Present Tense: Pleasure Times Four (Out of the Fire Book 3) Read online

“The thing is,” the grizzly told her, “nothing quite gets me going like an over-the-knee hand spanking. The feel of bare flesh when my palm smacks into it, the sound, the scents. I’m not likely to spank you to punish you, because I’ll be doing it for fun, and we don’t want any confusion about play versus consequences.”

  “So what is your idea of consequences?”

  “Belt or cane. Eunice will make that decision most of the time, and he usually goes for the cane.”

  While Kelsey hated being belted while it happened, she didn’t mind the way it made her feel when it was over. However, she hated everything about the cane, so she’d do her best to keep out of trouble.

  James both scared her and titillated her, and she ran her palms over the top of her denim-clad thighs.

  “I get to working and I forget things. I lose track of time.” In the previous months, she’d most often received consequences for not making certain she was locked away and safe when the sun rose. Apparently, most vampires always know where the sun is, and they’re constantly making certain they have enough time to get to a secure location before the sun takes them, but Kelsey didn’t get that particular vampire gene. As a human, she’d sometimes worked more than twenty-four hours on a project without eating, drinking, or using the restroom. When reality hit, she’d usually have a horrible headache from dehydration, and she’d be starving, thirsty, and would need to pee. As a vampire, she forgot to feed and forgot to get to her safe space before the sun came up. In her defense, she’d most often worked underground in the Coterie house, just not in her personal suite. She’d preferred the huge library to get lost in her work.

  In this new life, she’d be taken to an office to work, and then would be driven home before sunrise, so that shouldn’t be a problem here. She hoped.

  “Your paperwork was clear that you don’t often break rules on purpose, which I believe was a source of frustration for your previous Master and trainers.”

  “It was.”

  “It won’t be for me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Bears are brought up to be aware of our strength. Doesn’t matter if you meant to hurt the human or not. If you do, the consequences are severe. Intent has zero bearing on punishment.”

  “Oh.” That actually made sense. She’d always protested that she shouldn’t be punished for something she hadn’t meant to do, but when James put it that way, she got it. Her crimes didn’t risk hurting anyone but herself, but her Master had valued her, and he’d taken it personally when he’d found her crumpled over a desk in a lightly-secured area.

  “We’ll figure things out as we go. Aaron got a copy of the packet your old Master sent to Kendra and Marco. I know that isn’t the norm, but Aaron specializes in information gathering. One of the many reasons he recruited you.”

  Right, because moving to this Vampire Master’s territory had only happened because the Dragon King had taken an interest in her hacking abilities. The other Masters who’d agreed to take her on had stipulated she agree to be their sex slave, along with whatever job she was taking.

  But she got it. Taking on the responsibility of a baby vampire is a huge liability. New vampires are kept away from society for decades. She’d proven trustworthy to walk among the humans at six years. Since doing so, she hadn’t had a single incident that attracted the attention of the Slayers or the Concilio. Still, most vampires stayed with their Maker for at least a century, and most often the first three centuries.

  “I’m told Chattanooga has a Slayer assigned. Are things handled differently in the Americas?” she asked.

  “Chattanooga has more power players than most large cities. The Dragon King, the King of the Lions, the Alpha Wolf over the entire Southeastern US, the bear considered to be the most powerful, and who happens to be married to a rabbit more powerful than the Rabbit King...” he shrugged. “There’s more, but you get the idea. The Slayer’s name is Ryan, and he isn’t a bad guy, as far as Slayers go. Helped us during the big battle. He seems to have made it a point to let all of us know he can get to us anytime he wants — shown up in our bedroom, or in some other space we consider safe. He’s not threatening about it, and always has some reason for showing up, but it gets his message across.”

  “If you kill humans, the Slayer kills you.” Every vampire who’d helped teach her control had stressed this to her. If she killed humans, even if she managed to keep it from the other vampires, she would not keep it from the Slayers.

