The Vampire Pendant (2 page)

What would he think if he knew what she’d done in front of the mirror? Would it turn him on? Would it make him eager to fuck her? He already looked as if he intended to sweep her off her feet.

Tessa squeezed her thighs together. She wanted to come for this man and come hard.

He stood up, and her pulse zoomed straight to her pussy. He was walking toward her, with his drink in his hand.

He approached her and asked, “May I join you?”

She nodded, and he sat across from her. He placed his glass on the table, and she noticed that it was full, almost as if it were a prop, as if he wasn’t going to actually drink from it. That struck her as odd.

“My name is Anthony Dumont,” he said. “And you’re Tessa.”

She widened her eyes. Odd indeed. “How do you know my name? Do you work for the hotel?”

“No. But I was born the year it opened.”

Eyes still wide, she gaped at him. “It opened in 1912.”

“I know.” His smile turned feral. “I’m a vampire, Tessa.”

She clutched her Greta Garbo. He was crazy. “That’s impossible.”

“No more impossible than the magic pendant you’re wearing.”

She moved her hand to her necklace and wondered what the shopkeeper had gotten her into. “Did Darrin send you here? Did he tell you to approach me?”

Anthony shook his head. “I’m connected to the pendant. In fact, its magic comes from me. I’m the one who granted your wish.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m not a regular vampire. I was, but then a genie saved me from being staked and turned me into gen-vamp, a hybrid of the two species.”

She couldn’t imagine his story being true. Magic or not, it was much too strange. “If you’re actually who you say you are, why didn’t Darrin tell me about you?”

“Because it wasn’t his place to tell you. In order for the wish to continue, you have to allow me to feed from you for the next two weeks, and you have to give me your permission, face to face, like we are now.”

“Feed from me?” She touched the side of her neck. “You mean drink my blood?”

“Yes.” As if to prove his identity, he blinked and changed the color of his eyes. They went from being a soft shade of brown to a vibrant shade of red, possessing the same shimmering qualities as the ruby in the necklace.

She felt faint. This was starting to seem much too real. “I need to go to my room and lie down.”

“No, Tessa. You need to give me permission to feed.”

Her mind was twirling like an out-of-control top. She didn’t care if it wasn’t Darrin’s place to tell her, he still should have warned her about this blood-hungry hybrid. At least she would have been prepared for the demands he was making.

Fighting another bout of dizziness, she ran the outside of her glass across her forehead, trying to cool her skin. “If I refuse, will I go back to looking the way I did before? Right here and now?”

“Not right this second. I’ll give you a few hours so you can check out of the hotel and no one sees that you look different from the way you did when you arrived.”

Her heart dropped to her stomach. She didn’t want to go back to being scarred, not this soon. “Do you know what I look like? Did you see me before I made the wish?”

“No. I was inside the pendant, and I could hear you talking to Darrin and making your wish, but I couldn’t see you.”

This was getting weirder by the minute. “What do you mean? You were inside the pendant?”

“That’s my genie bottle, so to speak. I left the pendant as soon as your wish was granted.”

Oh, Lord. The mist from the ruby was him? Overwhelmed, she asked, “Are there gen-vamps inside of the bracelet and ring, too?”

He nodded. “My brother is inside the bracelet, and our maker, the vampire who turned us into vampires, lives in the ring. Like me, they feed on the women for whom they grant wishes. Then we go back into our homes and wait until Darrin puts us on loan again.”

“How exactly does Darrin fit into this? Why is he in charge of you and who receives the wishes?”

“He’s in charge because he owns the jewelry. Technically, we belong to him.”

“How did Darrin acquire you?”

“While researching genie magic, he discovered the existence of gen-vamps. Then he spent years searching for gen-vamp jewelry, with the purpose of using our magic to help people. Darrin is a decent man.”

Tessa wasn’t sure if anyone related to this was decent. “How many gen-vamps does he own?”

“Six. It’s a small number, considering that there are thousands of us out there.”

“If Darrin is so wonderful, why doesn’t he just release you?”

“He can’t. Jewelry owners don’t have that kind of power.”

“Why are the wishes you grant so short?”

