Page 36 of Taken By The Vampire King

And I took those steps two at a time, ignoring cameras that turned lazily in my direction as I moved. I would have given one a casual wave, but I didn’t want to change my hold on Leia.

We reached the helicopter without incident, and the pilot opened the door.

“Too much fun on Bourbon Street,” I murmured, guilt festering inside me at the casual lie.

I settled Leia into a chair, buckled her in, and set headphones over her ears. Then I sat beside her and took her hand without even thinking about it, stroking my other hand over her fingers so they wrapped around mine. My arms felt empty without her in them, and my heart seemed to have an irregular beat as I studied her face, so devoid of movement.

My gaze wandered to her pale neck, to the two red scrapes there, where the vampire had teased her with his fangs instead of biting down. Only luck separated my current relief from what could have been grief, and that was like a punch to my gut.

It was a situation I hadn’t controlled.

A thin silver necklace gleamed against Leia’s skin, and when I plucked at it, I withdrew a caged amethyst pendent from beneath the fabric of her dress. Was this the reason she’d left the restaurant? Sightseeing? Shopping? So much risk, for nothing.

Concern, equally as unfamiliar as regret, gnawed at me, and by the time the rotor blades stopped spinning after we landed on La Petite Mort, I’d already made contact with Jenkins and Baldwin, so they’d be ready.

Jenkins met me at the private entrance to the casino, and I settled Leia into the limo then ran quickly inside to change into some spare clothes in my office.

When I reached the limo again, Jenkins open the door so I could slide in alongside Leia. I studied her face, looking for any discomfort or changes.

“Has she moved at all, or spoken?”

Jenkins shook his head. “No, sir.”

She didn’t move on the journey back to the house, either. I carried her through the hallway and up the stairs, Baldwin alternately flapping behind me and springing forward to open doors. When I laid her on the bed, and a smear of the blood that had transferred earlier from my shirt onto her dress became visible, Baldwin gasped.

“Master, does Miss Boucher require a doctor?”

I shook my head. “It’s not her blood.”

“Shall I send Emma to assist you?” He gestured vaguely between Leia and the bed.

Protective instincts claimed me again—no one should see my mate like this but me—but I pushed them down and nodded. “That might be for the best. When Emma arrives, I’ll take care of some business before coming back to check on Le…Miss Boucher.”

Baldwin nodded. “Very good, master.” And he left the room, his rapid strides audible even on the plush carpet.

In my quarters, I grabbed a quick drink, threw myself under the shower, and dressed in a clean shirt and pants. Black to suit my mood. I grinned weakly at my own pathetic joke. Black suited my mood every day. It was all I owned.

My cellphone rang just as I stepped through the double doors and bent to lock them behind me.

I glanced at the caller display. Jason. “Yeah?”

“Dealt with.” He used as few words as I did on the phone, and I didn’t ask what he’d done. The bayou was nearby. And alligators were always a convenient excuse for a shredded body or three.

“I need you to see Francois.” I’d thought about it on the way home.

“Smelling like three of his dead minions?” Jason rarely challenged me, but I continued telling him the plan anyway.

“The helicopter will meet you at the airport. Too risky to use The Neutral Zone helipad again, I think.”

He made a murmur of acknowledgement.

“But Francois needs to know our deal is off.”

“Fuck, Nic,” Jason ground out. “Then it would definitely be too risky for me to try to hop on the chopper on his roof. And you want me to deliver this message? You sure it’s not just a suicide mission? Might not need a chopper at the airport after all.”

I nodded as I looked over the balustrade to the hallway below, my fingers reflexively tightening and loosening around my phone. “You’re there, I trust you, and more importantly, Francois knows I trust you. He’ll know if it’s coming from your mouth, it’s ultimately coming from mine. And he wouldn’t dare try to hurt you.” I ground out the last words, believing them and hoping they were true at the same time.

Jason sighed.

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