The Raven

Chapter 16-Eliza-bitch1


“Wake up, Kitten.” 2


Mandy opened her eyes slowly and turned towards the sound of Armando’s voice. “Hey, you.”
He stroked her hair back from her face and kissed her forehead softly. “You do remember what happened last night, right?” 3


Mandy chuckled softly as she nuzzled her face in his chest. “Mmm, I’m not likely to forget that for some time.” 4


Armando slid over her and kissed her neck. She stiffened. He hadn’t fed since their meeting with Bonnie-Sue. It had run late into the night and Armando had been left drinking glasses of wine at the club, rubbing his temples from the stress of the wedding planner. Mandy had little desire to be his morning, or actually mid-day snack if her calculations were right. She glanced around her bedroom, trying to decide what would be the fastest exit route. 5


“Do not fear me,” he said, dropping his head down and touching hers lightly. “I would never harm you, Mandy.” 6


She kissed his lips lightly and tried to put on her best convincing face. “I didn’t think that you would.” 7


“I can smell your fear and sense your lie. Please stop while you are ahead. I will learn to live with your doubts about us and you will need to learn to trust me.” 8


“I don’t have doubts about us,” Mandy said, stroking the backs of his cool arms lightly. 9


Armando let out a tiny laugh. “Really? You changed your mind about marrying me three times before our meeting with the wedding planner was over.” 10


Mandy’s face reddened. “Okay, maybe I did, but it ended well, didn’t it?” 11


He kissed along her collarbone. “It ended perfectly. No more second thoughts?” 12


“I’m just wondering how we’re going to iron out our sleeping schedule. You had me up all night…not that I’m complaining,” she said, biting at his ear. “I’m already three hours late for work. I’m surprised that Michelle hasn’t called to check on me.” 13


“She may very well have.” He pushed his hips against hers as he spoke. 14


“What do you mean?” 15


Armando groaned and looked over at the bedside table. “I shut your ringer off after you feel asleep. I left word with Dmitri that you would not be in today. He will pass it on to Michelle.” 16


“You did what?” Mandy reached over and snatched her cordless phone up. “Armando, I’ve got a lot going on at work right now and you can’t just….” He covered her mouth with his, effectively silencing her protests. 17


He drew back slowly, smiling at her as he went. “Still mad at me?” 18


“No,” she said, accessing her voice mail, while she pretended to give him the evil eye. He laughed. She punched in her pass code and waited for her messages. There was one from Michelle wishing her well. One from Dillon telling her that he was back in town, and that he had enjoyed their time together in Chicago. The last message was from Angelica wanting her answer on the job offer by the end of the week. 19


Mandy clicked the phone off and let it drop down on the bed. She made a move to kiss Armando, but he pulled away, glancing at the phone as he went. 20


“Who is Dillon?” he asked, his voice low. 21


“A friend of mine…. he’s a professor and….” Armando put his finger on her lips. 22


“No, do not give me his history. Tell me why you were with him in Chicago when you would not even tell me where you were going and why you were leaving.” 23


Mandy touched his arm and ran her fingers down his skin. “I met up with him for a drink and we talked about you mostly.” 24


“Me? Why?” 25


“Dillon is a professor of demonology. He seemed like the perfect person to ask questions about vampires.” Mandy tried to hold Armando’s hand, but he wouldn’t let her. 26


“No, Mandy, I am the perfect person to ask vampire questions of.” 27


Mandy sat up and pulled the sheet around her. She’d never been one to let a man win in any situation and she wasn’t about to start now. “Yeah, well at the moment you weren’t on my list of honest sources.” She knew that her stab at him was more than was called for, but she didn’t care. 28


Armando’s jaw tightened and he nodded his head slightly. “I see. So, what is this job offer from Angelica?” 29


“Gawd, can you turn your supersonic hearing down a notch or two around me? Not everything in my life is your business,” Mandy said, turning to climb out of the bed. 30


Armando grabbed her around the waist and deposited her on her back on the bed. “That is where you are wrong, Kitten.” He ran his hand down the length of her arm and touched the engagement ring on her finger. “This makes it my business. Now, if you would be so kind as to tell me about this job offer.” 31


Mandy exhaled and let her eyelids flutter closed. “I went to Chicago for an interview. They’re looking for a marketing director and offered me the position. It’s a substantial pay increase, the opportunity of a lifetime, and what I went to school for.” 32


It seemed like an eternity went by before Armando spoke. “Have you already decided to take it?” 33


“I thought I did until all of this happened,” she said, referring to their engagement. “To tell you the truth, now I’m not sure what I’m going to do.” 34


He pushed his knee between her legs, spreading them slowly. “Let me see if I can help you make your decision.” 35


~*****~36


“Long night?” Mike chuckled, his tone insolent. 37


Dmitri glared at his cousin, pretending not to hear him. “Hand me that sheet would you?” 38


“What? Still not getting any? I thought for sure she’d cave with that little dinner party you had planned.” Mike reached down the bar and grabbed the paper Dmitri pointed at then set it in front of him. “Every time she comes in here, I know her smell drives me—” 39


Dmitri’s hand shot up and wound around Mike’s wrist. He squeezed hard, his eyes glittering with a possessive gold Mike understood well. “You will not ever speak of her like that. Do you understand?” 40


