Muttering to himself, he snatched up his phone with the hand not hooked up to the IV and pressed the button to answer the call as he placed the phone at his ear.
"Lucian wants a report on how Holly's training is going," was the greeting.
"And good morning to you too," Justin growled, silently calculating the time difference in his head. It was just after 10 A.M. back in Toronto. Mortimer would normally be sleeping at this hour. "What are you doing up?"
"Working," was the grim answer, and then he added pointedly, "We're really shorthanded here, Bricker."
"I know," Justin said on a sigh. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be sorry," Mortimer said. "It's not like it's your fault. But I'll be glad when you're back. You are coming back, aren't you?"
Justin considered the question. He really didn't know the answer. If he managed to convince Holly to be his life mate . . . well, he didn't know if he would be able to convince her to move to Canada. She was from here, as were both their families. But if he failed at claiming Holly as his life mate, he supposed going back to Canada to work was better than hanging around here in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her.
Running a hand through his hair he admitted, "I don't know, Mortimer."
"I was afraid you'd say that." The other man sighed down the line, cleared his throat and then said, "So a progress report for Lucian?"
"Good," Justin said quietly. "She's pretty much learned everything she needs to. I've taught her all the important laws and she can bring on and retract her fangs. She can also read minds and tonight we're going to a club to teach her to control minds and feed."
"So you're nearly done," Mortimer said thoughtfully. "And the wooing?"
Justin's mouth tightened, but he wasn't surprised at the question. Mortimer wasn't just his supervisor, he'd been a Rogue Hunter before being promoted and had been his partner on patrol. They were also friends. Finally, he simply said, "She's married."
"Yeah, but surely now that she can read minds it will cause trouble with the marriage," Mortimer said quietly. "Do you think--?"
"I don't know," Justin interrupted unhappily. "I just don't know, Mortimer. She's receptive in the shared dreams, but the woman is as stubborn as hell. She's definitely determined to stay married when she's awake."
"She's responsive in the dreams though?" Mortimer asked, and Justin could hear the frown in his voice.
"Yeah. Very," he assured him. "A wildcat."
There was silence for a minute and then Mortimer asked, "Does she know the dreams are shared?"
"What?" he asked with surprise.
"Have you explained about shared dreams? Or does she just think she's having them herself?" Mortimer explained. "Because it doesn't make sense that she'd be so receptive, as you put it, in the dreams but so determined when awake. I mean I'd think she'd be a little resistant in the dreams too if she knew she was sharing them with you."
Justin stilled, trying to recall if he'd explained about shared dreams to her. He was pretty sure he hadn't. In fact, the thought now of doing so was rather alarming. If he explained about them to her and she did become resistant . . . he'd lose the only part of her he had.
"No, I don't think she knows that," Justin admitted quietly.
"It might help if you told her they were shared, Bricker," Mortimer said quietly.
"Or she might start resisting me in the dreams too," he pointed out.
"She might," he acknowledged. "But she will also have to reexamine herself and her feelings and acknowledge that she's attracted to you at least. Then, when the marriage fails . . ."
"If the marriage fails," Justin said grimly.
"Just think about it," Mortimer suggested.
"Yeah," he muttered.
They talked for a few more minutes, with Mortimer updating him on what was going on back in Canada, and then ended the call. Justin stared at his phone for several minutes before setting it down. He then grabbed the bottle of water, opened it, and quickly drank half. If the next couple hours went as it usually did when he shared dreams with Holly, he was going to need the liquid.
Smiling faintly at the thought, Justin reached up to remove the clamp from the IV bag to allow the liquid to start to flow. He then got carefully back under the covers, already thinking about where he should take Holly in their shared dream this time.
Fifteen
"God, it's loud in here," Holly complained, her gaze sliding over the dance floor. It hadn't seemed this loud in her dream . . . or maybe it had been and she just didn't recall because she'd had so many other dreams since that first night.
