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wrong. You have great power, untapped maybe, but you have it. You stayed in the shadows, didn't you,
while Susan shone?"
"A little bit." She flushed. "Not because I felt inadequate, but because she was so compelling. If you'd
known her, you'd understand."
"If you want to avenge her, to not make her death awaste, it's time to come into the light." He brushed
a lock of her hair back, and again she felt the flicker of magic.
They stayed there for a while, floating with each other, trading kisses and learning each other's bodies.
Then, as though by mutual agreement, they moved back to shore, Adrian leading her by the hand up onto
the beach.
She tried not to stare too hard at his strong legs and thighs, the tattoo moving on his buttocks as he
leaned over to pull on his jeans. He slowly zipped up and buttoned his pants and watched with obvious
interest as Amber slipped back into the robe.
"By the way," he said, resting casually, hands on hips. "I have to meet with a vampire lord tonight at his
club. I want you to come with me."
Her eyes widened, her fingertips growing cold. "To a vampire club?" She thought about the clubs in
Seattle where humans went to get high on being suckled by vampires. A dangerous addiction, like the
similar demon clubs, except demons fed on life essences, often while having sex with their victims.
Making love with a demon was supposed to be the ultimate in sexual experiences. Vampires and demons
had no need to rape, because their partners came to them eager and willing. "With vampires eyeing me
like fresh meat?"
"You'll not be touched. I want Septimus to meet you, to understand that you're mine. His vampires will
obey him to the point of fighting other vamps to keep them away from you."
She raised her brows. "That I'm yours?"
He nodded, hair glistening from his swim, a bronzed and beautiful god under the sun. "You have my
protection."
His dark eyes gave nothing away, as though he saw nothing wrong with the statement he'd made. She
belonged to him. He'd decided, and it was so.
"And you're friends with this vampire?" she asked as she moved across the sand to him. Crumbles of
sand stuck to her bare feet.
"Not friends. Allies, maybe. I've told him that as long as he keeps his vampires in line and intimidates
the others in town, I won't wipe him out."
"How nice of you." She stuck her hands in the pockets of her robe, the breeze suddenly cool. Adrian
stood straight and tall against it, despite the T-shirt plastered to every contour of his body, his nipples
tight and brown against the fabric. She could look at him for-ever.
"Another reason I want to talk to Septimus is that he might know what the writing says," he said. "He's
an Old One himself."
"Making me want to meet him more and more."
"He'll be fine as long as I am with you." He leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips, his eyes
sparkling. "Besides, I want a kick-ass witch beside me if I'm going into a vampire's lair."
The kiss turned deep, his mouth slanting across hers, showing her just how sweet he tasted. Making
love to him would be wild excitement and deep fulfillment. She determined then and there to make sure
he understood just how ready for him she could be.
At nine that night, Amber rode with Adrian, who drove the Mustang into the heart of downtown Los
Angeles and the upscale vampire nightclubs that had blossomed there. Valerian had stuffed himself in the
back to accompany them.
 Amber still didn't know quite what to make of Valerian. He exuded life magic-a shape-shifter, Adrian
had said-but he wasn't like any shape-shifter she'd ever encountered.
Valerian was a big man, attractive in a brutal sort of way. Like Adrian, he was a fighter, but again, the
similarities ended there. Adrian had enormous power within him, and Valerian had raw physical strength.
Valerian's magic, she sensed, only let him shape-shift, while Adrian's could blast everyone out of his path
if he wanted it to.
She'd brought some of her charged crystals and a few amulets and herbs with her, kept in a drawstring
bag on her belt. Adrian seemed amused that she wanted her accoutrements, but no way was she walking
into a vampire club without having magic backup. The fire spell she could throw was minute-potentially
deadly to avampire who could die by fire, but usually easily doused. She wanted far stronger magics than
that on her side.
Adrian had not brought the demon writing with him, saying he wouldn't take something that reeked that
much of death magic into a vampire club, where its power could be enhanced. He'd ask Septimus to
come to the house to look at it, which in Amber's opinion wasn't a much better idea. The thought of a
vampire invading Adrian's protected nest didn't leave a good taste in her mouth.
Amber was dressed in new clothes-a blouse over a tight, cropped tank top, jeans, and high-heeled
sandals. Adrian still hadn't wanted Amber to leave the house even to go shopping in a public place, so
Kelly had called her couturiers and asked them to come to Adrian's. The clothiers knew Kelly for a rising
star and happily came running.
Adrian had bought Amber a slew of clothes from casual to dressy, all chic, all form-hugging, all sexy.
She'd tried to stop him, but he'd ignored her and handed plenty of money to the clothier, who was more
apt to listen to Adrian than Amber.
"Gee, I always wanted a sugar daddy," she'd said, mimicking a little-girl voice.
Kelly had laughed and said, "Honey, take what you can get. Men always treated me like shit." She'd
laughed again. "Now I buy them presents."
Adrian parked the car and came around to open the door for Amber before the vampires in suits at the
door could. Valerian piled out behind them, smiling dangerously. The vampire doormen pretended to
ignore him as they opened the dark stained-glass doors and ushered the three inside.
In the black-painted vestibule, a pair of vampires demanded they hand over all weapons. That included [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]