Mike gulped, backing down. “Hey, easy cousin. How many lifetimes have we known each other? You know I only speak in jest. Michelle is yours. Any lycan would be an imbecile not to smell your mark on her. I’m just saying that she’s…in heat. There is no reason for you to deny yourself when she is willing. It’s foolishness.” 41


“You couldn’t understand it,” said Dmitri. Letting go of Mike, he looked down at the paper.42


“Try me,” said Mike, stretching his hands over the countertop in a definite bartender pose. “I might surprise you.” 43


Dmitri knew he could, and often had trusted Mike with his life and his secrets. He sighed heavily. “She has always smelled like that around me. Ever since the very first night I boldly, and quite idiotically, blundered into her life. You can well understand why I came onto her like I did. Damn, that smell makes you think she’s ready to get right to it.” 44


Mike nodded. “Yeah, you can’t help but come onto her.” 45


“But, it’s not only that. Yes, instantly, the moment I saw her, I knew I wanted her. It’s not just her smell, although it’s great. It’s her eyes, her smile, her laugh. The way her cheeks dimple ever so slightly, or the way she chews on her thumbnail when she’s nervous or concentrating too hard. The way she always seems surprised when I compliment her and it takes her a second to respond—usually with some sort of dismissal. It took her nearly blinding me and a guilt trip before she’d even agree to go out with me. You don’t know how many times I’ve gone to intimately touch her, only to feel her tense up. Hell, I had to force her to be my girlfriend, not giving her a chance to say no to me. All I ever think about is grabbing her and marking her as my woman completely so no man would ever dare to touch her.” 46


“But, if she wants you, don’t you just keep going?” asked Mike. 47


Dmitri laughed softly. “I thought that’s what she wanted too, so I did keep trying—every damned pickup line and every smooth trick I know. The only thing I can figure is that it was our kind’s natural sexual aggressiveness that caused her to keep pushing me away. Now that I’ve got a small hold on her, I’m not going to make that mistake again. I’ll just have to wait until she comes to me first.” 48


“The lycan nature is not so easy to tame,” said Mike softly. “You know that. You’ll drive yourself mad with this type of denial. It is not in our nature to so stubbornly control ourselves, especially when the woman appears willing.” 49


“But, I must try.” Dmitri growled in frustration. He reached over the bar and took a bottle of whiskey, helping himself to a shot. 50


“She doesn’t seem to mind being your woman.” 51


“I keep waiting for her to break it off,” growled Dmitri, letting the worry settle into his eyes for a brief moment. He had been so happy when he was with her, but she didn’t exactly make confessing how he felt easy. “Every other sentence out of her mouth seems to be something like, ‘oh we’re not in love, oh I hate commitment and marriage, I don’t want a serious relationship, there’s no reason for us to talk about us. Let’s just have fun, take it easy, play it day by day’. ARGH!” 52


“Hell,” laughed Mike, “I’ll take her! Sounds like the perfect woman. All the fun, none of the commitment. What’s the problem? Why don’t you just shag her then if that’s all she’s askin’ for?” 53


“I can’t. I’ve tried to just shag her, believe me. She won’t have any of it. I have no other choice, but to find a way to wait until she’s ready to come for me. At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll be waiting forever. But, it’s worth it. She makes me happy—happier than I have ever been. I just wish—” 54


“Ah, Michelle!” exclaimed Mike, pulling back. Dmitri stopped talking. Mike shot him a meaningful look, saying she hadn’t heard a word he said. 55


Dmitri turned around, pasting a smile on his face. “Hey, you’re early. Just let me grab my jacket.”56


~*****~57


Michelle watched Dmitri head to the office. Mike grinned at her and wiggled his eyebrows as she came up to the bar to wait. 58


“Ah,” said Mike with a wolfish grin. “Finally, we’re all alone.” 59


“Do your come-ons ever get you laid?” asked Michelle with a grimace. “I seem to doubt it. You must be one sad, frustrated man.” 60


Mike looked a little hurt. “Hey, I see plenty of action. Besides, you’re one to talk about frustrated men.” 61


“What is that supposed to mean?” Michelle frowned. 62


“Ready?” asked Dmitri, smiling as he came to her. He leaned over and kissed her forehead. Michelle sighed, knowing that was going to be the best she got.63


~*****~ 64


“Smells delicious.” 65


Mandy looked over her shoulder at Armando and couldn’t help but smile at the sight of him standing in her kitchen wearing only a towel. “I never realized that you could eat food. I just thought that you….” She stopped, not wanting to draw any more attention to the fact that he was a vampire. 66


Armando let out a throaty laugh. “It appears that we have much to learn about each other.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked, chopping the remainder of the green pepper before her. 67


“I never realized that you were so full of spirit.” 68


Mandy glanced back at him and sliced down hard with the knife when she saw that Armando held a picture of her in her cheerleader outfit. “Ouch!” she cried out, grabbing her hand to her.
“Mandy?” Armando asked, suddenly next to her. 69


“It’s nothing,” she said, turning the cold water on in the sink. She placed her hand under it and watched as the blood continued to pour from her fingers. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m normally really good in the kitchen. You just surprised me with that…hey, where did you find that?” 70


She turned expecting to find Armando standing behind her. He wasn’t. “Armando?” She wrapped a paper towel around her hand and turned the stovetop down. “Armando?” Panic swept through her. She knew that he couldn’t have left yet. The sun was still up. It’d taken her a half hour to drape blankets over her windows to keep the light out, just so he could roam freely around her house. 71


