Part 9 (1/2)
”What are you plotting, Jason?”
Wilfredo's sharp question snapped Jace out of his reverie. He cleared his thoughts of Carollina and looked at his mentor. ”There's another woman haunting me. I need to tell you about a vampire called Ana.”
”Haunting you in what way? Is she also a nocturene?”
”No.” He frowned. Had she been evil, she wouldn't have stopped to help him. ”She stopped to help me after my encounter with Aleksei Madison.”
Wilfredo's nostrils flared at the mention of Madison's name. ”Describe this Ana.”
”She's beautiful.” ”That's not a useful description, Jason. What does she look like?”
”She's biracial. Her skin is the color of cocoa, her eyes are blue and she is beautiful.”
”Biracial with dark skin and blue eyes?” Wilfredo's compressed his lip. ”What last name does she use?”
”I don't know. Why? Does she sound familiar? Do you know her?”
”Is her last name Forester?”
He shook his head. ”I don't know. What do you know about her? Tell me. Please.”
”I have encountered her.”
Jace's heart beat a wild tattoo against his chest. ”Encountered? Not met her? When?”
”What is this fem to you, Jason?”
”I want to know who she is, Wilfredo. Please.”
”If she is the woman I think she is, she is Aleksei Madison's sister.”
Jace blinked, feeling as if the air had been sucked out of his lungs. He shook his head. She could not be related to the Madisons. If she were, what chance would he stand with her after he had tried to kill one of her brothers and in turn been nearly killed by that brother's twin?
”What is her name?”
”Her given name is Tatiana, but she has been known to go by Ana Forester.” Wilfredo studied his face. ”What are you planning to do with this information, Jason?”
”I have to see her.”
”That would be neither wise nor safe. When she realizes your involvement with her brothers, you'll be in danger.”
He shook his head. ”No. She would never do anything to hurt me.”
”And you know this how?”
”She... we... ” He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. ”We made love.” Noting the narrowing of Wilfredo's eyes, he held up a hand, palm out. ”I know it was stupid, but I was dazed and hurt and she stopped to help me. Even when she knew what I was, she offered to escort me someplace safe. No one is going to convince me she would ever hurt me.”
”And what of her brothers? She has many of them-protective of their sisters. They will not hesitate to kill you... Madison already tried.”
He shook his head. ”No. Had he wanted me dead, I would be dead. There is a sort of-he's not a bad sort, as vampires go.”
Wilfredo narrowed his gaze. ”I know you thrive on dangerous situations, Jason, but for your safety and my peace of mind, stay away from the fem. Give me your word.”
”I'd like to, Wilfredo, but I have to see her again.”
”And when she learns you were one of those sent to dispatch her brother?” He sighed. ”She won't like it, but she'll forgive me.” ”You might not be so sure of that, had you seen her here. She was almost feral in her defense of her brothers. And in addition to Vladimir and Aleksei Madison, there are other brothers-Andrei, Mikhel and Serge Dumont, possibly more.”
”Dumont?” Jace stiffened. ”You said the vampires were protective of their sisters- as in more than one. I don't suppose this Mikhel and Serge are related to a Katie Dumont?”
”They are her older siblings.” His situation had moved from bad to impossible. He was obsessed with a fem whose younger sister he had slept with and whose older brothers all had reason to hate him. What chance did he possibly stand with Ana now?
Chapter Six.
”I need to talk to you. Can you meet me for a late dinner tonight?”
Mikhel Dumont paced the length of his Boston office, making an effort to keep his breathing even. Just the sound of the sweet, s.e.xy voice on the other end of the phone evoked powerful memories of long nights of love best left buried in his subconscious.
Although happily married to, and in bloodl.u.s.t with, Erica, the mother of the young son he adored, he could not deny his continuing hunger for his brother's bloodl.u.s.t, Derri Morgan. He had met the alluring attorney when her boss had hired his security company to protect her from the rogue vampire stalking her.
Before the birth of his son Dimitri, while Serge was out of the country for several weeks, he and Derri had been lovers. Recalling the beauty of her smooth, dark, naked flesh left him hard.
Both Serge and Erica understood how deep his feelings for Derri ran. Nevertheless, the last time he'd made love to her, after the birth of Aleksei's daughters, he'd been hard-pressed not to complain when Serge came to claim her the next morning.
Would having dinner with her tonight be wise?
”Mikhel? Please say you can make it. I really want to see you.”
The need in her voice reflected his own hunger. Yet the somewhat disturbing nightmares he'd been experiencing lately-where she became something dark and evil as they made love-gave him momentary pause.
”Mikhel? Can you make it?”
He shook his head. ”Ah, Erica and Dimitri are visiting her family, so I planned to spend this weekend at the Dodge House,” he said, referring to his parents' compound outside of Boston.
”The entire weekend? Can't we share the night? That'll still leave two nights to spend with your parents. Please? I really need to see you.”
”What did you want to talk about, Derri?”
”I don't want to talk. Serge's away-”
He frowned. ”He didn't say anything about going away the last time we talked.”
”He's a big boy now, Mikhel. He doesn't tell you everything.”
He frowned. ”Look, Derri-”