A tap on her arm drew her attention and she glanced around to see Justin gesturing for her to follow as he led the way to an open table. She fell into step behind him, glancing over her shoulder to be sure the others were following as well and smiled faintly at the size difference between the petite Gia and the two mammoth men behind her. She didn't think she'd ever get used to how big Dante and Tomasso were. Honestly, she'd never met anyone as big as the twins, but then not many archaeologists were into body building.
"Drink?" Justin asked, leaning his mouth to her ear as she sat down.
Holly nodded, and then turned to say, "Just a Coke."
There seemed little use to drinking alcohol. Apparently she couldn't get a buzz anymore. Not that she'd drank to that point much while she was mortal anyway. She'd had a few memorable nights while attending the University of British Columbia, but not more than a handful. She wasn't much of a drinker.
She watched Justin wave a waitress to their table, then turned to peer at the dance floor.
"Want to dance?" Gia asked, and Holly turned to her with surprise, not because of the suggestion, but because she'd heard her so clearly. She understood why when Gia said, "I'll dance with you," without moving her lips at all. She hadn't spoken the question, trying to be heard over the loud crowd, she'd thought her question at her. Justin probably hadn't done it because he couldn't read her mind nor she his.
Holly nodded in response to Gia's suggestion and stood when the other woman did, then followed her out to the dance floor. She didn't know if Gia made some signal or simply sent the thought to Justin to let him know where they were going, but she must have done so because Justin didn't stop her to ask where they were headed.
Dancing was something Holly loved to do. There was just something about moving her body to the primal beat that made her feel free, and sexy. It was also one of the things she'd missed most about the way she'd grown up. There had been no high school dances or nights out clubbing with a fake ID while growing up.
"Make that guy come and dance with us."
Holly heard Gia's words in her head and followed the woman's gesture to a blond guy in a white dress shirt and jeans. He was good looking, and was dancing with a young pretty brunette in a skimpy dress. Hoping she wasn't going to cause problems in a relationship, Holly slipped into the man's thoughts.
They weren't in a relationship, she read as she took control and made the guy think he wanted to come dance with her and Gia. She could have just made him walk over to them without adding the thought that he wanted to, but his movements would have been wooden and possibly noticeable to the others dancing around them. This way, he sort of danced his way over to offer them both a wide, interested smile, looking for all the world as if it had been his idea.
The moment he reached them, Gia turned and concentrated on the DJ in his glass box and within seconds the loud, fast music that had been playing faded away to be replaced by a slow, sexy beat.
"Dance with him." Gia's voice sounded in her head and Holly concentrated on making the blond take her in his arms. It wasn't that hard. She barely had to put the thought in. She could read that he was attracted to her and the knowledge made her feel sexy and powerful as she slid her arms around his neck and pressed against him.
"Feed," Gia encouraged, and Holly glanced to her with alarm over the man's shoulder. While she had controlled several delivery men last night, making
them clap their hands, jump up and down, and even do little dances, she hadn't fed off of any of them.
Despite saying she would practice that skill with the delivery men, in the end, Gia hadn't suggested she try it and Holly certainly hadn't volunteered. In truth, she was afraid to feed off of anyone. What if she lost control of their minds and they became aware of what she was doing mid bite? Or what if she took too much blood and harmed or even killed someone? Those same worries were in her mind now, along with the concern that they were in the middle of the dance floor where anyone might see.
"It's dark and no one is paying attention," Gia assured her. "Remember to stay in his thoughts. Find his vein with your lips and tongue. It's hard to explain, but you'll know when you find it. Then count out slowly to thirty as you feed. Stop after thirty and he should be fine," Gia instructed. "You can always feed off of more than one person if the need arises."
Holly bit her lip and glanced to the blond man's neck. He was holding her terribly close, his head bowed next to hers, leaving his neck exposed at a level she could reach. She peered at the unmarred skin for a moment and then leaned her face toward him and merely rested her lips against his throat, trying to find the vein before letting her teeth out.