Mandy ran into the living room and continued down the hall calling for him. She stopped when she noticed the bathroom door was shut tight. “Armando, are you okay?” 72


“I am…fine.” His voice sounded labored and a hell of a lot deeper than normal. 73


“Baby?” She tapped on the door lightly, worried about him. Something was off and she knew it. 74


Armando let out a growl and she screamed. It took her a minute to compose herself before knocking lightly on the door again. “GO AWAY!” he screamed out, his voice booming so loud that she felt the door shake. 75


She backed up, unsure what to do next. She took two more steps before stopping abruptly. “NO! I’m not going to go away. You want honesty, then tell me what’s wrong.” 76


The bathroom door opened, but Armando did not come through it. The light was off and with the windows all covered, Mandy could not see into the room. She inched forward, her bare feet reluctant to move across the wood floor. “Armando?” she asked, entering the bathroom.
He seized her from behind and slammed the bathroom door shut. She screamed out, but did not fight him. He held her tight and put his face down on her shoulder. “You are right. Honesty is best, but I do not wish to scare you.” 77


Mandy let out a nervous laugh. “Umm, too late.” 78


Armando ran his hands down the length of her arms and stopped when he got to her hands. He lifted her cut hand up and took a deep breath in. Mandy froze, realizing what the problem was. “It’s the blood, isn’t it?” she asked, weakly. 79


“My control is strong, stronger than most, but with you it is always down. I have not fed today and….” 80


“Shh,” she whispered, turning in his arms. She put her hand by his face and laid her cheek on his smooth chest. “It’s okay. I love you no matter what and the blood’s just wasting away, so you might as well use it.” 81


Armando’s tongue flickered over her hand and she had to fight not to squirm away. “This will take some getting used to,” she said, trying to sound as light as possible. 82


“I do not wish to make this a habit,” Armando said, putting her hand to his lips. “I shall see to it that both homes are equipped with what we need by the end of the day.” 83


“You’ve got an answer for everything, don’t you?” She leaned up and planted kisses on his neck. “Well, since we’re in the bathroom and you’re not dressed, umm…” 84


Armando laughed and picked her up. “I would love to.” 85


~*****~86


Michelle looked at the movie poster of the two lovers in a typical Hollywood sappy girl movie embrace and rolled her eyes. Then, seeing a poster of the latest action thriller next to it, she sighed. 87


“What?” asked Dmitri, moving forward in the ticket line. 88


“What are we doing?” asked Michelle. 89


Dmitri froze. 90


“I mean, do you really want to watch this fluff or are you just taking me ‘cause you think I’d like it?” 91


Dmitri relaxed. “Well, I…you write….” 92


“Ah, don’t say it. Yes, I write romance,” said Michelle, stepping up to the ticket counter. “But I like a little action. Two for the senseless action movie please.” 93


Dmitri looked to the poster she pointed at and grinned. There were two men and a woman all holding machine guns, covered in mud, and looking like they were about to kick some serious ass. 94


“You got a problem with that?” asked Michelle in her best mafia voice. She grabbed his shirt playfully and gave him a threatening shake. 95


Dmitri grinned and wrapped his arms around her. “Nope, no problem at all.” 96


“I didn’t think so.” Michelle did her best to look intimidating. For a moment, they were lost in each other’s eyes. 97


“Ah, sir...your tickets?” 98


~****~99


Mandy put her head down on the bar top and let out a low growl when Mike tapped her on the head. “Want some coffee?” he asked. 100


“No,” Mandy said, keeping her head down, “I want a vodka-sprite.” 101


“Boss?” 102


Mandy knew that Armando was right behind her. “He’s not my keeper,” she said. 103


Armando touched her back and let his hand slide down until it was planted firmly on her butt. “Keeper, no. Soon-to-be husband, yes.” 104


“NO WAY!” Mike exclaimed, a little too loud. 105


Mandy looked up at him and gave him a dirty look. “Quiet, somebody here kept me up all night and most of the day. My head hurts.” 106


“Is that all that hurts?” Armando whispered in her ear. 107


His newfound public show of affection caught Mandy a bit off guard and she blushed, looking at Mike to see if he’d overheard. Mike’s ears were beat red and with his lycan hearing she knew that he had. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and wondered why sexual innuendos would suddenly bother her. Normally, it was her making comments and having men blush. 108


“Are you well?” Armando asked, wrapping his arms around her. 109


“I’m fine. Go ahead. You’re going to be late for your meeting,” she said, tapping his arm lightly.110

111

“Isn’t Dmitri supposed to go too?” 112


“No, Dmitri no longer attends meetings with the city board. The last time he did he threatened to eat the fire marshal.” Mandy laughed as Armando kissed her cheek. “I will be back soon. Will you wait here for me?” he asked, moving to face her. 113


“I’ll wait if you tell Mike that I’m free to do as I wish and that I do not require a babysitter.” 114


Armando glanced at Mike and nodded his head. “Very well, I will be back soon.” He headed for the door and turned around quickly, drawing the attention of the early crowd. “I love you.” 115


Mandy smiled and shrugged her shoulders. She suddenly felt like she was in junior high again, but wouldn’t dare change a thing. She turned back to the bar and noticed Mike’s stunned expression. “What?” 116


Mike looked at her and let a smile form on his face. “I’ve known him for hell of a long time and I’ve never seen him act like this.” 117


