The Maestro's Apprentice (14 page)

“Understood,” the other man said after a moment. There was another pause before he emerged from around the wall, meeting Autumn’s gaze as he passed, bowing his head briefly before hurrying away.

Autumn stared after him, wondering if maybe she had done something wrong by leaving Claudio with Adam and Maria, broken some sort of sacred trust between vampire and feeder. She looked at the scarlet rug on the hardwood floor, feeling dizzy.

Mick came around the wall, pressing his lips together, looking only slightly surprised to find her there.

“Does he want to tell Claudio?” she asked, unable to keep the panic out of her voice.

“I don’t want to go back.”

“It’s okay,” Mick said, and took her in his arms. “We don’t do that here. My assistant is young yet, and in the process of starting his own family. He’ll make a good alpha 122

someday, but for now, he’s not confident about his ability to hold things together. So he’s identifying a little too closely with Mr. du Fresne in this situation. That’s all.”

Autumn nodded her head against him. There was something calming about his smell, which reminded her oddly of tea leaves.

“Are you having a good time?” he asked, pushing her away to look at her. “Looks like you’ve had some action.”

She blushed, and tried to hide the shoes behind her back, then smiled and nodded.

“Well, I’ll tell you what. I’ve been to millions of these things and I’ve got plenty of assistants to take care of things, plus my trusty cell phone. Why don’t we go somewhere a little more private, where you can make good on that promise of dinner? I’m starving.”

The thought of the beautiful vampire sinking his fangs into her made her shiver, not to mention blush all over again, in spite of what she had just been doing on the couch with strange men. “Okay,” she said and took his arm.

* * * *

Mick took her to the library and let her stand in the middle of the room gawking at the twenty-foot high shelves as he loosened his tie and pulled the band from his hair. There was a movable ladder that could slide around the room, and a loft accessible by the next hallway up. Several couches positioned at odd angles, yet somewhat facing the center of the room, sat empty.

“Usually, this is a great room for socializing,” he said. “People are here at all hours of the day, making out, talking, whatever. It’s like a coffee shop for vampires. Tonight it’s empty because there are too many parties going on.” He smiled at her and came over, looking at the bite on her neck, which she knew would be closed in a few hours.

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“He didn’t take much,” she said. “I told him I was your dinner.”

Mick nodded. “I didn’t think he had. Are you okay with this?”

She giggled. “I’ve just been to an orgy.”

“Yeah, but you would be surprised how many people can handle orgies but can’t handle intimate human contact. Vampires and feeders alike. I don’t have that problem,”

he said, moving her hair out of the way to run his finger over the contours of her neck.

“It’s amazing what happens when you become a vampire. The throat becomes so sexualized. It’s instinct. For a regular man, it’s what, tits and ass? Maybe a leg. But for vampires, it’s tits, ass, leg and throat—not necessarily in that order. You have a very sexy throat.”

“Thank you,” she said.

He pulled away. “Would you care for a drink?”

She shook her head, and looked up at him, head cocked forward demurely, eyes wide.

“No. I want tonight to be real. Whatever happens.”

“That’s a good choice,” he said, going to a cabinet in the corner of the room and opening it. He took out one of the red feeder bibs she had seen at dinner the other night, then motioned with his head for her to sit on one of the couches, where he joined her.

“I’ve been looking forward to this all night,” he said, putting it on her like a necklace when she sat with him. “Really and truly. There. Now we won’t spill a drop.”

When she turned back to him, she could see the slight bulge in his top lip that meant his fangs were extended. She had always found that attractive on the vampires at Claudio’s estate, and it was extremely hot on Mick.

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In spite of the pounding of her heart, she relaxed as he guided her against the back of the couch, giving her a smile devoid of urgency. It set her at ease. He put his hand on her jaw and gently moved her to face him, then placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

“I want this to be good for you,” he said. His voice was deep and smooth. “I don’t want to scare you.”

She looked away.

“What is it?”

She bit her lip. “I know this sounds kind of weird, but – I’m glad you feel that way. It makes me feel good about you, but I like it when guys are kind of scary.”