“Hybrids aren’t strong enough to fulfill lifelong wishes. Being a mixed-breed lessens the magic.”

She glanced at his untouched cocktail. She’d been right about it being a prop. He apparently didn’t drink anything but blood.

“May I go to your room with you?” he asked, prodding her for permission.

She winced. Earlier she’d been fantasizing about sleeping with him, not becoming his meal. It wasn’t fair that she’d been thrown a curveball.

He persisted. “Tessa, my darling, it’s time to pay the piper or give up the wish.”

“Stop rushing me. And I’m not your darling.”

He smiled. “You have a cute temper.”

She frowned and swigged her Garbo. She wasn’t feeling the slightest bit cute. But she wasn’t ready to return to her ugly self, either.

Another patron walked by, and Anthony quickly switched his eyes back to brown, looking mortal again. Tessa drained the rest of her drink.

“I can’t kill you or turn you into what I am,” he said. “I could have when I was a regular vampire, but I’m not capable of those things anymore.”

She stalled for time. “How long were you a regular vampire?”

“Only a few months. I barely got my fangs wet.”

Did that mean that he’d never turned or killed anyone? “Can you drink too much and make me weak?”

“Yes, but I won’t.”

“Will being bit by you hurt?”

“A little. But I’ve been told that it can be pleasurable, too.”

Her skin went warm. “You mean sexually?”

He lifted his brows. “Do you want it to be sexual?”

She shifted in her seat. “No.”

“That’s good. Because it isn’t.”

A wave of disappointment came over her, but she willed it away. She wasn’t going to start fantasizing about him again. It was bad enough that she found him so damned attractive.

“What kind of pleasure is it?” she asked.

“It creates a euphoric sensation, like being happily drunk or drugged.”

“How many times will you have to feed?”

“Once a night.”

“And how long will the feedings themselves last?”

“Just a few minutes.”

She continued to question him. “Are you going to go back into the pendant in-between feedings?”

“Actually, I’m free to roam while your wish is in progress. I plan on renting a bungalow.”

Surprised, she glanced at the garden view. “You have money for that? The bungalows are terribly expensive.”

“I can conjure necessities for myself. Besides, I have a fondness for this hotel. I remember it in its heyday.”

“That must have been thrilling.”

“It was.” But clearly he wasn’t in the mood to keep talking about it. “Come now, Tessa. No more dragging your feet. Let me drink from you. Let me taste your human warmth.”

God help her.

Unable to give up her wish, she invited him to her room, praying for the strength to endure his bloodsucking bite.

Anthony couldn’t wait to drink from her, to sink his fangs deep into her vein. He was hungry, ravenous, in fact. It had been a while since he’d fed. But he did his damnedest to behave in a civilized manner. She was already frightened. He could feel her fear.

They entered her room, and she closed the door. But that wasn’t good enough for him. He locked it, turning the deadbolt and flipping the security latches.

Her breath went shaky. “Should I sit or stand or what?”

He glanced around. “Why don’t we do it in front of the mirror so you can witness what’s happening.”

“The mirror?” Her voice squeaked.

“Is that a problem for you?”

“I...”

“You what?”

“Nothing.”

Her tone of voice didn’t sound like nothing. “Tell me. What’s going on with the mirror?”

“I did something in front of it.”

“Something?” He gave her a confused look. She wasn’t making sense.

“You know.” She made a sexual motion with her hand.

Scoundrel that he was, he smiled. “You pleasured yourself?”

Her cheeks colored. “Yes.”

“How delightfully bad of you.” He escorted her to the mirror. He was determined to follow through, now more than ever. He stood behind her, and she gazed uncomfortably at their reflections.

“In the old Dracula-type movies, vampires couldn’t be seen in mirrors,” she said.

“That wasn’t accurate.”

Her gaze drifted to the pendant. “What about crosses?”

“What about them?”

“Do they weaken vampires?”

“That part of our legend is true. That’s why gen-vamps are placed inside of jewelry with crosses. Being connected to crosses is what keeps us from killing the people we feed on. Or from turning them into what we are.”

“Is your touch going to be cold?”

“Yes, but not as chilly as a regular vampire.”

“Do you have a pulse?”

