THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) (6 page)

NINE

“So, you
say you’re one of his employees?” I leaned back in the bath as the woman
lathered my hair.
After weeks and weeks in the same
hotel room, it was finally time to go.

I
had no idea why, but Lu insisted that I have an assistant. I hated her
immediately.

“No, I
said I am his servant. He has requested that I serve his bride, so I must
obey.”

 I closed
my eyes, silently praying for patience. “That sounds so barbaric. Don’t you
dislike that word? God, you act like he’s your
master
for cripes sake,
and I can wash my own body, really.” I tried to bat her hands away as she began
to soap my arms.

“I dislike
nothing
about him. He speaks, I obey.” She glared at me and jerked the
sponge from my hands. “To serve him is my greatest privilege.”

“Okay. I
hope he pays you well.” I watched the beautiful woman as she concentrated on
wiping every inch of flesh I had. “I’d at least ask for a better list of
chores
. Bathing an adult woman who is completely
capable of bathing herself seems pretty silly to me.”

“My
compensation is my business and you shouldn’t question him.
Ever
.” She
jerked my leg up and I almost went under the water.

I gripped
the side of the tub and held on. “Okay, fine. But I have another question.”

She glared
again and I smiled. “Yes, my lady, what is your question?” She began to
meticulously clean between my toes and I giggled and kicked. She looked annoyed
again and I cleared my throat.

“Do you
live with him… er, us? What I mean is, are you a servant in our home? Is that
where he sent for you from?

She looked
superior, lifting her chin as she smiled. “Yes,
his
home is
my
home. I do as he commands and go where he sends me. I am very important to
him.” She sneered and I wanted to smack her.

I let out
another annoyed breath and pressed on. “So, no family of your own, I’m
guessing?” I was trying like hell to make this stubborn, militant woman open up,
but she was like a damn vault.

“He has
ordered me to help you, he did not order me to speak to you.” She glared again.

Okay
, I thought.
You want
to play that way, fine!

“Alright
then,” I smiled. “But, just so you know, if you come near my lady bits with
that fucking sponge, I’ll push your ass right out that window.” I yanked the
sponge from her hands.

***

“
Helen
!”
Lu’s booming voice echoed throughout the room.

I was
wrapping my body in a long bath sheet when Helen practically drowned herself
vaulting over the tub to answer my husband’s call.

I stared
openmouthed at her as she skidded to a halt. I wouldn’t have been surprised if
she dropped to the ground at his feet as he entered the room. His eyes followed
her movement as she corrected, and simply bowed her head.

“She is
well?” he asked, side stepping the crazy woman. He held his arms out for me and
I rushed into them. “Mmm, you smell divine,” he purred into my hair, making me
want to rip his clothes off right where he stood. That would shut this stupid
woman up, I was sure.

“She is
very talkative, my Lord, filled with questions that are unimportant.” She
lowered her eyes at his blank expression and I smiled.

Ha! Take
that you stupid tattle tale!

“She also
refused to allow me to wash what she called her ‘lady bits’,” she curled her
lip and lifted her chin in that superior way.

He looked
at me, his left eyebrow arched sharply, he smiled. “Helen takes her job very
seriously.” He frowned at her and then turned his eyes to me. “She and I have
business, however. Why don’t you get ready while I speak to her alone?”

I nodded
and then raised up onto my tippy-toes. I placed my hands on his broad shoulders
and leaned in. His bright blue eyes blazed as I pulled him in for a kiss.
Knowing Helen was watching, I slowly sucked his bottom lip into my mouth with a
moan. He pulled it out, smiling, and then sucked it into his own mouth. I
watched his even white teeth make little pale marks in the pink fullness as he
drew it out slowly.

I smiled
and met his eyes. “Don’t be long,” I whispered and then stepped back.

He smiled,
his eyes filled with such lust that I shivered.

“Till
later, my darling.” He slid his thumb along my cheek and then turned on his
heel. I smiled in satisfaction as Helen slammed the door closed behind them.

I glared
at the door, my anger at Helen a warm breath across my skin. I didn’t care.
Anger felt good, and I knew that Lu had no interest in her sexually. She was an
open book and despite what she must have desired, I was sure she was nothing
more than a servant, at least she had better be.

I laughed
to myself as I rubbed a handful of lotion into the tattooed sleeve on my arm.
It wound around my wrist and up to curl along my forearm. Vines and thorns
swirled and twisted around my elbow and up, caressing my bicep. Tiny silver
rose buds and fully bloomed blossoms formed a beautiful, gothic garden along my
arm. I was proud of the work Lu had put into the design. I frowned, irritated
that my memories prevented me from remembering
any
of it
s
creation.