"Mmmm," her dance partner murmured by her ear in reaction. His hands then dropped to slide over her behind to squeeze her cheeks and lift her slightly, urging her snugly against him.
Ignoring that, Holly concentrated on trying to find the vein, allowing her tongue to lightly trace the skin of his neck.
"You don't want him to feel pain and you'll experience pleasure when you bite him. Let him feel your pleasure to cover the pain. But give him the thought that you're just kissing his neck or giving him a hickey or something as you do," Gia's words came into her head unimpeded just as Holly found the vein. As Gia had said, it was hard to describe how she knew it was the right spot, but she did. Still she hesitated another moment, afraid to mess this up and have the guy start screaming his head off and shoving her away.
"I'm right here," Gia reassured her. "I'll control him if anything goes wrong."
Right, Holly thought, then took a deep breath and let her fangs slide out to pierce his skin. She gasped in surprise as pleasure slid through her, tingling along her tongue and through her body. But then she felt the man holding her stiffen and she quickly tried to transfer her pleasure to him as well. When he shifted so that one of his legs was between both of hers and he ground himself against her hip while rubbing his thigh against her core to the slow beat, she knew she'd succeeded and turned her attention to counting to thirty. It was amazing how long it could take to count to thirty slowly. But the amount of pleasure she felt at feeding off a mortal was even more amazing. Holly had never felt this reaction to bagged blood being popped to her teeth. With that there was just a sort of relief and she could only think the nanos caused this response to make feeding off of mortals more appealing than it otherwise would be. And it was appealing. She could have gone on for hours sucking at his neck while he held her in his warm embrace, their bodies moving together, but Holly was worried enough about hurting him that she stopped the minute she reached thirty.
"Oh, baby, don't stop," her dance partner moaned, turning his head to try to claim her lips.
"Send him away," Gia said with amusement when Holly twisted her head away and began to struggle in an effort to get out of his hold.
She'd forgotten she could control him, that she was, in fact, still inside his thoughts, Holly realized. Feeling stupid, she quickly put the suggestion in his thoughts that he wanted a drink. Something with orange juice, she added, just in case, and sent him on the way to the bar.
"Remove yourself from his thoughts and put in an explanation for the marks on his neck," Gia instructed, and Holly followed the man with her eyes as she slid back into his thoughts to remove herself from his memory. She paused there though and glanced to Gia wondering just what kind of explanation she could put in his mind for the puncture wounds on his neck.
"An accident with a barbecue fork?" Gia suggested with a laugh.
Holly shook her head, but couldn't come up with anything better, so quickly slipped the idea into the man's mind and then withdrew from his thoughts.
"Splendido, piccola!" Gia congratulated, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her into a hug. "Very good. Superbo! I'm so proud!"
Holly laughed with relief and hugged her back, but then pulled back and said, "It was much nicer than bagged blood."
"Si," Gia agreed with a smile, but then her expression turned serious and she added somberly, "But remember, we feed like this only in emergencies."
"And in training," Holly put in.
"Si," Gia agreed. "But if you do it at any other time you will be punished."
"What's the punishment?" Holly asked curiously.
"Death," Gia answered. "Feeding off mortals is risky. It raises the likelihood of our existence being discovered. It is not allowed except in emergencies . . . and training."
"Right," Holly breathed. Blood bags were suddenly looking more attractive.
"Again," Gia said now. "We must find you another to practice on."
"Your fangs are showing."
Justin glanced to Dante with a start, and then became aware that he was snarling, and his fangs were indeed out. Forcing them back in, he snapped his mouth closed and took a deep breath as his gaze shifted back to the dance floor where Holly seemed to be dry humping every mortal in the place as she fed on them. That was an exaggeration, he acknowledged. She'd only fed on four so far, and on a sensible level, he knew a certain amount of contact happened when you fed, but that didn't make it any easier to watch.
