Sips of Blood Part 25

Chapter 42.

Marie's red-stained tongue licked the surface of his p.e.n.i.s in slow, long movements.

"Seems I may have a problem, Wil."

"What is it?" He sighed, delighting in the pleasure she gave him.

"One of my clients has died. And... my name has somehow been mentioned in connection with him. Very embarra.s.sing, as you can imagine. I try very hard to be circ.u.mspect about my business, not only for my client's sake, but also my own. This has forced me to think about going back to Paris sooner than I had expected."

"You're going to leave me."

"No. However, we will have to travel separately, since I'll need you to look after an important... piece of luggage." Marie had found that the most comfortable way for her to travel was in her coffin.

"I can't leave my father."

"Your father has already left you, Wil. He's not coming back. Matter of fact, it's probably better that he not return to us. I mean, given the condition of his brain, he will never be able to function as he once did."

"I can't leave him."

Marie noticed the change in the timbre of his voice. He wanted to pull back from the pa.s.sion in order to find his own integrity. Swiftly she took him fully into her mouth. She took his groan as an indication that she had overcome his moment of guilt.

"Before I leave," she hesitated, licking the tip of his c.o.c.k. "I have someone special that I want to see stopped."

"Stopped? We're not talking murder, are we?"

"Oh fi, he's already dead."

"Are you stopping the burial or cremation?"

"Cremation. I like that. Burial would be useless in his case, but a nice bonfire would work very well."

"I must admit I'm not following you."

"I want you to destroy a coffin, preferably with a body inside it."

"Me? Why me?"

"How unladylike it would be for me to do it. Besides, my granddaughter would never forgive me. I want to be able to look Liliana in the eyes and seem shocked when she tells me."

"Will she be returning to Paris also?"

Marie flicked the switch she held across his p.e.n.i.s.

"My granddaughter's not for you. Actually she's dating some math whiz quite happily." She gazed up into Wil's face. His dark eyes had lost the glisten of sensuality. His face paled from the volume of blood she had syphoned off. "One would think I don't make you happy."

"You remind me of the life I can't escape."

"We're put here for pleasure, Wil. Not to wallow in guilt. There should be no such thing as guilt. We do what is best for ourselves."

"A man who takes a life should not feel guilt?"

"No, Wil." She stretched her body across his, fingering the ropes that bound him to the bed. "Death can be a treasure or a waste, depending on one's ability to control the grim reaper's sleep."

"You mean if I were to kill you--"

Marie laughed. "You couldn't. I'm long past the fear of death. Only my body can be destroyed. My soul is now bound to the earth."

"You mean you're not going to heaven? That's a surprise." He smirked.

"I gave up heaven for pleasure."

"You mean all those saints I learned about in Sunday school missed out big."

She shrugged her naked shoulders. "Everyone has their own idea of pleasure. Mine is to exist forever."

Blood had crusted on his neck. She would have to be careful not to take too much. She needed to make him drink her own blemished blood. He would make a very masculine, sensual vampire once he recognized the strength she could give him.

"Mine is to make up for all those years I ignored my father."

"Your father is beyond any pleasure. He needs to pa.s.s on and return to dust."

"You want him dead?"

"I want you. That is all I can think about."

"And what about me and my happiness?"

"I will make you more than happy. I will share a secret power that I have."

"Is this going to be in a potion made up of mashed frog legs, bats wings, and whatever other witchy brew you can come up with?"

Marie bit down hard on her wrist. Blood bubbled to the surface. She squeezed the break in her flesh to allow the blood to flow freely.

"s.h.i.+t! What the h.e.l.l are you doing?"

"Share my brew now." She brought her wrist up to his lips and he turned his head.

"Only a fool would turn from my gift."

"Hey, I let you nuzzle up and suck some of my blood, but I've never had the desire to lap up anyone else's."

"Never?" She pursed her lips. "Never in a fit of pa.s.sion have you drawn your tongue across a wound you have inflicted? Never in a blur of desire have you bitten down to taste the metallic juice of a lover? Never have you lapped at the remnants of a woman's b.l.o.o.d.y life-giving tissue?" She stared at his profile, seeing the turmoil twitch his flesh while he remained silent. "You have. Sometimes we can't control the sweetest temptations." Slowly she moved her wrist around to his lips. He did not turn away this time, but he did not suck on her flesh. Instead he allowed the blood to flow across his full lips, rivulets moistening the parchness of his flesh.

Gingerly Marie used her other hand to guide the drops of blood between his lips.

"Swallow, my love. Let me seep into your body."