I looked
at my reflection in the mirror as I finished getting dressed. Thinking of Lu,
his soft tongue sliding a wet path along the vines and thorns always made my
stomach feel heavy with desire. I sighed with pleasure as I ran my hands along
my heated flesh. Soon we would be home. So what if I didn’t remember
?
I would be with my husband and as long as I had
him, I needed nothing else at all.

I spun
from the mirror, feeling anxious and empty.
God
, I wanted him now.
Soon
,
I thought as I swallowed a handful of little red pills. Soon we would be alone
again.

 “You will
be traveling with Helen for the next few days.” Lu breezed into the room, Helen
attached to his heels like a baby duck. “I have some very urgent business to
attend to that cannot wait. She will be your assistant.” He looked at her,
pointing his finger in her face. “Glued to your side.” He turned and looked
daggers at me.

I nodded
compliantly, and folding my hands, I smiled at Helen. She lowered her lids. A
smirk that made my belly swirl, danced across her face. I may have to listen to
my husband, but no way was I listening to her.

“Your jet
is standing by. I have provided a wardrobe for you which has already been
loaded onto the plane. These things,” he gestured vaguely around the room,
“will follow a few days later. If you have anything you would like to take,
please retrieve it now. You leave in ten minutes for the airport.” In two great
strides, he closed the distance between us and, holding the back of my head, he
kissed me hard, his tongue swirling inside my mouth. It felt more exploratory than
lustful. He was tasting me, and I watched him as he pulled away, not wanting to
lose his touch. Apparently satisfied, he lightly kissed my lips again and left
the room without another word.

His touch
always left me dazed. As if he could wipe my mind clean of every single
thought. My heart raced inside my chest as a new and ever stronger bout of
desire filled me.

“My Lord
has given his instructions. If you swoon, My Lady, I will drag you from the
room by your hair.” She turned and opened the door wide.

“What is
with you?” I demanded, folding my arms.

She looked
at me for a long time.

“You are
unworthy of his attentions,” she said finally, and stalked out the door.

I shook my
head. Helen was in love with my husband.

Well
, I thought,
I will
rip her fucking head off before I let her have him.
I sucked in my breath,
shocked that that thought had entered my mind.
Where the hell did that come
from?

Dismissing
the thought as quickly as it had come, I shook out my hair and strode out the
door. Lu was gone, and I didn’t want a thing from the room. We might as well be
on our way.

TEN

“We will
be taking off in a few moments,” the radio clicked overhead as the flight
attendant moved about the luxurious space.

A
private jet
.

I’m not
sure why I was surprised. According to Helen, this is how we always traveled. I
had so many lost memories and I said as much to Helen. Her response was an
unladylike snort.

“It’s a
good thing my husband didn’t command you to be pleasant. Bet that’d kill you,
huh?” I mumbled while flipping through an
Oxygen
magazine.

“That is a
trivial command and serves no one. I see no reason why he would bother
himself.” She shook her head at me. “He understands how to command.” She lifted
her chin. “Only a soft hearted fool such as yourself would care about being
pleasant
.”
She sneered the word and picked up a
GQ
.

I tossed
the Oxygen magazine onto the table and picked up another one. “I bet I could
get you to be pleasant.” I smiled.

She spun
in her seat and laughed.

“You?” she
said as her eyebrows rose. “You are nothing! You may be his
lover
, but
never forget that we all serve him and no one
gets
him to do anything.”
Flipping a page in her magazine she sneered. “You are nothing more than a
pretty mattress,
My Lady.
He does nothing for you that does not serve
his purpose first. You’re clueless and as far as I’m concerned, you’re useless
too. But hey, you’ll find out how quickly he throws things aside.” She spun her
chair back around, dismissing me.

I watched
her as she tried to ignore me.

“Well,” I
flipped a page loudly. “That’s really funny, because last I checked, I was able
to get him to do
lots
of things.” I looked over the top of the magazine
as she turned to look at me. “In fact,” I continued, “he’s the one who begs
me.
”
I tilted my head to the side. “I am the one he desires,” I said, throwing the
magazine onto the floor. “I am the one he worships and I’m the one he’s married
to. If I tell him you’re not being nice, he may not take too kindly to it. In
fact, I think if I told him just how rotten you’ve been, you’ll be the one to
see how quickly he throws things aside.” I watched her face redden. “You will
no longer be panting at his side like a little bitch in heat. And
me
?
Well, I’ll happily be playing the part of his pretty mattress.”

 She
stared at me openmouthed

“Didn’t
think of that, did ya?” I sneered, crossing my legs. I folded my hands on my
knee and watched her process what I’d said.