Mandy glanced back at the door. “Act like what?” 118


“Like a lovesick puppy dog.” 119


“This is where I insert a lycan joke, right?” she asked, flicking ice from her drink at him. He laughed, ducking down to avoid being pelted. 120


Mandy fished another ice cube out and threw it at Mike. He laughed and dodged out of the way.
“Not to interrupt the fun, but I am looking for someone and I believe that Michael may know where he is,” a stern, female voice said from behind Mandy. 121


She turned and found a tall leggy blonde standing at the end of the bar. Black leather covered her skinny legs, and Mandy couldn’t tell where her boots started and her pants stopped. The tiny leather bra she wore contained an abnormally large pair of breasts. She looked a little like a dominatrix and considering the cliental that the Raven often catered to, if wouldn’t surprise Mandy in the least. 122


“Elizabeth?” Mike sounded like he was about to pass out. Mandy glanced at him to make sure he wasn’t. 123


She looked back at the leather-clad vixen and smiled. “Sorry, Mike’s a bit tongue tied. Maybe, I can help you.” 124


Elizabeth looked at her and shrugged. “Doubtful, but I am willing to give it a try.” Mandy held back from calling her a bitch and waited for her to speak. “I am searching for my husband.”
Mandy looked around the club. Friday night at the Raven, equaled a heck of a lot of husbands roaming around. “Care to be a bit more specific?” 125


Elizabeth let out a sultry laugh. “Trust a human to need it spelled out for them. I-am-looking-for-my-husband—Armando.” 126


~****~127


“That’s it!” announced Michelle. “I want to be a spy!” 128


Dmitri grinned. “It was a good movie, huh? 129


“I loved it. I’m serious when I said I want to be an intergalactic spy. Though, I absolutely loved Indiana Jones when it came out and wanted to be an archeologist after watching it. Then there was that pirate movie—I had the urge to sail the seven seas. Not sure what that says about me. I think I’m highly impressionable.” 130


Dmitri’s chuckle joined hers as he pressed the button on his keypad to unlock the car door. He leaned over, opening up the passenger side for her. “Never would have taken you for an action-adventure girl, though.” 131


“Well, maybe you shouldn’t assume so much about me,” said Michelle, looking up into his grey eyes. Her hand began to lift to his chest. She couldn’t help it. She wanted him. “Sometimes a girl just wants—oh, just a second.” 132


Michelle reached into her pocket and grabbed her phone. Absently, she got into the car, looking at the caller ID. She missed Dmitri’s sigh of frustration as he walked around to get in the driver’s side. 133


“It’s just Mandy. I can talk to her at the club,” said Michelle, dropping the phone in her purse, which she pulled from beneath the car seat. 134


“Come here,” said Dmitri. 135


Michelle blinked, looking over at him. A small flutter came to her heart as she saw his lids dipping over his handsome eyes. She held her breath. “Hum?” 136


“What were you going to say? Sometimes a girl just needs...what?” 137


“Oh.” Michelle realized she’d been babbling again. He seemed to have that affect on her. Thank goodness for Mandy’s timing or she really might have said something idiotic. “Nothing important. Sometimes a girl just needs a good action movie.” 138


“Hum, if you say so.” Dmitri let a small grin settle on his features. 139


~****~140


“Oh, man! Where have you guys been?” 141


Michelle glanced over to Mike, letting go of Dmitri’s hand as she witnessed his panicked face. “What is it? What’s happened?” 142


“We got problems. Big problems,” said Mike, stressing his last words to Dmitri with an under-the-breath, meaningful look. 143


“What are you talking about?” demanded Michelle. 144


Dmitri frowned. “What is it?” 145


“Eliz—” Mike began. 146


“Dmitri,” purred a voice Michelle didn’t recognize, “I had no idea you and Armando still played together. How sweet.” 147


The vampiress crossed leisurely over the floor to Dmitri and draped her arm over his shoulder, stroking him. Michelle frowned, confused. 148


“Elizabeth,” said Dmitri, trying to shrug her off. 149


The woman pouted, turning to Michelle. “What’s this?” 150


“This is Michelle,” said Dmitri. 151


“His girlfriend,” stated Michelle, her hands on her hips as she challenged the woman. Dmitri blinked in surprise, and she paled, aware of how possessive she sounded. 152


Elizabeth tossed back her head and laughed. “Oh, Dmitri, please tell me this little wallflower isn’t…it’s too cute. I had no idea you were into charity work.” 153


Michelle paled. Her lips trembled. Dmitri was looking at her, almost apologetic. 154


“Back off, Elizabeth,” said Dmitri. 155


“Or what?” She feigned a pout. “You’ll un-invite me? You can’t. This is public ground. So, tell me. Where is Armando hiding? Hum, Dmitri? You know I’ll find him. So why don’t you be a good little puppy and help me out?” 156


“He wants nothing to do with you, Elizabeth,” said Dmitri. 157


“Ah, but I so want something to do with him,” she laughed. “I’m bored.” 158


“Then get a hobby,” said Dmitri. 159


The vampiress face contorted in anger. Mike grabbed Michelle’s arm. “Come on, Michelle, let’s go.” 160


Michelle let Mike pull her. She’d been watching the interplay between the two of them. It was as if they didn’t see her. And, Gawd! Had she really sounded that possessive of him! 161


“What’s going on?” she asked, watching Dmitri argue with the woman. Elizabeth reached up to slap him and his hand shot up to grab her wrist, throwing her off with a growl. “Who is that woman?” 162