His tongue met her bloodied fingers, licking, savoring the salty sweet taste.

Chapter 43.

Liliana found herself laughing more as her dates with David became more frequent. He startled her darker side into believing that life had not been wasted on her. He touched her gently, and she savored each embrace they shared. Again as she remembered him in a former life, he cautiously approached intimacy, and Liliana slowly recalled the thrill of a pa.s.sionate embrace, the rhythm of united bodies, even though it had never been with him.

David had tanned since first she had met him. His skin had turned from a pale white to a warm earth shade.

"How come you named him Francoise?" asked David as he scratched the rabbit behind its ear.

"I named him after my uncle."

"I can't imagine your uncle being pleased about that."

"Causing pain pleases him."

"I don't understand." David placed the rabbit back into its cage.

"My grandmother and uncle aren't speaking. h.e.l.l, they can't even tolerate the sight of each other." Liliana latched the cage door shut. "Grandmother refuses to say what happened between them, and Uncle implies that Grandmother is overreacting. To what? He won't tell me. Caught in the middle, what the h.e.l.l am I supposed to do?"

"Not allow yourself to be pulled into their feud."

"I try, but I don't like the bitterness between them. They've never been on good terms with each other; however, they used to at least talk."

"Time will help."

"No, David. My gut tells me this is too serious."

"I've never met your grandmother. Is she as much of a terror as your uncle thinks she is?"

"He's spoken of her to you?"

"Yes. Her name was mingled in with some French words that I didn't understand, and I thought it best not to ask for a translation."

Liliana shook her head. Why must she give up a beautiful Sat.u.r.day afternoon to her kin's feud? She took David's soft, firm hand in hers.

"Let's forget about the skeletons in the closet."

"Are there many, and do they bite?"

"Only a few... but they do bite."

David laughed. "Your family is probably no worse than the average."

Liliana stroked his hand with her thumb.

"Come over here and sit down with me, Liliana."

They crossed the yard to a white gazebo. The paint job had been shabby. Globs of bubbles marred the various planks of wood. A vine attempted to cut off their pa.s.sage onto the elevated natural wood stage. Dressed in hot-pink bell-shaped flowers, the vine extended itself from one side of the doorway to the other. David reached out a hand and batted the vine out of their way. As they moved across the wood floor, Liliana could measure the weakness of each board. The bell-shaped flowers surrounding them had a subtle sweet odor. A hint of honey and chlorophyll impinged upon their bodies.

"Why don't we sit on the bench for a while and talk." David swept a hand across the dust that had collected on the oddly-curved bench. "I think the builders were attempting to make a love seat. Obviously they failed."

David sat and drew Liliana down upon his lap.

"Too much the gentleman to have me sit on a dirty bench?"

"Naw, it's just an excuse to get closer to you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her fingers through his hair. His hair seemed fine, baby fine, but there was no thinning. She touched his pale eyebrows and licked each eyelid shut. His nose twitched, causing her to giggle.

"You look just like Francoise when you do that."

"I hope you mean the rabbit, not the uncle."

She giggled and kissed the bridge of his nose.

"A little lower," he said.

She kissed the tip of his nose and then his lips.

Immediately he parted his lips, and Liliana's tongue ventured into his mouth. Gently he sucked and circled her tongue with his.

She felt his right hand slip under the sleeveless denim blouse that she wore--a move Stuart never would have attempted. But then, David's age easily approached thirty; perhaps with maturity Stuart would have become more aggressive. He undid her bra and brought his hand around to cup one of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He weighted her breast and fondled the nipple with one finger.

Foreplay, she thought. Dare she allow both their pa.s.sions to be freed? Could she make love and not draw blood? Liliana knew that pa.s.sion peaked the hunger. Whether it be the pa.s.sion of love or hate, they both awakened the hunger that animal blood, dead blood, could not satisfy completely. She pulled away and heard him moan and whisper her name.

"Lil," she corrected.

David opened his eyes and smiled.

His lips formed the name Lil, but the name remained unheard.

Using his free hand, David cupped the back of her head and pulled her down into another kiss. This time the kiss staggered Liliana's senses. She wanted him. She deserved another chance at love. She wouldn't allow her uncle to continue to cheat her of her flowering youth that he had stolen many years before. With one hand she opened the b.u.t.tons on her blouse. As the material slid down her back, David pulled away to see her blossomed b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She let the bra slip onto his lap. Immediately he suckled at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, pa.s.sionately moving between the two.

Liliana opened the snap on her jeans and permitted his fingers to pull down the zipper.