and perfect makeup with that one move.
Genius!
Leo's eyes flashed slightly with a hint of ruby as he cleared his throat. "Yes, well, it is time that we attend to our guest."
It turns out that there was a door behind the huge tapestry facing my bed. I wouldn't have ever figured that out because the tapestry was so disturbing that I never would have
wanted
to touch it much less look behind it.
Relief shot through me as Leo walked me down the hallway, with me on his arm. He reached over and placed his other hand on mine when a particularly ugly demon popped out of another doorway and began to literally drool on the carpet as he ogled me. I almost lost my footing as he stared at me, with that hungry, desirous look.
We finally made our way to a huge carved wood dining room. The hall towered over us and the ceiling seemed to be sparkling with tiny twinkle lights. My breath caught as I looked up at the pitch dark expanse. Was there even a ceiling?
Leo led me to a chair at one end of the twenty foot table. It seemed that all of the food and table settings had been set up at one end. We were going to enjoy a more intimate dinner it appeared than the table led me to believe.
Pulling my chair out, Leo purred, "My dear… "
I walked over to him and nodded, taking my seat and allowing him to scoot me in closer to the table. The table was high enough to lay my chest on if I needed real support. I thought about using that as a weapon if things got too dicey. The thought made me chuckle.
"So, where is my
guard
?" I cut to the chase because I was afraid Leo would avoid the question altogether.
Leo shook his head which made my heart drop slightly. I could feel the sense of dread wash to the back of my head.
Oh no!
He took a sip of wine that was sitting in front of him and returned his gaze to me, "He needed to be… cleaned up a bit before attending with us."
My look must have been threatening because Leo put both hands up in the air, "I assure you—he is perfectly fine and healthy. If not a little tired… but all else is just as it should be." He quirked a smile on that absolutely handsome face.
As I looked at Leo under the candlelight on the table, I saw how magnificent he really was. He wasn't lean and thin—he was thick and all muscle. He wasn't stalky but he wasn't extremely tall either. His eyes twinkled and his eyebrows wagged at me whenever he caught me looking but I was assessing him and he knew it. His lips were manly and squared. His jaw was European and strong. His olive skin assured that he would never require a day under the sun to tan.
Could he even endure being under the sun?
Huh, I didn't know anything about demons and that could be a serious problem in this situation.
I took a slow sip of wine as I crossed my legs and allowed my foot to kick a little, accidentally rubbing Leo's leg in the process.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kick you." I shifted in my seat to return my foot to the floor.
Leo leaned forward over the table, glaring hungrily at me, "It is quite alright my dear. I enjoyed it. Please feel free to continue—the contact is extremely stimulating. It reminds me that I am truly alive." He smiled genuinely at me as the doors on the far wall opened.
My head turned to the noise and the sight I saw was a happy relief—it was Solomon but he was unfortunately unconscious. Two demons were dragging him in, heaving under his weight like he weighed so very much and needed to cut back on his portions. Something in my mind flashed the memory that it was much harder to move a limp body than someone that was conscious. I guess a conscious person would be able to help even a little bit.
They heaved Solomon into the chair on the other side of me, bowed deeply and left the room with a small grumble.
My eyes could only see Solomon—his skin was much more pale than normal and I knew that he would be cooler to the touch as well. His clothes were clean and his head was so low that it was touching his chest so that I couldn't see his face. Every part of him was limp but he appeared to be fine except for the fact that he wasn't breathing. But vampires don't require breath to live so I wasn't sure how I was going to ensure that he was truly alive.
"Don't worry, my love. Your vampire would be ash if he were truly dead."
"What have you done?" My voice was a whisper.
"Nothing of consequence—he is not
permanently
damaged."
My eyes flicked over to Leo—he was holding the wine up towards me, in a mock toast.
"What the
hell
have you
done
to him?" I shook with more anger than I had felt in a very long time. Trying to pin it back into my reservoir, I rolled my shoulders and lowered my voice, "Please let me know so that I may help him."
"Oh, I am afraid that there is no true help for him… or for me for that matter. We are both the undead." Leo shrugged like he was talking about soccer scores, "What help could there be but to help him meet his actual end? Rebirth could be a blessing for him—he could start again and live the life that he was honestly meant to live."