“Oh really?” he asked, amused. “Well, I think I can manage that too. Do you want me to go all psycho vamp on you and growl like a beast, like this?” He nuzzled her neck forcefully and nipped at her, making growling sounds. “And this?” he asked, then went for the other side of her neck.

The points of his teeth tickled. She giggled. “Not exactly.”

He raised up and looked down at her. “Autumn,” he said suddenly, in a firm voice.

She blinked up at him.

“It’s time to give me what I want.”

His tone sent shivers all over her body. “Yes, sir,” she said automatically, then blushed.

He kept his face stoic as he used some force to position her head where he wanted it and pressed his fangs into her quickly, somewhat painfully. She clutched at him, but without the panic she had felt on the couch with the stranger.

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She closed her eyes as she felt the hard shafts of his fangs retracting against the torn skin, and the rhythmic sucking from the wounds, thinking about his warm saliva touching her skin and entering her. His hand moved down her body and tugged at the hem of her gown, finding the bare flesh of her thigh. She wound her fingers in his long hair.

He drank for many moments, breathing against her skin, blindly exploring with his hand, pressing against her. In spite of the fact that she had already been fucked by two vampires tonight, she felt desperate for him to take her. She whimpered loudly, hoping he would read it as a sign to do anything he wanted. It seemed to fuel his need and make his movements more urgent, but he did not take his mouth from her throat.

He drank for a long time, lulling her with his rhythm. When he finally raised his head and dabbed the wounds clean with the tip of his tongue, she felt pleasantly warm and mellow. “One of the best things you can do for yourself is let a vampire—well, one who knows what he’s doing, anyway—sink his teeth into you. That was really good. Are you up for something more?”

She nodded. He lowered his head to kiss her. “That’s my girl,” he said, and brushed his lips against hers before plundering her mouth with his tongue.

He undressed her so deftly, touching and murmuring to her all the while, that she hardly noticed it was happening—unzipping the gown and sliding his hands over her back, then pulling the fabric off her shoulders so he could kiss the skin beneath. Before long, she was nude and waiting beneath him as he pressed the head of his erection against her opening.

This felt so different from everything she had experienced with the strange men she had met the past few days. He seemed so much more present, able to hold her with his 126

eyes. Autumn could tell those eyes were looking at her—
really
looking at her—taking stock of her reactions, keeping track of her. It felt as though every movement of his hips, every thrust, was carefully calculated to create in her a specific sensation, to draw from her a particular reaction.

She reached for him with her hips and moaned as he accepted her gift, pressing deeper and deeper inside, taking her more fully than she had been taken in a long time.

Slowly, she tensed again toward orgasm. Slowly, the sensation spilled over her. He rocked against her for a long time, letting her float, before finally smiling down at her.

“How was that?” he asked. “Was that nice?”

She nodded.

“Do you want me to really fuck you now?”

Surprised, she nodded again.

“Okay,” he said. “Hold on.”

Mick gritted his teeth, narrowed his eyes and began pounding her without mercy, making her gasp and wonder if it had been such a good idea to agree to being fucked hard by a vampire. Chills gathered at the base of her spine and spread up her back. Each thrust hurt deep inside of her and battered the tender flesh between her legs.

And she loved it.

He came quickly after that, throwing his head back and letting out a long, slow breath. “Whew,” he said. I haven’t had any in a few days. But I will make it up to you next time. Promise.”

“Next time?”

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He nodded. “If you and Adam aren’t really a thing, then I thought maybe we could spend some time together. I’m in the market for a new feeder, and – I like the way you taste.”

Autumn blinked at him. Playing around had been fun, but the thought of belonging to another vampire—or to anyone—at the moment, chilled her. She pulled away and sat up.

Mick looked surprised but held up his hands. “No pressure. We can keep it low key if you want.”

She looked at him. He was so hot, and so beautiful and so everything she liked in a man. But Claudio had been all of that as well. “I, uh, it’s just too soon. I just got out of a relationship.”