“I can’t say that I do. But I have a heartbeat.”

“That’s strange.”

“Genies have rapid heartbeats. Becoming part genie made mine start beating again. It happens to all gen-vamps.” He moved her hair away from her neck. “Are you ready?”

She twitched. “No, but go ahead.”

Eager, he lowered his head, inhaling the fragrance of her flesh. Below the surface of her skin, he could smell the heady bouquet of blood.

His eyes flashed red. At the bar, he’d changed them as a parlor trick. But this was a reflex, the color that naturally occurred during a feeding.

He exposed his fangs, and she flinched. She was watching his transformation in the mirror.

“Relax,” he whispered.

“I can’t.” She stepped out of her shoes. “I’m already swaying on my feet. If I pass out, will you catch me?”

“Yes, but no one has ever passed out from my bite before.”

“I might.”

Still standing behind her, he licked her neck, preparing her for what he was about to do. “You’re an angel, Tessa.”

She shivered. “If you knew what I looked like for real you’d think I was a monster. You wouldn’t even want to be doing this.”

“Yes, I would.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“Hush now.” He quieted her, not wanting to hear her speak poorly of herself, especially since he was well aware of her genuine appearance. He’d lied to her earlier about that. Normally he wasn’t prone to lies, but in this case, he felt it was necessary.

With silence between them, he pierced her skin. She gasped, and he sucked, taking nourishment. He loved the taste of blood, and hers was remarkably good, fresh and invigorating.

He sucked deeper.

She moaned. “You said this wasn’t going to be sexual.”

He stopped drinking. “It isn’t supposed to be.”

“Then why do I feel as if I could come?”

“Maybe it’s the mirror.”

“Because of what I did? When I saw you in the bar, I imagined you finding out, and now you know.”

Her admission caused his teeth to tingle. He ran his tongue over them. “Tell me more about it.”

“I did it right before I went to dinner. I’m not wearing panties, so I hiked up my dress and rubbed my clit. I tasted my fingers afterward, too.”

Cripes. What an image. He shifted his stance, his zipper going unbearably tight. “You’re making my cock hard. That never happens to me when I’m feeding.”

She wiggled her butt against his distended fly. “Take some more.”

“Gladly.” He drank and drank, pulling on her with his mouth, licking the extra drops, absorbing the plasma proteins that gave him strength.

He bordered on orgasm, too.

But he stopped before either of them came, and she sagged like a rag doll in his arms. Feeling strangely protective, he kissed the spot he’d bitten.

She continued to sway. “That was amazing.”

He held her until she regained her posture. Then he backed away, leaving her standing in front of the mirror alone.

So soft. So vulnerable.

While he retracted his fangs, she turned around and met his gaze.

She asked, “Was that true, what you said?”

“About never getting aroused during a feeding? Yes, it was true.” He was still reeling from the unexpected eroticism.

Apparently so was she. “Should we do something about it?”

“What are you saying, Tessa? That you want to fuck?”

“I promised myself that I was going to find a man at this hotel.” She looked as if she might start swaying again. “And have an illicit affair.”

“It doesn’t get much more illicit than this.”

“Yes, but you should be aware that I’ve never been with anyone.”

“You’re a virgin?”

She nodded.

He should have known, given her background, given her wish. But he hadn’t thought about it before now. “I’ve never slept with any of the women I’ve granted wishes to.” He’d never been with a virgin, either, but he decided not to mention that part. He was already on lust overload. “When I crave sex, Darrin allows me to see Simone.”

“Who’s Simone?”

“My maker.”

Tessa frowned. “The vampire who made you is female?”

“She’s the one inside the ring. My brother, Nicholas, has sex with her, too. But not at the same time as I do. We don’t engage in ménage a trios.”

“I don’t engage in anything.”

“Not even with sex toys? Vibrators or dildos?”

“I only touch myself with my fingers.”

He took a step toward her. “Like strumming your clit in front of the mirror?”

Her breath rushed out. “I can’t believe that I’m going to have sex with you. That I’m actually going to give myself to someone who just drank my blood.”

He couldn’t believe it, either. He inched closer.

She moved closer, too. And together they reached for each other. A human and a hybrid.