  4

  Fabio showered and put jeans on when Collosa called to let him know they were twenty minutes out. He even blow-dried his hair so it was going in mostly the right direction. It looked fine when he let it dry naturally, but it looked better if he took the time to do it right. His two housemates weren’t interested in feeding their new pet vampire, so he’d get her all to himself.

  He’d seen pictures of her and talked to her over video once — she was a knockout, and she was intelligent. In his experience, too many women were one or the other.

  Marco arrived five minutes before she was due to arrive, and Fabio let him in.

  “Where’s Eunice?” Marco asked.

  “Probably still asleep. He’s fine with her living here, but the fucker isn’t the welcome wagon sort.”

  “Ah. Since he won’t be feeding her, I suppose that’s okay. You’ve fed Strigorii before?”

  “Yeah. Dated a vampire for a few months. Best sex I ever had.” And he’d fed more than his fair share since. He wasn’t stupid about it, but when an opportunity arose, he often took it.

  Marco gave him a steady look. “Kelsey’s a baby vampire, so she won’t know how to regulate her venom with the kind of accuracy older vampires can. Don’t get angry with her if she gets it a little wrong. Give yourself at least two hours after feeding her before you’ll need to drive a vehicle or handle weapons.”

  Fabio nodded. “She warned me she’s still working on it, but said she hasn’t zoned anyone out in a few years. I take it that’s from giving too much venom to kill the pain?”

  “It can be. I’m allowing her into the territory because she’ll be working for Aaron, and because she’ll be supervised by the three of you. If you have any reason to believe she might lose control, it’s imperative I’m immediately notified. The three of you have my private phone number. Normally, I wouldn’t take on a vampire who’s only been turned twelve years.”

  Fabio crossed his arms and gave the vampire a measured look. It was probably a bad idea to call the vampire on his bullshit, but he was going to anyway.

  “You’re gaining one of the top hackers on the planet by letting her in. Aaron Drake is making it easy on you by housing her and giving her a paycheck.”

  “I have access to hackers. Since she’s here, I’ll likely utilize her a few times a year for my most complex needs, but I wouldn’t have brought her here without Drake’s request. With that being said, based on reports from individuals I know and respect, she has the control of a fifty-year-turned vampire, which is impressive. She’s still a baby vampire, though.”

  “Ya’ll don’t consider them grown until they’re a hundred, right?”

  “Most can be considered mature in that general frame, give or take a decade. All but a few are still locked away at a dozen years.”

  Fabio couldn’t help but point out yet another reason Marco likely allowed her in his territory. “Kelsey will probably be a powerful vampire in another three hundred years, so befriending her and giving her a place to grow is a good move politically. Ya’ll think in terms of centuries, not decades.”

  Marco smiled. “This is true. If she’s still alive in three hundred years, she’ll be formidable.”

  Kelsey looked out the window at her first view of this new city she was supposed to call home. She could see what she assumed was the downtown area from a distance. When they left the city, the interstate wound around between a mountain and the Tennessee River for a short time, and then James finally pulled off the interstate. Five minutes late
r, they were driving up a small mountain on a narrow lane, and Kelsey knew they were close because she felt the Master Vampire’s power.

  She felt as if she knew James inside and out, after their drive. Girls talk about having “the night” with a guy. Not a sexual night, but the one where you stay up all night talking. In a way, she felt like she and James had just done that. It felt intimate, even though they’d barely touched and had just met.

  James pulled off onto what she hoped was the driveway, and the Master Vampire’s power was almost overwhelming.

  A few curves in the driveway, and the house finally came into view. A two-story building, and though the lights were on, she couldn’t see inside.

  “You like your privacy, I see.”

  “As I’m sure you discovered, I own the home through a series of corporations. My official address is an apartment building I also own in town.”

  She’d learned that when she’d researched him, but she felt good that he trusted her enough to tell her. “I sense Marco inside,” she told him. “Can we wait to bring the suitcases in once he’s left?” It was chilly, but not cold. Her electronics would be fine.