Her face
changed before my eyes. She stood before me, smiling.

“Well,” she
said after she cleared her throat several times, “I guess he didn’t order me to
be
un
kind.”

“No, he
did not,” I folded my arms. “Now, I’m thinking you need some rest. Why don’t
you go lie down for a while?” I smiled, hoping she would listen. I didn’t want
to be near her any longer. She was like a noose around my neck. She gave off a
very bad vibe that only got worse the longer she was near.

She looked
at the main door. During our conversation we had taken off and were now several
thousand feet above the ground. Apparently realizing that I couldn’t possibly
get myself into trouble she smiled. “Very good, My Lady, I will rest now. Wake
me if you need anything at all.” She bowed and left to go rest in the bedroom.

I watched
the door close and I sank into my chair. “Finally!” I let out my breath and
then kicked off my shoes.

A flight
attendant entered. “Warm nuts?” 

Her
features were oddly familiar. From her long blonde hair to her green eyes, but
I just couldn’t pull it from my brain.

“No, thank
you.” I followed her eyes as they strayed to the rear of the plane. “Is there a
problem?” I asked, swiveling my chair to look at the door that Helen had
disappeared behind.

“Oh?
Oh!
No, not at all, I was only wondering if I should go and ask your friend if
she would care for any refreshments.”

“No.” I
snorted my reply, glaring at the door. “Leave her alone until she slithers back
out. And that woman is
not
my friend,” I curled my lip. “She’s more like
a huge stone around my neck.” I turned back, looking at her as she struggled to
hide her smile. I laughed. “I know, I’m not even trying to be nice, am I?” I
smiled to myself and wondered how hard it would be to push a person from a
plane?

“Well,”
the flight attend continued, pulling me from my thoughts, “she
was
kind
of snarling when you boarded. I was really scared that she would be the one in
charge.” She eyed the door again. “Will there be anything else, Mrs. White?” I
watched her walk backward, not really paying attention to me any longer.

“No. Thank
you,” I smiled and shook my head as the attendant stumbled and rushed into the
small kitchen area.

***

I woke,
startled. Rubbing my eyes, I saw that a drink sat on the table beside me. I
looked up and smiled.

“I hope
you don’t mind, but I brought you a small cocktail,” the man sitting across from
me smiled.

“Well,
hello,” I picked up the glass. It was cold and slightly damp from sitting. I
eyed him over the glass as I brought it to my lips.

“Should I
be worried that we’re going to crash?” I looked at the cockpit doors.

He leaned
back in his chair, his beautiful, blue eyes twinkled. “No chance of that. I’m
merely a co-pilot.” He stretched his legs, crossing them at the ankles. “You
going to drink that?” He smiled again and I felt my skin flush.

Lord help
me, he was stunning.

“So,
what’s the deal? You get bored sitting up there, just the two of you?” I
lowered the glass, not thirsty at all. “Is that why you’re sitting here
watching me sleep?”

He folded
his arms across his chest and smirked. “It has its moments. I only wanted to
meet our passengers. He looked across the plush seats toward the bedroom door.

I studied
the man before me. “What do you mean, meet? This is my husband’s jet, surely
you already know us?” I frowned.

“Oh? Do
you recognize me then?” he smiled. “You really look parched.” He eyed my glass.

“I don’t
recognize you because I have some medical problems that prevent me from
remembering most things. Well, what I mean is, if I had ever met you in the
past, I probably wouldn’t remember you.”

“That’s
flattering.” He arched his brow, flashing his teeth. They were straight and
white. His inky-black hair was cropped close to his scalp. “But, to let you off
the hook, no, this is not your husband’s jet. We are a charter.”

“Oh, well,
that makes me feel better. At least I didn’t offend you.” I smiled and lifted
the glass to my lips. “Where are we headed, by the way?” I sipped the cocktail.
Immediately I choked, coughing, and my mouth sizzled. “What the hell is in
this?” I gasped, scratching at my throat. I felt like my body had suddenly
caught fire.

“Holy
Water,
on the rocks
.” He saluted me with his glass.

I gasped,
clawing the skin at my throat, I struggled to suck in a breath.

“
Poison,
”
I gurgled out, shuddering uncontrollably.

“Get
Gavyn!” the man shouted and I collapsed to the floor.

Chaos
erupted all around me as I struggled to breathe. I rolled, trying to crawl as I
watched the flight attendant rush to the back doors. She skidded to a halt and
threw them open. Instead of Helen rushing out, a small group of people charged
from the room.

They
scattered and then my vision was filled with the form of a man. Chills raced
across my flesh as his long yellow hair flowed out behind him. I was lifted as
things smashed and broke around me. I heard Helen screaming. Her cries began as
loud sharp screams only to dissolve into choking, gurgling sounds. Something
began to sizzle and I gagged as smoke filled the cabin.