“That,” said Mike, pouring himself a drink, “is Armando’s sire.”163

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Chapter 17-Interview with Master Nage170


Armando took a deep breath of fresh air and laughed. Makonnen looked over from the club door and gave him an odd look. The large bouncer eyed his boss suspiciously before shaking his head. 171

“Something on your mind, Makonnen?” 172

“No, boss, just don’t recall ever seeing you so…happy.” 173

Armando let out another laugh and turned in a circle with his palms up. “I have not felt this alive in centuries! Where is she?” he asked, wanting to find Mandy.
Makonnen shifted slightly, looking uneasy. Armando knew his vampires well. Makonnen was one of his children, his chosen ones. The large man rarely looked out of sorts and when he did, it was bad. “Tell me what has happened.” 174

“I never sensed her coming, boss, really! I didn’t know she was in the club until Mandy ran out crying.” 175

Armando grabbed hold of Makonnen’s collar and lifted the large man off his feet. “What has happened to Mandy?” 176

“Oh, that’s the little human wench’s name.” 177

He cringed at the sound of that voice. He knew it well. He’d lived with it for close to thirty years. He looked past Makonnen to Elizabeth and his moment of true bliss died instantly. “What are you doing here?” 178

She tipped her head back, spilling waves of white-blonde hair down her tiny shoulders. “Oh, is that anyway to greet your wife?” 179

Armando clenched his fists tight, wanting to strike her. “You are not my wife. You always did have a hard time separating truth from fiction.” 180

Elizabeth gave him one of her evil smiles and strolled out towards him. “You would have been my husband if I hadn’t have gotten hungry prior to the ceremony.” She laughed and clutched her stomach. “Oh, I can still remember the look of horror on your face when you realized that your bride-to-be was a vampire.” She waved her hand in the air as she laughed. “No matter, one little piece of paper hardly matters. I own you. I created you. And you shared my bed for close to a hundred years.” 181

“We were only together for thirty years. That is when you decided to replace me with something a little more French. How is Jacque?” 182

“Still bitter about that? Hmm, I would have thought you would be over it. According to Michael, you’ve moved on.” Her eyes narrowed and she licked the edge of her thin lips. “Do not tell me that you have resorted to slumming with human whores now. Oh, how the mighty fall.” 183

Armando went at her and Makonnen stepped in his path. “She’s not worth it, boss. You should probably find Mandy. Mike and I tried to stop her. She was upset and in no condition to be driving.” 184

“What did you do to her?” Armando demanded, glaring at Elizabeth. 185

She shrugged. “I simply told her that you belonged to me, that it was my bed you begged to stay in all those years ago, and I told her of things you used to do in our bed. I may have mentioned a few other things and that…” 186

“And what?” Armando asked, clenching Makonnen’s arm to avoid strangling Elizabeth.187

“And, I might have mentioned that we were still married.” 188

Armando pushed Makonnen away from him and seized Elizabeth’s shoulders. She was taller than Mandy and he could meet her eye to eye. “To still be married would require that we were married to begin with. I do not call turning me into a demon a marriage.” Armando’s hands burned. He wanted to tear Elizabeth’s throat out. 189

To do so could mean his own death. He’d left her side centuries ago because he could no longer bear the pain of seeing her bed every man but him. He had thought that he loved her deeply once, and finding out she was a vampire didn’t change that. Finding out that she was a whore incapable of returning his love did. 190

Now, being with Mandy had made him see that what he’d felt for Elizabeth was nothing more than foolish lust. She had been the first woman he’d ever bedded and he was not able to separate love from sex then. She’d been in love with his money. He was heir to a fortune and Elizabeth knew that. What she did not know was that he would refuse to allow her to harm his father. She never saw a penny of his family’s money. He left her the same night his father passed away. He had only stayed with her that long to assure that she did not harm him. 191

Armando had always feared that he would fall victim to Elizabeth’s seductive powers if he were to see her again. She had held him captive with her allure for so long that he worried she’d be able to do it again with just a look. But now, looking at her, he felt nothing except rage. “How dare you come here and try to interfere in my life.” 192

“You mean your death,” Elizabeth said with a playful pout, touching his cheek lightly. “You always did like to pretend you were still alive.”193

He thrust her away from him and stormed off to his car, listening to her laugh wickedly at him all the way. He didn’t care. He needed to find Mandy and make sure she was safe. Elizabeth liked to leave a trail of dead bodies in her wake. If he found that Mandy was harmed in anyway, there would be hell to pay. 194


~*****~ 195


Michelle grabbed her cell phone and dialed Mandy’s number. Elizabeth had unnerved her. She couldn’t imagine what she’d done to Mandy. She glanced over at the vampire bitch to make sure that she wasn’t putting the moves on Dmitri again and waited for Mandy to pick up her cell phone. 196

“Any luck?” Dmitri asked, appearing behind her. Her wrapped his arms around her waist and put his ear close to her phone to listen. Her body jumped in instant awareness and she trembled. 197

“No,” Michelle said, drawing a sharp breath from Dmitri’s close proximity. “She’s not answering. Maybe I should head over to her house.” 198

“Armando’s already on his way there. If he can’t calm Mandy down, than no one can.”
“He just better hope she doesn’t stake him on first sight.” 199