She was dancing with a girl now, her face buried in the woman's throat while the woman moaned and ran her hands up and down her back. Gia was an equal opportunity picker it seemed, since he was quite sure the other woman was the one who had pointed out each of Holly's targets. Justin had wanted to tear into the two men, and even the women Holly had fed on. He would have thought he'd enjoy seeing her with another girl at least. He'd certainly enjoyed threesomes in the past, but not with Holly. She was his. He didn't want anyone touching her that way.
"More than a couple of the donor hosts Gia picked were a little the worse for wear, it seems," Dante said suddenly and Justin narrowed his eyes as he noted the way Holly stumbled as she stepped back from her latest donor. Drinking from a drunk donor resulted in a drunk immortal, if only temporarily. The nanos would clean it out of her system quicker than the mortal would sober up. Even so, it was as dangerous for her to be feeding in this shape as it would be to drive.
He'd barely had the thought when a mammoth of a man almost as big as Dante and Tomasso approached the girls. Justin expected Gia to send the fellow on his way, so was surprised when Holly turned wide-eyed to the woman and then back to the man, her mouth making a round O. She then slid into the man's arms, looking like a sylph stepping into King Kong's embrace. When she slid her arms around his neck and tugged him down and still couldn't reach even the vicinity of his neck, Justin almost smiled. But he immediately lost that urge when she slid from his arms and started away, crooking her finger at him to follow.
Justin recognized that gesture from the first night they'd shared dreams . . . and she was heading for the bathrooms, or at least the hallway to the bathrooms. Amusement turning into the green dragon that was jealousy, Justin lunged out of his seat and hurried after them.
Holly led her latest donor off the dance floor, down the hallway with the bathrooms and past both doors to one marked employees only. She expected it to be an office or a broom closet, but it was a third bathroom she found when she pushed through the door. She'd expected to have to use her new skills to control whatever employee was inside and send them out, but the room was empty. Smiling at that fact, she paused and turned to face her donor.
"Pick me up." Holly hadn't meant to say the words aloud. She'd intended to slip them into his brain, but she did both. That or the man was
just happy to do as she requested. Moving forward, he clasped her by the waist and lifted her until she was at face level.
"Closer," she mumbled, unable to reach his neck from where he held her. She put the image of what she wanted into his head and then sighed with relief when he pulled her close, one arm under her behind and the other around her back, cradling her against his huge body so that she could reach his neck.
"Thank you," she muttered, and then took a moment to concentrate on his thoughts, sinking herself into them as she bent her head forward to run her mouth over his neck. She'd barely started when her eyes popped open in surprise as her back suddenly slammed into the tile bathroom wall. A quick check of his thoughts told her he was just a little unsteady on his feet and was using the wall to help him stay upright.
Relaxing, she wrapped her legs around his waist--well, more like his chest, God the guy was huge--and turned her attention back to his neck until she found the vein. She'd just sunk her fangs in when the door to the room opened.
Opening her eyes, she spotted Justin and hesitated. He looked pretty grim, like she was doing something wrong. She frowned around King Kong's throat as she tried to recall where she'd been with her thirty count, and then sighed with exasperation and retracted her fangs from King Kong's neck and made him put her down.
Once she was back on her feet, Holly sent King Kong out of the bathroom and on his way with no memory of what had happened.
The silence that fell in the room once the door had closed was rife with tension and Holly peered uncertainly at Justin. "Is something wrong?"
Justin smiled suddenly, the tension sliding out of his body. "Yes, actually," he murmured, moving closer and reaching toward her head. "You looked better in that outfit with your hair down."
Holly glanced down at the black leather vest and mini skirt she'd borrowed from Gia. It's what she'd worn that first night in the dream at the nightclub. Only then she'd had on Gia's thigh-high black leather boots too. Holly had foregone those for flat sandals tonight only because she liked to dance and her feet would have been aching like crazy in five minutes of trying to dance in them.
"And with the boots," Justin added. "Those boots were sexy as hell."