sharp and piquant in taste.
She had to be. He filed that information away for future reference.
“She is going to leave this place.” No other option existed. He would not leave her here. She belonged with him.
“That is not up to you or I, Richard.” Every muscle in his body locked. Something in the way she said his name—as if she captured the entire essence of which he was from his first breath of life to the last drop of blood he tasted. “We do not control her fate. You are here at the sufferance of the Prince of Las Vegas, and he only allowed it because of the terms of his treaty with the casino. He cannot block you forever, but he does not have to allow you access. I suggest you take advantage of the time you have—get to know Kiki—appreciate her for who she really is, unfettered by the chains and burdens of the past. Let her know you beyond the arrogance and expectation.”
Another warning? Another piece of information? He couldn’t move or open his mouth to respond.
Heidi smiled, removing his hand lightly and setting it back on the table. She gave him an almost motherly pat on the cheek. “Sometimes it’s better to look and to listen, when you can’t do anything else.” She walked away. He followed her with his gaze, still parsing the information. She gave him clues—he had no idea why or what her actual endgame was, but she meant to be helpful.
Of course, she didn’t have to vague it up so damn much.
Her voice whispered into his ear as if she still stood right next to him. But he could see her clearly, right near the lip of the stage and ascending disguised stairs toward a curtain that vanished into the back. She paused to look back at him.
He didn’t have to consider it. They fought. They always fought.
She vanished behind the curtain and the force holding him still went with her. He leaned back, sparing a glance at his men, neither of whom seemed to notice anything was wrong. The sound in the room rushed around him—the lights dimmed and behind the curtain, he heard heartbeats.
So why
He still chewed on that thought when the curtain swept upwards and his bride ascended the stage in a floor length black evening gown slit up to reveal both thighs and a plunging collar that emphasized the sweet swell of her breasts. She wore a stand-up-collared cape framing her head and so many diamonds that his eyes burned from the reflection.
Chapter Five
The explosion of movement on stage held Richard captivated. He barely acknowledged the waitress delivering a bottle of blood wine or filling his glass. Kristina danced with verve. She shimmied and shook to the music, riding the crescendos up with leaps, twists and spins. The other dancers writhed in and out, playing a scene of battle—and seduction. The stage smoke and lights gave the illusion of storms and shadows.
One by one, Kristina conquered the other dancers. When she bent her head to take the neck of one, his whole body sizzled in reaction. A sensation not unlike hunger flooded through Richard. The fallen dancer writhed against Kristina’s assault, and despite the provocative nature of the red droplets slipping down her throat—it wasn’t blood.
Amusement curled through him. It was syrup. The sugar tickled his nostrils, but the knowledge hardly detracted from the exotic allure of her tossing her hair back as she lifted her head. A hint of the faux blood turned her lips ruby, but the pitch-black midnight of her eyes—that couldn’t be faked.
Those midnight skies pulled him in, beckoned him to dive into their velvet embrace. Unlike the natural born, the changed always betrayed their nature through their eyes—some turning blood red, but more often like his Kristina’s starry-sky gaze.
Cursed or not, she remained a turned vampire, and her arousing performance awakened the hunger in her blood…or perhaps it was his presence. He rubbed a hand against his jaw. His will wouldn’t allow his fangs to descend—no matter how provocative. But he longed to taste the passion reflected in her gaze—the eagerness, and the energy.
The music changed. The dark and somber threat of the hunters of the night segued into something uplifting. The lighting on the stage changed, blazing brighter and brighter until he was forced to squint. The black clothing slithered off her body and she sparkled.
Diamonds glittered over her skin, shimmering and rainbows danced off the different prisms as the light struck them. Naked, save for the gems, she stood there, arms up, radiant and captivating. The music plummeted and the lights muted, reducing the blinding glare. Kristina looked right at him.
“Diamonds are a vampire’s best friend,” she murmured in a throaty whisper and winked.
The theatre plunged into darkness and breathless silence. Richard rose first, hands coming together in applause, and as the house lights came on, every member of the audience stood, cheering, applauding and wolf whistling. The dancers pranced back out onto the stage, each bowing with grace and playfulness. But the crowd waited for Kristina to stroll back out—he expected her to have draped something over her nudity, but she strutted before the entire assembly, bold, brash and fearless.
They rewarded her with renewed applause and cheers. She bowed twice, waving her hand with a smile so wide and effortless it pulled at his heart.
Happiness cloaked her. Pure, unadulterated happiness. It struck him a physical blow when her gaze found his, and she smiled at him. The pulse of heat, the instantaneous connection sizzled through his veins. She winked and took one last bow, and the curtain dropped.
Show over.
He resumed his seat, finally picking up the glass of wine and draining it in one long swallow. The coppery flavor of the blood slaked some of the hunger her performance aroused, but couldn’t quiet the ever-growing list of questions in his mind.
A flash of movement blossomed into existence across from him. Anton and David whirled as a ruddy skinned creature stared at him with saucer-wide eyes and flicked her tufted ears first toward his men and then to him. Her tail lashed back and forth, agitated like a cat.
Richard held up a hand to halt any action on the part of his guards.
Less than two feet in height, the slender little beast shifted from side to side as though uncertain of whether to sit. She glanced up at Anton and pointed a clawed finger at him. “Go get me a booster seat.”
The vampire stared at her but didn’t move.
“Anton, please get our guest a booster seat.”
“Yes, sir.”
The ragamuffin’s face wrinkled in a frown. “Hmm, kind of rude that he didn’t do it when I asked.”
“You didn’t ask.” He offered the observation with a careful smile. Considering Heidi’s earlier visit, he should have expected the Minion—was that actually her name?—to make an appearance.
“True. But he’s getting it anyway, so I guess I didn’t have to.” She grinned and set a folder on the table in front of her. She hopped up to lean toward the wine bottle, and Richard pulled it away and refilled his own glass.
“Can I have some?”
“Perhaps.” He set the bottle well out of her reach and swirled the wine in his glass. “But I suspect you are not allowed, or you would simply order your own.”
“Hmmph.”
Anton returned with a booster in hand. Richard suppressed a snort of amusement at the vampire’s