Dmitri pulled back slightly. “What’s that mean? The guy’s innocent.” 200

Michelle snorted. “Yeah, conveniently forgetting to tell someone that you’re already married isn’t innocent. Not in my book anyway and I’m sure not in Mandy’s either. What a jerk.” 201

“Hey,” Dmitri said, spinning her around to face him, “lay off Armando.” 202

“Don’t tell me that you’re about to defend someone who would cheat on his spouse and break Mandy’s heart.” 203

Dmitri ran a hand through his hair and let out a small groan. “Eliza-bitch and Armando have never been married. She sired him. She attacked the man a week before they were to be married and turned him into what he is now.” 204

Michelle nervously glanced at the floor, pulling back so he couldn’t touch her. She hadn’t meant to jump the gun and condemn Armando so fast. But, she knew that if she were in Mandy’s shoes, she’d be devastated. “So, they never got married?”205

“No, they didn’t. I probably shouldn’t be telling you this, but Armando only stayed with her to make sure she didn’t harm his father. Elizabeth had threatened to kill the man if Armando didn’t do as she wished.” 206

Dmitri reached a hand for her, giving a cocky little smile. “Hey, come here for a second. I want to ask you something.”207

“What?” Michelle took a hesitant step forward, giving her hand to his. 208

Dmitri jerked her forward so she fell against his chest. Michelle gasped, giggling lightly as his arms wrapped around her back and held her close. She could feel the full length of him again her. His hips shifted and she thought she felt a hint of interest brush her stomach, but she couldn’t be sure because he’d turned slightly to the side. Her body flushed with instant disappointment. 209

“So, was that a hint of jealousy I detected?” asked Dmitri. 210

“Jealousy?” squeaked Michelle with a delicate shrug, pretending not to know what he was talking about.211

“Yeah, when old Vampira was comin’ on to me,” he said softly. 212

“Me, jealous?” Michelle forced a laugh she didn’t feel. Hell, yes she was jealous. Just thinking about it made her want to rip the ancient bitch’s eyes from her head, tear out her bloody heart with her bare hands and stomp on it. To bad Mandy wasn’t there, they could’ve made a night of it. “No, of course not. Why would I be jealous?” 213

“Why indeed.” Dmitri’s face fell in what could have been disappointment, but she wasn’t certain. If it was, Michelle was sure it was just his male ego that took a small beating, not because he wanted her to really care. He opened his mouth to say more, but Mike’s voice boomed over them, interrupting. 214

“Excuse me sir, but can I help you with something?” 215

Michelle and Dmitri glanced over at Mike. He was blocking the office door with his body. A tall man tried to push past him. Mike’s lycan strength should have made him a shoe-in for a fight, but he looked to Dmitri for help. 216

Dmitri’s arms slid from her body. Michelle saw the hard set to his jaw, the liquid gold fire threatening his eyes. She knew the dark look should have scared her, but she found it actually turned her on—way on. 217

Great, thought Michelle. Now I’ll never get to sleep tonight. And I’ll be spending eternity in a cold shower. 218

“What’s going on?” Michelle asked as Dmitri growled.219

“It’s the fire marshal.” Dmitri headed towards Mike, shaking his head the entire way. “Nage, what I can do for you this fine evening?” His voice was so laced with artificial sweetness that Michelle cringed. 220

Michelle watched as the tall, muscular man with the shaved head turned to face Dmitri. He wasn’t bad on the eyes by any stretch, but Michelle thought it best not to ogle. The man gave Dmitri a cold once over, before glancing around the bar. “Where is Armando?” 221

“He’s not here,” Dmitri said, sounding short. 222

“I gathered as much.” Nage made a move to head into the back office, but Mike stood his ground. “Armando agreed to meet me back at the club so I could take a look at the proposed expansion plans. I thought I’d get my inspection out of the way while I was down here.” 223

Dmitri stepped to the side and put his hand out. “By all means, inspect away. I could save you a lot of time and just fine myself before you leave.” 224

“If you’re up to code then you have nothing to worry about,” said Nage, coldly.
There was something familiar about Nage, but Michelle couldn’t put her finger on it. She watched as he slowly worked his way around the bar, stopping every so often to be sure that they had all the paperwork they needed to have displayed. Dmitri headed back into the office to fetch something for him and Nage stopped in front of Michelle. 225

“Do I know you from somewhere?” he asked, sounding two hundred times nicer than he had with Dmitri. 226

Michelle would have normally taken this as a bad pick up line, but there truly was something familiar about him. She put her hand out to him. “Michelle Pillow, I work down at the Nocturnal Journal. Have you been down there before…doing inspections I mean?” 227

Nage shifted a bit and looked over his shoulder. “I thought I recognized you. I submitted my information to you for an interview not long back.” He took her hand in his. “Master Nage…erotica author who just completed my very first erotic romance, Scorch.” 228

Michelle’s eyes widened. “You wrote Scorch? That got some great reviews. Hey, didn’t JERR give it 5 stars?” 229

Nage smiled. “Yeah, they did.” 230

“Now, someone told me that the erotic in your life isn’t all fiction,” Michelle said, suddenly feeling as though she was donning her interview cap. 231

Nage grinned, and an inviting warmth entered his eyes. Michelle put on her most professional face to stop any advance. Well, what did she expect asking such a forward question? Truth was, she couldn’t think. She was about ready to follow Dmitri into the office to do a little scorching of her own. 232