“Get the
damn air cleared, would you?” another man yelled.

I was laid
upon the long sofa and I looked up at several strange faces. I blinked back
tears and tried to catch my breath but succeeded in only coughing more.

“You were
right,” the co-pilot said, frowning. “He used demon blood. Damn-it, that son of
a bitch!”

“Yes, it’s
demon blood. Middle circle, I’d say. Honestly, I’m surprised he went with such
a potent blood.”

“Why are
you surprised? She’s a Madea. I am surprised he did not give her his own.”

The man
with the yellow hair looked horrified. “Are you kidding? That would kill her! He
wants her compliant and memory free not a raging lunatic. This level of demon
blood would be plenty. She was already confused from the injury.”

“So how
has he been getting her to drink that shit? You don’t think she’s going along
with it?” Another man stepped into my vision. He was blond with bronze colored
eyes, like two shining bits of metal.

My mind
was spinning with pain and confusion.

“Who are
you people?” I choked out, trying to sit up. The fire inside my body had
subsided and I struggled to move.

They all
stopped speaking and then another scream rang throughout the cabin.

Helen
.

“What are
you doing to her?” I coughed and they allowed me to sit up. “She’s a total
asshole but you better not be hurting her!” My hair was in my eyes as I
struggled to push up from the couch. I moved to go to her but the man with the
bronze eyes quickly grabbed my arms, pulling them hard behind my back. I kicked
and twisted, falling onto the couch, I struggled to get the man off of me while
trying to get a look at what was happening.

The
copilot was straddling Helen. His knees pinned her arms to the ground. I kicked
again, struggling to free myself. Smoke billowed up from her face as she
screamed. The smell was horrendous.

“Calm
down,” the man holding me grunted as I twisted and kicked at his legs. “That
thing
can’t be hurt too badly,” he said.

“She’s
burning! He’s burning her!” I screamed as another sizzle hit my ears.

“He’s only
questioning her.” The man tried to dodge my foot and grunted as I connected
with his shin.

“Then
question her!” I screamed. “Why fry her like bacon?” I felt sick.

“She’s a
demon.” He spun me around. “It’s holy water. She’s pure evil, Grace, Don’t feel
sorry for her!”

I froze.

Did he
say…no, he didn’t say that. Demon?

With my
arms still pinned, I looked at the man holding me for several seconds, feeling
something I didn’t understand.

“Who are
you people?” I whispered. For some inexplicable reason, I no longer wanted to
hurt this man. I shook my head frantically trying to toss the sudden feelings
of tenderness from my mind.

He looked
sad and I frowned, watching him.

“I can’t
tell you that,” he said, “I’m sorry, Gracie.”

“Wait.” I
jerked in his grip. “My name is
Alice
. Why the
fuck
are you doing
this?” 

He sat and,
pulling me down beside him, he grabbed the seatbelt and strapped me in. Then,
holding onto the clasp, he pulled himself closer, his face just millimeters
from mine. His eyes bore into my own as he glared.

“Your name
is Grace Allen and you are
not
who you think you are. That bastard has
been feeding you lies.” He gripped my arms as desperation made his voice shake.

I watched
him, my skin warmed where he touched me and something inside of me sparked. I
opened my mouth to speak.

“
Pills!
”

We both
jerked at the voice. Closing my mouth, I looked at the man who had been
torturing poor Helen. He was standing beside her. I looked past him to the lump
on the floor. The man next to me had been right. She looked fine. Pissed as
hell and trussed like a turkey, but unharmed.

“She said
he’s been keeping her on a strict regimen of pills.” He charged over to the
small closet and began tearing things out until he found my handbag. Then he
started throwing my belongings onto the carpeting. When he came to my small
golden box, he opened it.

“
Fucking
bastard
!” he roared and spun, looking at me. He took one of the pills out
of the case. He looked at it and frowning, he pinched the capsule between his
fingers. Thick, reddish-brown fluid squirted out with a pop. I watched in total
shock as the man lifted the liquid to his nose and growled. And then, as if by
some kind of magic, his eyes bled to a solid silver and his canines grew to an
alarming length. Hissing, the man threw the box onto the ground and then
frantically wiped the blood off his hand and onto my handbag.

I sat and
stared in stunned silence. Logic screamed at me to deny it. Explain it away
somehow. It was no good, I’d seen it with my own eyes. He was
a
fucking
vampire.
Stars began to dance in front of my vision. Dizzy, I
slumped back into the seat only to be jerked upright a second later by the
blonde man who held me.