A Hunger Like No Other (Immortals After Dark #2)(9)
Author: Kresley Cole

And why in the hell would the leeches be in Louisiana? Had they taken over more than just Europe? And if so, what had happened to his clan?

The thought of his clan made him glance up at the vampire, sleeping still as a corpse. If she was supposed to be his mate, she would be his queen and would rule over Lachlain’s kind. Impossible. The clan would rip her to shreds at the first opportunity. The Lykae and vampires were natural-born enemies – had been since the first nebulous chaos of the Lore.

Blood adversaries. That’s why he was impatiently returning his attention to her things – to study an enemy. Not because he was itching with curiosity about the female.

He opened a thin blue passport book and found another likeness with another smile that looked coaxed, then a "medic alert" card listing her medical condition as "sun allergy and extreme photosensitivity."

As he pondered whether the card was a jest, he pulled out a "credit card." He’d seen advertisements for those on the television – he’d probably learned as much from the advertisements as he did from the grim person who sat and divulged news – and he knew they purchased everything.

Lachlain needed everything. He was starting his life over, but his most pressing needs were clothing and transportation away from here. As weak as he was, he didn’t want to remain in a place where the vampires knew she stayed. And until he could sort through everything, he would be forced to take the creature with him. He supposed he needed to figure out a way to keep it alive during their travels.

All those years spent devising ways to kill them, and now he had to figure out how to protect one?

Knowing she would most likely sleep until sunset – and couldn’t escape during the day in any case – he left her to make his way downstairs.

The questioning glances he was sure to receive would be met with an arrogant glare. If he showed his ignorance of the times, he would cover it with a gaze so direct that most people would think they’d misunderstood him. Humans always cowered under that look.

Audacity made kings. And it was time to reclaim his crown.

Though he continually found his thoughts returning to his new prize, Lachlain was able to garner much information during his foray. The first lesson he learned was that whatever kind of card she owned – this black "American Express" – denoted extreme wealth. Not surprising, since the vampires had always been rich.

The second? A concierge in a lavish hotel like this could make your life very easy – if he thought you were a rich, but occasionally confused, eccentric. Who’d had his luggage stolen. Though initially, there had been some hesitation on the man’s part. He’d asked if "Mr. Troy" could provide any identification whatsoever.

Lachlain had inched forward in his seat, staring him down for long moments, his expression balanced between anger at the question and embarrassment for the man for asking. "No.” The answer was casually threatening, succinct, subject-ending.

The man had jumped at the word as he might at an unexpected gun report. Then he’d swallowed and hesitated no more, even at the most bizarre demands. He hadn’t even raised an eyebrow when Lachlain wanted sunset and sunrise charts – or when he wanted to study them as he devoured a twenty-ounce steak.

Within hours, the man had arranged for fine clothing to fit Lachlain’s large frame, transportation, cash, and maps, and had secured reservations for lodging in the coming nights. He supplied every basic essential Lachlain might have needed.

Lachlain had been pleased by what the man considered "essential." One hundred and fifty years ago, humans, with their aversion to bathing, had been an embarrassment to the Lore, who were almost to a species fastidious. Even the ghouls dumped themselves in water more often than nineteenth-century humans. Yet now, cleanliness and the tools requisite to achieve it were essential for them.

If he could get used to the speed with which this time moved, he might begin to enjoy its benefits.

Toward the end of the day, when he’d finally finished all his tasks, he realized he hadn’t lost control or had to fight a rage once in the several hours he’d been away. The Lykae were prone to fits of temper – in fact, they spent many years of their lives learning to control it. Couple that tendency with what he’d been through, and he was shocked that he’d felt only a flare or two of anger. To quiet each one, he’d pictured the vampire sleeping up in his room, in what was now his bed. It was in his possession, to do with as he pleased. The knowledge of that alone helped brace him against his memories.

In fact, now that his mind had cleared somewhat, he wanted to question her. Impatient to return, he considered the elevator. Certainly they’d existed when he’d last walked above ground, though back then they’d been an amenity for the indolent rich. They weren’t now, and using it was expected. He rode it to his floor.

Inside the room, he removed his new jacket, then crossed to the bed to wait for sundown. He studied her at leisure, this creature he’d been deluded enough to mistake as his.

Brushing aside her thick blond curls, he studied her fine-boned face, the high cheekbones and delicately pointed chin. He traced a finger over her pointed ear and it twitched under his touch.

He’d never seen a being like her, and her fey appearance sharply separated her from the seething, towering male vampires with their red eyes. The ones he would exterminate one by one.

And soon he’d be strong enough to do it.

Frowning, he lifted the hand that rested on her chest. Examining it closely, he could barely see a smattering of scars across the back. The web of fine white lines looked like a burn scar, but it didn’t extend to her fingers or past her wrist. She’d been burned as though someone had seized her fingers and held only the back of her hand to a fire – or to the sunlight. And she’d been burned young, before she’d been frozen into her immortality. Typical vampire punishment, no doubt. Vile species.

Before the fury engulfed him again, he allowed his gaze to settle on other parts of her, then dragged the cover from her. She didn’t protest, still soundly asleep.

No, she was not what he had normally been attracted to, but the nightgown he dragged up past her navel and down to her waist revealed those small but plump and perfect br**sts that had fit in his hands, and her hard ni**les that had aroused him so last night.

The back of one finger trailed across her tiny waist, then over the bunched silk and down to her blond sex. He had to admit he liked that and wanted to taste her there.

He was a sick bastard to contemplate these thoughts about a vampire, to find one so attractive. But then, shouldn’t he be allowed some latitude? He hadn’t seen a Lykae female in nearly two centuries. That was the only reason why his mouth watered to kiss her.