“You sent a request in for an interview?” Michelle asked, kicking herself for not going through her faxes before she left work. If it didn’t come in an email than odds were that she wouldn’t get it for at least two weeks. That’s about the time Mandy would poke her head in and demand she clean her desk. “You want to hit the high points with me now?” 233

Nage did another nervous glance around the bar and nodded his head. “As you'll see from my interview I'm a real life Dominant into BDSM, 24/7. My wife is my willing slave. I write erotic BDSM stories in my erotica guise.” 234

Michelle didn’t move a muscle as he continued. If ever she needed Mandy near her, it was now. Mandy would have not only had a smile on her face, but would have understood what Nage was talking about. Michelle focused on him and tried to listen, all the time scolding herself for her wandering thoughts. Though, seeing Dmitri in chains did have merits.235

“I really dislike the whips and chains thing, cause that's a stereotype….” continued Nage. 236

Oh. Michelle tried not to blush, as she thought, My bad. No stereotypes here.
“…I try to educated people against this with my erotica. I am, in fact, into psychological domination and my books tend to be less about kink and more about how characters think and feel.” 237

“Did you find anything or are we clear?” Dmitri asked, pushing in between Michelle and Nage. Dmitri put his arm around Michelle, clearly claiming her.
Nage looked a bit uncomfortable as he stared at Dmitri’s arm. “You two know each other?” 238

“Yes,” Dmitri said, in a low voice, “Michelle is my girlfriend.” 239

“DMITRI!” Mike shouted from the doorway to the men’s room. “A pipe burst, get in here!” 240

“Shit!” Dmitri said, sprinting in the direction of the bathroom.241

Nage stepped forward and bent his head down. “I’d appreciate it if you’d keep the fact that I write erotic fiction to yourself.” 242

“You don’t want me to tell Dmitri, right?” she asked, laughing. Nage nodded and she glanced towards the men’s room door. “What’s with you two? Old lycan feud?” 243

“No, we had a small disagreement during a fundraiser and he threatened to eat me.”
Michelle coughed, and had to take a step back due to the sudden onslaught of laughs and coughs that seized hold of her. 244

“You okay?” Nage asked, pounding her back lightly. 245

She nodded her head yes and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh…I’ll get…in touch…with you when…I get back into the office…Monday.” 246

“You sure you’re okay?” Nage asked with a smile. 247

“Yep, sure am.” Michelle took a deep breath and held it as she calmed herself. It wasn’t lost on her that when she first met Dmitri, the fact that he threatened to eat someone wouldn’t have been funny. 248

“Ah, listen,” said Nage, pausing for a moment to glance around the bar. “I’m pretty much done here. Would you mind giving this to Dmitri and tell him I’ll stop by later this week to talk to Armando about the plans?”249

“Sure,” said Michelle taking the sheet. “So did they pass?”250

Nage gave a small grin. “Uh, yeah, with flying colors.” 251

Michelle watched him go with a small smile. Turning to the sheet, she wondered if her status as Dmitri’s girlfriend had gotten them off easy. Then, with a shrug, she went to go see what all the sudden cursing from the back room was about. 252


~*****~253

Mandy fell across her bed. She fought hard not to cry, refusing to let that bitch win. If she wanted Armando so bad, she could have him. She had no use for a lying cheater anyways. It was better she found out about all of this before she got too attached. Or was she already too attached? She didn’t know or care. 254

Her cell phone rang several times, but she ignored it. She did the same when her home phone began to ring as well. She’d already called who she needed to and now she had to check out apartments in Chicago. She rolled onto her side and climbed off the bed slowly. 255

She waited as her laptop booted up. The tension of the day filled her neck and shoulders and she bent her head down, trying again not to cry. She opened her browser and googled real estate in Chicago. Surprisingly, with what Angelica had offered for pay, she could afford a decent sized place. 256

The stiffness in her shoulders intensified and moaned slightly as she tried to bend her head all the way down. Cool hands touched her neck and she jolted upright in the chair. 257

“Shhh, it is I.” Armando’s smooth voice whispered in her ear. 258

Mandy’s temper flared and she bucked her head back, catching his chin hard. He let out a soft groan, but didn’t move. Her head now felt ten times worse.
That’ll teach me for trying to inflict pain on a frickin’ superhero. She thought to herself. 259

Armando laughed and tried to turn her to face him. She held her ground, and the table, trying not to move, but his strength won out. “Kitten, look at me. We need to talk.” Mandy kept her eyes down as he held her chin. “Look at me!” 260

She glared at him and he pulled his head back from her. There wasn’t a time in her life when she’d hated anyone more. Even Elizabeth was better than Armando to her at the moment. He’d done the unthinkable to her. He’d made her fall in love with him and then ripped her heart from her chest. It ached and being near him only added to it. 261

Mandy reached up and touched her chest lightly. Armando tried to take her hand, but she twisted away from him.
“I did not mean to cause you pain and I am honored to be the first man that you have ever given you heart to. I need you….” 262

Mandy stood fast and pushed away from Armando. “You fucking read me! You hopped in my head and invaded my private thoughts!” 263

He made a move to come to her and stopped when he gaze fell on her laptop. “Chicago?” he said, his dark eyebrows rising slightly. “You have made up your mind then?” 264

She let out a half-laugh, half-sob and stormed towards her front door. Armando caught her arm and held her still. She looked at his pale hand and then up into his dark eyes. “Take your hand off me! I think your wife might have a thing or two to say about you touching other women.” 265

