He led me through the front door where one of the guards who accompanied Rurik at the club greeted us. He watched me with a stern expression as we continued through the foyer.
Rurik handed him my suitcase. “Samson this is Rabbit. She is my companion. Please escort her to my room.” The guard started up the stairs and stopped when I didn’t follow.
“Where are you going?” A sense of unease settled on me. I knew Rurik but not these other ... vampires. If he wanted me to be alone with a stranger, it wouldn’t happen. That’s wasn’t in my definition of ‘safety. ’
My face must have expressed my discomfort since he sighed and signaled Samson to hand the luggage back to him. “Follow me, Rabbit.” He climbed the stairs.
The guard made room for us to pass. He leered at me, pearly fangs exposed, as I pushed by him.
The way Rurik used the word ‘companion ’ made it sound like a title. It gave me a squishy sensation inside, as if he’d said ‘girlfriend’. I probably read too much into the statement and disliked that it even occurred to me. If Red or Colby had said it, I would have reacted differently but Rurik nurtured relationship vibes from me.
The upstairs hallway led to a moderate sized master bedroom and attached bathroom. Rurik set my suitcase on the floor by a huge wooden sleigh bed. “I have some things to attend to. Stay in here for now until I have time to introduce you to my remaining clan. I won’t be long.” With that mild warning he left.
Things had gone better than I’d planned. Who would have guessed he’d invite me to one place I needed to find? Originally, I’d hoped Tane would inform me of Rurik’s hiding place. I was so happy I didn’t have to deal with that monster. He probably would have demanded my soul in exchange for the info.
I opened my suitcase and found the manila envelope within. It still contained the photos. How could I tell if he saw them? Rurik thought I worked for a travel agency. Maybe he thought the contents paper work.
His room held a dresser that overflowed with clothes and a chest at the foot of the bed. I eyed the mess of jewelry, papers, and socks that cover the dresser top. It looked as if things were dumped there in a hurry, as if they’d just moved in.
Where would I hide a drug capable of rendering my mental shields useless? A corner of a black lacquer box stuck out under a pile of ties. I felt under them to get a better idea of what hid there and was rewarded by pricking my finger. I yanked it out and stuck it in my mouth.
That’s all I needed, to be bleeding in a house full of hungry vamps. I examined my wound but found just a dent, no blood.
The ties shifted in my haste to rescue myself and exposed the culprit, a letter opener. It lay next to the lacquer box, which contained nothing of interest. I did a quick search of the area. Under the bed, behind the dresser, and in the bathroom but I still didn’t find anything which resemble a drug. Was it a pill, a powder, or a liquid? I ingested it in a drink so I assumed a liquid.
I knelt next to the battered wooden chest at the foot of the bed. The only place I hadn’t explored and it was locked.
The mechanism looked old. If I could just slide something under the lid to pry it open. My finger throbbed and I remembered the letter opener. I retrieved it from the dresser and used it to pry at the hook-like lock under the lid. At any moment Rurik could return and walk in on me. My heart drummed with each failed attempt until something grated and the letter opener slid between the spaces under the lid with ease.
I scrambled to my feet and returned the nicked implement to the dresser under the pile of ties. The bedroom door opened and I swiveled as Rurik stalked in.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw me by the dresser. “Find anything of interest?”
I smiled. “You’re a terrible housekeeper.” I gestured at the mess behind me.
He laughed out loud as he crossed the room. His skin color had improved and I bet he felt warm to the touch.
“Did you just feed?” The stab of jealousy surprised me and made the comment come out sharper than I intended.
He removed his sweatshirt and tossed in a corner. His voice became soft as he eyed me like a dangerous animal. “Yes, I need to feed, Rabbit. If I knew you were willing, you’d have been my first choice.” He turned away and took off his t-shirt. The fine muscle of his shoulders and back moved under his skin with the motion.
“That’s not the point.” Hell, I didn’t know what my point was anymore since he started to undress. The man knew how to unplug my brain.
He undid his belt. “Should I have asked your permission?” He turned his attention away from the belt to glance my way and grin at me.
I crossed my arms and tried to stare at the bed but that made my desires worse. My imagination played havoc on my concentration with ideas of what I’d like to do with him in that bed. My traitorous eyes returned to Rurik who just stepped out of his jeans.
“What are you doing?” I felt heat rise to my cheeks as I stared. Rurik apparently went commando.
“I want to shower.” His grin never faded as he walked into the bathroom. “There’s room for two.” He called out.
I tried to remember how to exhale. The temptation to join him teased and poked at me. Of course his shower would be big enough for two. I laughed at myself. I wanted to take on Budapest’s biggest and baddest monsters. All they needed to do for me to lose cohesive thoughts was get Rurik to undress for me.
Monsters. Tane. The recently unlocked chest at the foot of the bed. I raced to it. The lid weighed heavy in my hands as I pulled it open. The contents struck me with awe. Inside, a nicked, bronze short sword lay on top of an old, gray wool soldier’s uniform. Some ancient foreign coins sat in a jar and a framed aged photo of him smiling with a new microcar was among other things that distracted me from my quest. I fingered the dull edge of the weapon, a piece of Rurik’s past, and wondered.
A red velvet jewelry case drew my attention. It stuck out of the uniform’s pocket. I opened it to find a small vial of blue liquid inside. Could this be the drug? I hesitated to listen for the shower. It still ran. For all I knew it was perfume. I twisted the cap and smelled it. No sent rose from the vial.
This was as far as my plan went and why I needed someone like Colby to run my life. I sucked at this. My choices were to place it back in the chest and forget it, stick it in my pocket and find out later it was mouthwash, or to try it.
Crap. I twisted the top then dabbed a drop on my tongue. To err with less sounded safe.
The shower noise stopped. I stuck the vial into my pant pocket and closed the chest lid. My knees wobbled as I stood, probably from squatting too long.
Rurik came out with a towel wrapped low around his hips drying his hair with another one. “We will introduce you to my people so there are no misunderstandings.” He approached me, beads of water sat on the skin of his chest. “You’ll have full access-”
I licked at one of beads.
His head came up like I’d staked him.
My head fuzzed a bit, my mental shields still held but barely, and my inhibitions apparently flew out the window. I stepped closer to fulfill one of my bathhouse fantasies and sipped the water from his skin. It tasted warm and clean. No doubt about it, that vial contained the drug Rurik used on me, and I didn’t give a damn.
He dropped the towel he used to dry his hair but still didn’t touch me.
I glanced at his eyes to see them full of fervent fire. His mouth parted a fraction while his hands hovered by my shoulders. I licked a solid line to the hollow of his throat.
As if coming to a decision he grasped my shoulders and lifted me to within an inch of his face. “No teasing this time.” He glared into my eyes. “You need to say the word ‘yes ’ or this won’t go any further. Once we start I won’t stop. Not this time.”