  “Fabio will be up. He and I can take them in through a different door and put them in your room while you’re with Marco.”

  Kelsey started to protest, but realized James was right — Marco wouldn’t want outsiders to witness the claiming ceremony.

  She opened the door and stood, and her legs nearly gave out on her. She hadn’t realized how weak she’d grown during the drive, and wasn’t certain she had the strength to walk up the steps and into the house. The front door opened, and a gorgeous vampire walked out, down the steps, and to her. Without saying a word, he put his hands on the outside of her shoulders and poured energy into her.

  Tears came to Kelsey’s eyes and flowed down her cheeks. “Thank you, Master.”

  “Not yet, but we’ll get to it.” His lips brushed her cheek and he stood straight again. “Dear, if you ever doubt your strength, think back to this moment. In the first fifty years of my life, I couldn’t have made the trip you just managed without a Master giving me power.” He pulled her into his arms, and she felt as if she were home. The tears continued to flow from her eyes, and she didn’t try to stop them.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Kelsey.”

  Kelsey concentrated on her speech. It was important he knew she could fit in here. “Thank you for accepting me here, Master. I will do my best to be an asset to the coterie.”

  James had come around, and Marco reached out to shake his hand without letting go of Kelsey. “I take it there were no issues?”

  “I think Kelsey’s going to fit in just fine. Also, we reached an agreement on the way up, so I’ll be feeding her along with Fabio.”

  Kelsey noted James didn’t answer Marco’s question. There had been issues — the gun, and her accent. However, James sidestepped the question.

  Another male spoke from behind Kelsey, and she about came out of her skin because she hadn’t heard him or scented him.

  “Damn, I thought I’d have her all to myself. I suppose I can share, but I’m assuming I’m still on the menu for tonight?”

  Kelsey tried to calm her insides, and she turned in Marco’s arms. The man in front of her was shirtless, in jeans that hid nothing, and her mouth watered at the sight of him. He’d been model-beautiful on video, but he was so much more than that in real life. Raw virility. He was so pretty, she’d wondered how Alpha he was. In person, there was nothing to wonder about. This beautiful leopard shifter would never bow to anyone. Well, perhaps the Amakhosi, but she wasn’t even certain about that.

  And then she met his gaze and practically fell into his eyes. They were slightly paler than James’s eyes, but still a striking blue.

  “Fabio. It’s nice to finally meet you.” She was amazed she got the sentence out without sounding like a dork.

  His hair was slightly longer than his shoulders and it was perfect. She couldn’t wait to run her hands over it. Through it. Brush it out of the way to get to his neck. Hair held the scents in beautifully.

  Marco let go of her, and she walked to this new man. He smelled of big cat and alpha male, and she wanted to lick him and then get a good taste of him, but she pushed the need down. It wouldn’t do for her to lose control within the first five minutes. “I look forward to my time with you tonight, upon rising. I’m sorry I can’t give you a definite time. I’m assuming I’ll rise about an hour before the sun sets.”

  “If you gentlemen can take care of our lady’s bags,” Marco told them, “I’d like to take her inside and handle our little ceremony in private.”

  Without waiting for an answer, Marco took her by the hand and walked her inside.

  Before meeting James, Kelsey had expected to live in a mancave, with leather sofas, bare-bones curtains bought at the local big-box store, and large screen televisions on the walls but no art. She’d seen satellite images of the outside of the house, but it was hidden from the street view, and there were no real estate pictures showing the inside.

  Now that she’d met him, the fancy foyer and well decorated living room didn’t surprise her. The furniture was sturdy and well built. Italian renaissance, with lots of tans and creams. A huge pale marble fireplace dominated the classically decorated room. Elaborate lighting fixtures hung over her head, similar but unique, which likely meant they were created by a skilled metals craftsman.

  And not a television in sight.

  Marco walked to an upholstered chair with elaborate carved wooden arms and legs, and he sat.