“Mandy, she is not….” 266

A knock at the door interrupted them. “Who is here at this hour?” Armando asked, his eyes narrowing in on her. 267

“Let go of my arm and I’ll find out,” Mandy said, angrily 268

Armando put his hands in the air and backed away. She wanted to kick him in the stomach on her way past, but she held back. She opened the door slowly and felt her stomach tie in a knot when she saw the spiked bleach blonde hair. “Now is not a good time.” 269

“Like hell it’s not. I stopped down to the club to have me a drink and hear em’ all talking about the big bad bitch showin’ up to spoil your fun,” James said, pushing on the door. “I think now’s as good a time as any, don’t you?” 270

Mandy stepped back and let the door open. She could feel Armando’s eyes burning holes into the back of her head. She could also feel him reading her, probing her mind for her thoughts. She concentrated on slamming his head into a brick wall and then felt nothing. She wasn’t sure if it was visualizing a wall that did it, or if Armando didn’t care for her rather graphic vision on harming him. The problem was, she didn’t care how he left her head, only that he did, and now she wanted him to leave her home as well. She turned towards him and looked at the door. “Please leave.” 271

“Mandy, hear me out. I….” 272

“I think the Kitten asked you nice to go,” James said, mimicking the way Armando always said her name. 273

“Do not provoke me this evening Jameson. You will not like what….” 274

Mandy put her hand up and screamed out at Armando, cutting him off. “Get out of my damn house and don’t ever come back! There is nothing you have to say that I want to hear, except goodbye!” 275

James laughed and Mandy shot him a nasty look. He shut up, but didn’t stop smiling. He raised his hand in air and waited for Mandy to call on him like he was in grade school. “Right then, I was supposed to tell Armando, if I saw him, that Dmitri said to get his ass down to the club and take care of Elizabeth, she’s bitten two people and threatened at least a half dozen or so.” He looked over at Armando and laughed softly. “That’s a wild one you got there, surprised she let you out of her sight long enough to shag another.” 276

Armando flew at him, but Mandy beat him to the punch. She’d wanted to hit something since the club and James was as good a punching bag as any, so she did. She punched James in the gut and he did her the courtesy of pretending it hurt before taking her hand in his and massaging it. It was a good thing that he did; the pain shooting through her hand put her on the brink of tears. “It’ll be okay, love, I promise.” 277

“She is not your….” Armando started to say, but Mandy twisted around and glared at him. 278

“No, I’m not your anything. Now go do your husbandly duties and get your wife to stop eating the clientele.” 279

~*****~280


Michelle looked on as Dmitri struggled with Elizabeth. She’d already sent him and Mike hurdling over the bar twice, but they kept going back for more. Michelle was guessing that by her strength, Elizabeth was old. Too bad they didn’t have a vampire slayer on call or she would have paid just to see that woman burst into flames. She’d even snap a few photos to share with Mandy over a glass of wine later. 281


Dmitri slid past her on the floor and glanced up at her and she leapt to her feet. The cocky, bad boy smile curved his lips, as he asked, “You doing all right?”282

“Umm, I’m not the one getting my ass kicked by a slutty corpse,” Michelle said, smirking at him. She sat back down. “A slutty girl corpse.” 283

He stood and wiped his pants off. “I’d hardly call this getting my ass kicked…I…umm, don’t want to hurt her, she’s a….” 284

“A bitch. Yeah, we know, go ahead and say it,” Mike said, as he tumbled past Dmitri. A low grunt escaped him as he knocked his head. Michelle heard Jaycee muttering behind them about stupid bartending lycans as she tried to tend bar over the racket of the fight.285

Michelle shook her head and took another sip of her water. They’d been trying to restrain Elizabeth for the greater part of twenty minutes and so far had only managed to break four chairs and chase off half the patrons. 286

Elizabeth laughed from the other side of the bar and Mike glanced down at Michelle. “Tell me that’s vodka.” 287

“Why, need a shot?” she asked, laughing at him as she finished her drink off.
“No, I need the bottle to club that…” 288

“Mike,” Dmitri said, sternly. 289

Mike shrugged and headed back towards Elizabeth. Michelle slowly stood and touched Dmitri’s bruised cheek. “Why don’t you just rip her throat out? You can do that right?” 290

“Yeah, but how the…what…why are you suddenly so violent?” 291

She gently touched his cheek again before planting a tiny kiss on it. “I make exceptions when need be.” 292

He turned and caught her lips with his and let out a throaty growl. “And you think now is a time that exceptions should be made.” 293

“Uh-huh,” Michelle said, running her hand over his broad chest. ‘I think you should kill the bitch.” 294

“I wish it was that easy. To do so could mean killing Armando too. We’ve no idea how linked he still may be to her. She’s his sire and the risk of killing him too is too great and I’m not willing to chance it.” 295

The realization of what he was saying sunk in. “That’s why the two of you look like she’s kicking your backsides. You don’t want to kill her; you just want to keep her busy until….” 296

“ELIZABETH!” Armando shouted from the entrance of the club. 297

“The Calvary has arrived,” Dmitri said. He stroked her cheek and planted a quick kiss on her lips, before walking towards Armando. 298

Michelle saw a flash of dark hair behind Armando and did a double take when she saw that he dragged Mandy by the arm behind him. She looked like she wanted to rip his head off. Michelle sighed, not sure she could blame her.299

300