AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 15
Piper
ISHOULD HAVE KNOWNdrinking blood from not one but two vampires in less than a twenty-four-hour period was going to be bad for my sleep. In any other circumstance, I wouldn't have minded. Most of the time, my vampire blood dreams were orgasmic, and I wouldn't say no to that kind of stress relief.
Not today, though.
Today, I wanted a dark nothingness. To my dismay, that's not what I got.
It was interesting to be dreaming of Allister and Marcus, the two vampires I'd taken blood from. Usually, Antoine and Rayne were the ones to donate to me. With Allister causing all kinds of havoc for the family, I didn't particularly want to be dreaming of him. Dreaming of Marcus doing naughty things to the insides of my thighs when we'd only ever kissed was all kinds of awkward.
"I can't," dream me breathed heavily, hands gripping Allister's hands above me as Marcus devoured me from below. "No more. Please."
"Yes," Allister purred in my ear, his smooth-talking tongue causing my skin to peddle with need. "You want more."
Marcus pulled my clit between his fangs, sucking it into his mouth hard and fast. My spine bowed, and I screamed my release.
Jerking up, I opened my eyes to find myself alone in my bed—no Marcus or Allister in sight. Breathing heavily, I waited until my body calmed, but my pulse was still pounding between my legs from my release. God, I hoped no one heard me.
The chances no one heard me screaming were slim to none, and I waited to see who would come running. After about five minutes and no one appearing, I frowned, sliding from my bed. I padded across the room and ducked my head out of the bedroom door. The hallways were empty. I angled my head to the side, listening with my enhanced hearing for some form of life in the house.
The kitchen.
Sniffing the air tentatively, I caught a whiff of apple pie and not just anyone's apple pie but Gretchen's famous melt in your mouth apple pie.
Mouthwatering, I shut the door and hurried into my clothes. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a black V-neck shirt with little cherries all over it. A quick glance at the clock told me I'd been asleep most of the day. It was already three in the afternoon. Which made me wonder where the hell the rest of the household was? Were they sleeping? Or did they try to venture out to find out who was trying to frame Allister?
Shoving my cell phone into my back pocket, I pulled my tennis shoes on and headed for the door. In the hallway, I started towards the servant's stairs when another door opened. Thinking it was one of the guys, I turned a smile on my face. What faced me promptly squashed that smile.
"Jack, I thought you went home already?" I walked toward the lawyer, my mind whirling. Why hadn't Antoine gotten rid of him yet?
He was dressed in his work best, which was unusual for traveling. Even a social visit. What was going on?
Jack's gaze skimmed over my form, a small smile sliding up his face. "Oh, yes. Well, something came up. Your boyfriend? Boss?" He chuckled and shook his head. "Whatever he is to you, has requested my assistance with an issue he was having. So, I decided to stick around for a little while."
My frown only deepened. What the hell was Antoine thinking?
"That's okay, right?" Jack seemed to sense my unease. "Because if it's not, I can call a colleague of mine and have them handle it."
"No, no." I blew out a breath and forced myself to relax. "If Antoine thinks it's fine, then I trust his judgment." Part of the time anyway. "I was just going to head down and see if I could steal some pie from our cook, Gretchen. Do you want to come?"
Jack's smile spread, but he held up his hands. "Sadly, I'll have to pass. I have some papers to go over with Mr. Durand before work hours are over." He paused and tilted his head slightly. It was that boy next door charm kind of face that I'd seen him use several times on prospective clients. Why he was using it on me made me nervous. "Rain check?"
I tried to keep my face neutral as I studied him. "Uh, yeah. Sure. See you."
Watching Jack as he headed toward Antoine's office, I was half tempted to follow him and listen in at the door. Which would have been stupid since Antoine would have sensed me in a heartbeat. Reluctantly, I left it alone and headed for the kitchen. I'd get an explanation eventually, even if it wasn't when I wanted it.
"Ah, there she is." Gretchen greeted me, a motherly grin on her face and flour all over her apron. "I was beginning to think you would sleep all day."
I rounded the kitchen island and hugged the older woman. Her plump figure pressed against me and filled my nose with her scent. Butter and cinnamon. I kind of thought of Gretchen like my own mother or maybe grandmother. I wasn't sure how she'd feel about the latter, so I never mentioned it. My own mother was a piece of work that Antoine had thankfully gotten to leave me alone after a surprise visit. My parents were a lot of things, but loving wasn't one of them. Definitely not domestic like Gretchen.
"Sorry, I had a long night." I released her and moved around the kitchen in search of coffee.
"So I heard," Gretchen mused, arching a brow at me. "You're going to run yourself ragged if you don't take care of yourself."
Once I had my hands on a cup of coffee, I sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter. "Believe me. I'm not doing it on purpose. Everything just keeps piling up on top of each other."
"So I've been told." Gretchen returned to the stove, where she checked the pie in the oven. "From maid to vampire hunter, and now you have this whole business with Master Allister to worry about." She clucked her tongue like a worrying hen. "Not to mention the handsome lawyer sticking his nose about."