“Right. The guy you’re hiding from. Well, I won’t push you into anything you don’t want to do. Just know the offer stands.” He smiled and opened his arms. “Come here. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

She looked at him, unsure what she wanted to do. He wiggled his fingers and nodded once. “It’s okay. It’s just holding. I thought girls liked that sort of thing.”

Autumn smiled and returned to him, relaxing into the post-bite warmth for a long time. Mick nibbled again before helping her dress and taking her back to her room, where he thanked Adam and Maria for allowing him to spend time with her.

* * * *

She slept deeply that night, and was taken completely by surprise when Freddie Biali woke them up early the next morning and announced they had to leave, unless they wanted to find themselves face-to-face with a very irritable Claudio du Fresne.

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Chapter Thirteen

Autumn and Maria huddled together like frightened children while Biali stood in the middle of the bedroom and explained the situation to Adam. “One of Mick’s assistants feels that our policy of not informing on our guests is somehow wrong,” he said. “He will be dealt with. It’s come to my attention that Mr. du Fresne is about an hour away from here. I wanted to give you guys the option of clearing out if you don’t want to talk to him, which I see is a distinct possibility.”

Autumn and Maria looked at each other, then moved quickly to begin packing.

“No,” Adam said. “I’m not running.”

Autumn whirled around to look at him with a dropped jaw. Maria advanced on him.

“What do you mean, you’re not running? You may be a vampire, but he can take
us
back.

Do you know what he will do to us for running away?”

“He’s not going to do anything to you. But I’m not tucking my tail and running like a…runaway slave.” He turned back to Biali, who gave an appreciative frown and nodded in surprise. “Which one told him we were here?”

Biali shook his head. “That isn’t important. Believe me, he’s going to wish he hadn’t.”

Autumn felt dizzy. She put out her hand and lumbered toward the bed. Maria noticed suddenly and moved to help her, but Autumn was already sitting. Maria sat next to her and put her arm around her. “We’ll be okay,” she said.

Adam nodded. “Thanks for giving us the heads up,” he said to Biali.

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“You can meet with him in my office if you want,” Biali said. “I don’t think he’ll start anything. I know the guy, and he may make a few demands, but I don’t foresee a security problem. All the same, security will be there.”

Adam turned to the others. “I’ll handle it,” he said. “You two can stay in here—”

Before he could finish, Autumn was on her feet. “No,” she said. “I don’t want to run anymore either.”

“Autumn,” Maria said gently. “You’re scared to death of him. Look at you. You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“I don’t care. If we keep hiding from what scares us, we’ll always be chased. We’ll always have to run. We’ll just tell Claudio we’re breaking up with him. He’s let people go before.”

Maria’s eyes grew wide. She nodded. “Tell him – right. That’s what we’ll do. Well, I’m not going to be the only coward hiding in my room. I guess.” She looked away.

“Okay, then,” Adam said, turning back to Biali. “Give us a minute to put on clothes and I guess you can show us to your office.”

* * * *

Freddie Biali’s office was full of books about music and pop culture. It created the distinct impression that, had all the books been in their places, the shelves would have been packed tight. As it was, little gaps dotted the shelves here and there where other books leaned in. Little piles of books covered flat surfaces. In one corner, there was a large console stereo and a shelf of vinyl albums. The only truly contemporary-looking thing in the room was the pristine flat computer screen on his desk.

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He allowed them to take it all in. “If you understand the music, then you understand the culture,” he said to Adam. “I know you appreciate that. It’s important for us to understand the culture as it changes. We have to fit in.”

Adam nodded. “This is all kind of new to me. I’ve been with Claudio since I was changed and we sort of lived in our own little world.”

“I can guarantee you, he’s kept up with things,” Biali said, pointing up at him. “He’s a success story. That’s how I know things are going to run smoothly today. He’s not going to jeopardize the world he’s created to have a tantrum about you three. But he is a man with an ego and he will want to confront you to your face. We’ll see what happens.”

He went over to a liquor cabinet. “Anyone want a drink?”

Autumn liked the sound of that. She nodded. “Yes, please.”

Biali smiled. “Case of nerves?”