“Is that all your family?”
She hesitated, but only for a moment. If anyone knew how to keep a secret it was Damek. “My grandfather, Roberto Agostino, is a half-breed werewolf. He’s my father’s father. My grandmother, Nicola Agostino, is a gypsy.”
“You are close.”
It wasn’t a question, but she answered it anyway. “Yes, we are. We all live in the same building in New York and we own a bakery that’s housed on the lower level. We eat good food, we argue and they try to run my life.”
“But you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.”
Damek did his best not to be jealous of her family, but the unfamiliar emotion ate at his gut until it burned. He heard the echo of love in her voice and could easily envision the picture she created with her words. He envied her the family bonds she had. He’d been alone his entire life, even when he was a human. Over the years, he’d had a few friends, but no one who ever put him first above their own interests.
Even the Haven werewolf pack was friendly because of what he could do for them. He was under no illusions they wouldn’t turn on him in a minute if it came down to a choice between the pack and him. That was simply the way of the world, and especially so when it came to paranormal creatures. It was survival of the fittest at its most basic.
His employees were paid to be loyal, and he paid very well. Even then, he scanned their minds once a week to make sure none of them were a threat to him. It was the way he lived. The way he’d always lived.
“Damek?” Sonia shifted closer to him and placed her hand on his chest. His erection, which had started to subside, sprang to life again. “Is there anything wrong?”
He studied her with a critical eye. What was it about Sonia that made him want more, that made the life he’d meticulously built over long centuries seem somehow dull and lacking?
She was beautiful, in an understated way, with her tousled hair and her misty gray eyes. She was a little above average height but not overly tall. Her body was lean with slight curves and, with the exception of her breasts, was more fit than provocative.
But all she had to do was look at him and he burned with lust.
She rubbed her fingers against his skin and he placed his hand over hers, holding it over his heart. The only part of him that was currently pulsing with need was his cock, so he slid her hand down until it was touching him through the comforter. Her eyes widened and then half-closed, giving her a sultry appearance. It would be easy to take her again, but he needed answers first.
Reluctantly, he pulled her hand back to his chest. His erection jerked in protest, but he ignored it. He, more than most, knew he would not die if he didn’t have sex.
He could easily sense her surprise, than her apprehension. “Why did you come here?”
“Here, here?” She patted the bed with her free hand. “Or here to Chicago?”
“Chicago.” He needed to understand, needed to know everything in order to be able to trust her.
She shrugged. “What I told you at Haven was true. I stumbled across that article on you when I was researching what had happened in the city last year. I really don’t know why that article caught my attention when I was looking for something totally different. Fate, maybe. Chance.
“Not that it matters. From the moment I saw that really obscured picture of you I was fascinated and needed to know more. Then when I started researching, I began to think there was more to you than just being a shadowy nightclub owner.”
He shook his head at her convoluted reasoning, but sensed she was telling the truth. “You wanted to meet a vampire?”
She started to nod, but stopped. “Yes and no. I wanted to meet you. I won’t deny that I’ve always been fascinated with vampires, and The Keepers know so little about the species. But it was you who drew me here even when I thought I was being silly, when I had no proof of you being a vampire, only suspicions.”
It bothered him more than he wanted to admit that her attraction to him might be based on the fact he was a vampire and nothing more. His primal instincts urged him to claim her again and again until there was no doubt in her mind that it was him she wanted and not just some vampire.
Which was stupid. When it came down to it, he was a vampire. That was his primary identity. His human one was long since lost in the sands of time.
“Tell me more about The Keepers.”
The covers slipped when she shrugged, briefly exposing the top curve of her rather spectacular breasts. She quickly pulled it back into place. Damek briefly considered dragging the comforter away and exposing the bounty but knew that would mean the end of their conversation.
“Not much more to tell than Craig already did. It’s an ancient organization, about three hundred years old, that assists paranormal creatures living in the modern world, helping them hide in plain sight. These days that takes legal and financial know-how.”
“Which your family provides…for a fee.”
Sonia frowned at him. “It’s not like that. We work strictly on donation only and never turn away a paranormal creature as long as it’s a legitimate claim.”
“Legitimate?”
“We don’t help those that kill indiscriminately, only those who want to live in peace. We have to protect ourselves as well.”
That made sense but Damek still didn’t understand. “If you’re not making money off the proposition, why do you do it?”
“Because they need help.”
Sonia wanted to cry at the complete lack of understanding on Damek’s face. She could tell the concept of helping others simply because it was the right thing to do was a completely foreign concept to him. What kind of life had he lived?
Wanting to comfort him, she shifted closer and leaned against his shoulder. His arm came around her, immediately engulfing her in his protection. She curled her body closer and he hooked his arm beneath her legs and shifted her so she was on his lap. She liked her new position more than she wanted to admit.
She sensed he needed her more than he’d ever admit. “Tell me about your life.”
“What do you want to know?” That he wasn’t clamming up and saying no to her was a step in the right direction in their relationship. That brought her up solid. They didn’t have a relationship, not a real one. He was an immortal vampire and she was a human with a little shot of werewolf in her veins. They made Romeo and Juliet look like a feel-good love story. Any relationship they had could only end in tragedy.
“Sonia?” He stroked her hair and leaned down to press his lips against her forehead. “Are you tired? You should rest after your ordeal and after—”
“Your taking blood from me,” she finished.
He gave a jerky nod.
“No, I’m okay. Really.” She was thirsty, but that could wait.
“Juice,” he continued as though she hadn’t even spoken. “You should have some orange juice.” He reached out his hand and a second later his phone appeared in the air and floated to his hand.
“Wow, that’s some trick. How did you do that?”
Damek laughed, exposing a flash of fang. “It’s a little talent.” He hit several buttons and moments later someone answered on the other end. “I need orange juice.” He paused and glanced at her. “And bread and whatever else you think might feed someone for a few days.” He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the bedside table. “It won’t take long.”
“You have someone on call in the middle of the night.” She wasn’t sure what time it was, but it was definitely late.
“For what I pay them, yes, they are on call twenty-four/seven.”