  Kelsey knew what was expected, and she walked to him and kneeled before him. She’d long ago memorized the words, and the first sentence spilled from her mouth as if it were instinct.

  “I come to you a lone vampire, Masterless, pleading to be taken in from the cold, to the cold.”

  All sounds around her stopped, meaning he’d put a dome around them to be certain the ceremony stayed private. Marco responded to her entreaties and supplications as the customs demanded. He put drops of his blood on her forehead, eyes, nostrils, tongue, and ears, and he spliced her left nipple and drank a few drops to seal her words when she promised her fealty to him even when she was strong enough to break their bond without help, and that these vows she’d made on this night would hold until he or his successor released her from them.

  Usually, a Master vampire engages in sex after the ceremony, but instead, he lifted her from the floor, sat her in his lap, and wrapped his arms around her as a father would, rather than a lover.

  “I’m on a tight schedule on this night. I regret I can’t spend more time with you, but I look forward to doing so in the near future. Aaron Drake has a phone for you, and my contact information will be in it.”

  His voice sounded in her head. I prefer a text to make certain I can speak telepathically, but in an emergency, you may knock, as we did before cellphones.

  Thank you, Master.

  She walked him out onto the front porch and watched him walk into the woods. Thirty seconds later, his energy signature was gone.

  The other men weren’t outside, and she wasn’t certain what to do or where to go. She turned back to the door, and it was locked.

  Her heart raced, and she suddenly heard the heartbeats of dozens of animals in the forest surrounding the house. Logic told her they were probably small animals indigenous here, but panic took hold of her, took her over, and she beat on the door.

  Twenty seconds later, the door was yanked open by a pissed off male who smelled of ferret, or mink, but she quickly placed him as Eunice, which meant she scented mongoose.

  “What the fuck is your problem!?” He glared at her with startlingly blue eyes, but these weren’t sexy. Electric blue. Furious.

  She looked down to see he slept naked and had answered the door without getting dressed. He had a gun in one hand, the door in the other, and he looked angry as a wet cat.

  She breathed in and smelled the gun, the explosives in
the bullets, and terror clawed at her heart.

  Kelsey didn’t know what to do. Running into the woods didn’t seem a good idea with all of those heartbeats out there, but she was terrified of the beast in front of her.

  She vaulted over the porch’s rail, landed on the ground below, and snugged up in the corner between concrete and mountain stone.

  “Shit. Fuck.” The mongoose walked onto the porch and looked down at her from above.

  “You’re Kelsey?”

  She opened her mouth to answer, but couldn’t get her voice to work.

  “What the hell, Eunice?”

  She recognized James’s voice, but stayed in her dark little corner.

  “I don’t know. She knocked on the door like something was after her, and then jumped off the porch when I opened the damned door!”

  James landed on the ground in front of her and went to his knees. “Hey there, did the asshole scare you? I’d like to tell you he’s mostly bark and not much bite, but you’d know I was lying. Still, so long as you behave, you’ll be safe with him. C’mon, I’ll introduce you.”

  He offered his hand, she took it, and they stood together.

  “Ya’ll must think I’m the most pathetic vampire ever.”

  In a deadpan voice, James said, “Eunice, this is Kelsey. Kelsey, Eunice.” He turned to her and went back to a conversational tone. “Let’s get you settled into your room and show you the mechanism for your daytime resting compartment.”

  Fancy vampire lairs have fire, smoke, and motion detectors, and will dump you from your bed into a fireproof compartment if one of the sensors is tripped. The less expensive option is a nice flammable room with a fireproof compartment in the wall or floor. Vampires never want to be where fire or vampire killer can get to them while they’re dead to the world and defenseless. Her room here would have a hidey-hole for her to go into.

  She breathed a little easier when the scary mongoose shifter went back inside, but if James had let go of her hand, it was likely she’d have stayed at the foot of the stairs and wouldn’t have gone up with him.