Danior draped his arm over her shoulder, giving it a squeeze as the man stopped in front of them.
He had bad ass written all over him. From his shaved head and sunglasses, through the black tribal tattoos that covered his body and the black, silver studded leather he wore.
"X,” Danior said, nodding a greeting.
"Danior,” X said back, giving Maggie a once over before returning his attention to Danior. He fished two passports out of the inside of his jacket. “Do you have my money?"
Danior took the passports and examined them. “As good as always, X.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number from memory banks. They waited while he transferred the money to X's account and X confirmed it.
Danior and X nodded at one another again, both in that mode of conversation that could only be comprehended by other men, and without another word, they moved away and checked in for their flight.
Maggie couldn't believe how easy it had been to get away. Once they were on the plane and it had taken off, she finally managed to relax. She wasn't aware before then of just how tight her nerves had been. She had a tension headache coming on, and the cramped space and recycled air wasn't helping it any.
"Where are we going?” she finally asked Danior, who sat by the window with his eyes closed.
He didn't look at her. “New York and from there we take a ship to the Mediterranean."
"Nice. I didn't think I'd ever get another vacation in my lifetime."
He looked at her then, his eyes smoky and passionate. “I hope to do so much more for you for many years to come,” he said, his husky voice vibrating pleasurably along her nerves. “I'm surprised you didn't fight me more on this."
He traced a hand up and down her thigh. Even through the leather, he left his impression on her.
"I didn't see much sense in it. It's for the best, and ... I trust you."
His eyes gleamed. He leaned close, nuzzling her neck. “You don't know how much it pleases me to hear you say that,” he murmured, running his hand up her inner thigh, up her covered cleft.
Maggie jerked in her seat, clamping her hands down tightly on the arms of her chair. “What are you doing?"
"Mmm. What do you think?"
His fingers moved up, tugging at her zipper.
"No, Danior. I'll never get that zipper back up,” she whispered frantically, looking around worriedly.
They were in first class and it was empty except for a solitary man several rows above them, and he was snoring.
"They've made the rounds. No one will come, and I would not let them see,” he murmured hotly against her neck before sucking her lobe between his teeth.
Ignoring her silent protests, he pulled the zipper down, baring her panties, which were no barrier at all for him. He slipped beneath the waistband, fluttering his fingers over her mound.
Maggie bit her lip, squirming in her seat as he curled his fingers into the top of her cleft.
"Mmmm. You're wet. I knew you wanted this,” he growled softly, thrusting his tongue into her ear as he stroked her clit.
She arched in her seat, thrusting her mound against his cupped hand, fighting to contain the moan that wanted to tear from her throat. She kept her eyes open, looking around for anyone to catch them, afraid and excited at the possibility that they'd be caught.
He dug down, slipping in her slit until he edged her vagina and probed the tight hole, rimming it with a finger before thrusting inside. Maggie took a sharp breath, her knuckles going white to control herself.
"I want so badly to pump my cock inside you, amour,” he whispered, laying open mouthed kisses on her neck as he drove two fingers into her tightness.
Her pussy sizzled, ecstasy imminent, rolling toward her as his palm ground against her clit and she rode his hand.
She was breathing erratically, hard through her nostrils, her heart beating a staccato as he drove her to orgasm. It exploded inside her, vibrating through every nerve ending with shattering precision. Her pussy clenched on his fingers as he continued to thrust into her, mimicking the drive of his cock.
Maggie whimpered, burying her face against his shoulder, biting him to keep from crying out.
Slowly, as her climax faded away, he withdrew his hand and zipped her pants up.
He brought his hand to his face, tasting one finger. The movement of his lips and tongue on that one digit had her cleft clenching with want again.
"I love the scent and taste of you, chere. When we are aboard the ship, I plan to taste every inch of your body."
Maggie shivered pleasurably and snuggled close, enjoying the feel of his arm wrapped around her shoulder. The tension she'd had was gone for now though her thoughts still lay in torment.
They had to make it. She didn't think she could bear losing him now. For once, it seemed like she truly had something to live for.
Without any need for a watch, or any sign in the sky above them, Maggie knew as they got of the plane at last in New York, that it was nearing dawn. She wasn't certain if it was her vampire senses kicking in, or the urgency she sensed in Danior, but she knew they had little time to get from the airport to the docks.
Danior had arranged for a rental car and directed her toward the door that led out to the parking lot in swift strides. They carried nothing. Except for the clothing Danior had bought for her, Maggie had nothing in any case, but Danior had checked the luggage they did have when they went into the airport. He'd told her arrangements had been made to transfer it to the ship once they reached New York, but he seemed singularly uninterested in whether or not their luggage actually made the trip with them.
Unspoken was the far more urgent need to be free of any sort of encumbrance if they should meet up with the hunters.
Pushing the door open, Danior held it, catching her when she would have gone through and lifting his head to listen, almost seeming to sniff the air. After a moment, his grip relaxed fractionally. “Hurry,” he said in an under voice, placing his hand on her back, along her waist. “Slot 652."
Nodding, Maggie proceeded him, scanning the numbers on the pavement nearest her and trying to determine what direction to take. Danior strode past her, grasping her hand and leading the way once more.
Unnerved by the tension she sensed in him, Maggie focused on searching for the car.
Suddenly, Danior stopped, going stiff. His tense wariness caught her attention, and she looked up, shocked to see a woman standing not twenty feet away from them. Petite and blonde, she was everything that Maggie was not.
"Danior,” she said, and in her beautiful voice was a threat. Death emanated from her lips.
"What are you doing here, Tatiana?” Danior demanded, clenching his hands into fists.
"I had to see if it was true.” She laughed coldly. “How far the mighty fall."
Danior's lips curled in a chilling smile. “You were ever one for theatrics, Tatiana, but I'm afraid we'll have to miss the rest of the play. We've an urgent need to breathe more healthful air."
She chuckled. “I know, but I'm afraid that won't be possible."
To her left and right, two men cloaked in black stepped out, almost indistinguishable from the dark save for their pale, skin and glowing eyes.
"You led them to me."
Maggie glanced at him sharply at the tone of his voice, or rather the lack of any tone at all, as if he were being excruciatingly careful of his words. She could read nothing in his expression, but she knew, quite suddenly, that this woman had once been Danior's woman. She turned to look at the woman again, fighting the sickness that welled inside her, the jealousy.
She smiled at the look on Maggie's face. “They needed someone who had a blood bond with you. How could I refuse?"