Part 12 (1/2)

She craned her neck to watch him, turned on by seeing his head moving between her legs. But when he looked up- A wave crashed, pounding him into nothing.

She heard The Voice laughing, a cruel sound of revenge.

”Jealous?” The tide hissed, retreated.

His laughter faded, too. ”Yes. I am.”

An incoming wave tickled her thighs, gurgling against her, and she gasped, closing her eyes again.

Another light breeze combed her skin, and she knew it was him this time. The Voice.

”None of your pictures do you justice, Dawn,” he said.

She thought she felt fingers threading through her hair, unbinding it from the ponytail, allowing the strands to float in the rush of water, free, like a mermaid's.

He continued. ”I didn't realize you would be so...”

”Don't.” She couldn't handle the inevitable comparisons, the new heartbreak. ”No, you s.h.i.+ne with spirit. You have no idea how that affects someone like me. Ah, Dawn, I have so much to teach you, to bring out in you...”

A heavier pressure moved down her body, as if hands were on her, shaping her, memorizing her. The scars she'd earned from her work didn't exist anymore, only the touch, the sensations.

Even though there was no one there, the sensuous homage made her feel womanly. She loved when that happened; she thrilled to it on the movie sets when she moved among the stuntmen, was always aware of it when she caught the glances that acknowledged her femininity in a world dominated by males.

Until she remembered she could never be as perfect as Eva.

But that's not how it was now. Here, she wasn't competing against a ghost. Here, she was wanted for what was inside of her, for what was...

Emotion-fluid and combustible-churned, building, stiffening as the invisible climax tingled against her s.e.x. Powerful, strong; d.a.m.n it she couldn't hold it back...

With a whoosh of release, she arched up against it, moaning, biting her lip to keep it inside, failing as she reached up her arms to hold on.

Finding nothing.

Hands empty, she panted, looking around. ”Who are you?”

Without warning, the pressure lifted from her body. The seductive tide thrashed back into the ocean, leaving her on the sh.o.r.e, alone. Little by little, the boudoir lifted into focus around her as she sprawled on the recliner.

He was gone.

Finally, sated, she sighed into the cus.h.i.+ons, exhaustion catching up with her as she burned with something else now.

Languid curiosity.

”Why won't you tell me?” she slurred as the room continued to change. It faded to darkness while the melody of the chandelier dragged her into unconsciousness.

As she was consumed, she fought to stay awake, especially as the door creaked open again.

Letting someone-or something-in.

TEN.

THELESSON.

DAWNwoke up late the next morning on a strange couch with a new crucifix hanging around her neck.

As things came into focus, she saw a pin-neat living room, complete with a TV, a TiVo box, a stereo system, and about a thousand CDs and DVDs stacked against the walls. The reason the place was so clean was that these were the only things in it.

Well, besides a framed poster of Pam Grier as Foxy Brown, the ultimate cool bada.s.s.

Slowly, Dawn sat up, her body tender with cuts, bruises, and dull pain. Like a one-second newsreel, it all came back to her: the plane ride back to California, the nouveau gothic dollhouse of Limpet and a.s.sociates, the vampires, and then... Her skin flushed, heat flowing inward.

Thanks to The Voice, she'd actually slumbered well last night. In fact...She glanced at the digital clock on the TiVo. 9:11. She hadn't slept this long in years.

”Morning!” called a cheery voice.

Kiko burst into the room from the hallway, tossed a PowerBar at her and deposited a gla.s.s of milk into her hands. He was already showered, shampooed, and s.h.i.+ned for the day, his blond hair dried into slight curls, his soul patch neat and trimmed.

He pointed at the crucifix. ”Happy birthday.”

”You're about three hundred days off, but thank you.” She touched the sleek safety of it. ”I appreciate it, Kiko.”

”Don't get too sentimental. You're gonna need it.”

”I'm gonna need some information, too.” She gestured to the couch. ”How did I get here?”

”Here?” He half-grinned. ”I drove you last night. You were out cold in one of the rooms. The boss told me where you were, so Breisi helped me carry you and your baggage out to my customized car. Your hunk of junk is back at the office, by the way.”

Even though Dawn was thankful that Kiko didn't know about her and The Voice, it left her feeling stranded, isolated in her struggle to understand everything that was going on.

While she thought about the wisdom of telling her a.s.sociate what had happened in the boudoir last night, Dawn unwrapped the bandage that had been covering her burns. The bindings were nasty with remnants of Breisi's wonder gel as well as spots of burn goo, but Dawn was stunned to find that the wounds themselves were already healing. Pushed by curiosity, she started taking off her jeans to check the cut on her leg, too.

”Hey.” Wide-eyed, Kiko turned his back.

”What are you, a virgin?” Jeans on the floor, Dawn glanced under the bandage, finding that the slice from the vamp's barbed tail had mended together. ”Say, what's in Breisi's voodoo gel? She could market this stuff and become a zillionaire.”

”Maybe after we take care of our other priorities.” He was still facing away from her. ”So, when you're done with your p.u.s.s.ycat Dolls routine, we'll do some training. You need it before we get back out there tonight.”

”Speaking of which-when am I going to get all that education I'll need to fight these vamps, if they show again?”

”We'll start today, but I have to be honest...”

Kiko peeked behind him, yet when he saw that Dawn was still pants-less, he turned back around. Aw, a gentleman. Dawn covered herself with the sheet just for his sake.

”We're all still feeling our way around these vamps,” he said. ”The boss tells us that different types have different powers, just like human races have various skin colors or cultural mores. He says to always expectanythingto happen, whether it's hypnotic powers, shapes.h.i.+fting, or even flying. That's why you've got to stick with me or Breisi from now on, all right? We have more experience than you.”

From the set of his shoulders, the tone of his voice, Dawn could tell he was absolutely serious. She didn't need to see his face to figure that out.