14. Leia

Chapter 14

I woke slowly, aching, my head thumping, drifting to an awareness I wasn't ready for. I snuggled farther under the comforter, seeking oblivion again, but Nic's arm tightened around my waist like his protection was reflexive, and I relaxed.

He was warm, and he was safe, and memories of him made me tingle. He'd pleasured me last night without asking for anything in return for himself. Helping me forget when I'd asked him to, helping to relax me and take care of me.

My head throbbed again, and I winced. I hadn't even had very much to drink in Vibrer, but I felt like I'd been run over by a truck. I sighed.

"Good morning." Nic pressed a soft kiss to my shoulder, and I shivered at his touch.

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?" He kissed me again, and I leaned back against him, pushing against his warmth.

"Tired. A bit achy. Kind of drained."

"Hmm." He hummed against my skin as he trailed small kisses toward my neck. "Anything I can do to help?"

I wriggled around to face him, sliding my right arm over his waist, and laying my palm over his bare ass. "Your help last night was much appreciated. Can I return the favor?"

He drew away, his eyes narrowing a little as he cast a gaze over me. Then he shook his head. "I think you need breakfast more than I need…" He paused and swallowed. "More than I need…" He shook his head before softly claiming my lips. "Raincheck." Then he drew away. "Breakfast in bed for you, Miss Boucher."

He walked across the room, and I admired the ass I'd just had my hand on.

After he'd finished on his phone, he climbed back in the bed and drew me close again, grinning as he nuzzled his nose against mine. "Baldwin is bringing breakfast up, but we've got a couple of minutes."

I palmed his cock, and he gasped in mock shock, his hand on his chest over his heart.

"I'm horrified that you think I might only need a couple of minutes." He drew my hand away. "Besides, I can't answer the door with a boner."

I giggled and kissed him again. "Okay." Then I snuggled against him and listened to his heartbeat as he stroked his hand over my hair.

When there was a knock on the door, Nic stirred, but I rested my hand on his thigh, and he sighed. "Baldwin, just leave the breakfast out there," he called. Then he looked at me. "I'll grab it in just a second."

I leaned up and kissed him, making it lingering, full of promise.

"Eggs," he murmured.

I kissed him again.

"Bacon."

I gave him a third kiss, and he chuckled quietly.

"Beignets."

I laughed too. "Well, why didn't you say that first?"

He shrugged. "I like your kisses more than I like beignets."

As he walked toward the door to collect breakfast, wrapping a throw blanket around his waist as he went, my heart melted just a little. A man who liked my kisses more than he liked beignets. I could live with that—even though he also liked my blood more than he liked beignets.

"Chef might have gone a bit overboard again," he announced as he approached me with an actual cart, laden with two trays and too many plates to be breakfast simply for me.

"I think he enjoys having someone to feed. A human here in your house."

Nic grimaced a little, then quickly grinned instead. "I know he enjoys having someone appreciate his food."

"Is he still advising Benedict for The Pour House?" I took a bite of beignet, the powdered sugar puffing up around my nose. That first bite of the morning was always the best. "I never want to stop appreciating Chef's food," I mumbled.

"Knowing Chef, his involvement with The Pour House is probably a step beyond advice." Nic settled next to me and dipped his fingertip into some of the powdered sugar on my plate. "But I can guarantee your customers are getting some of the finest food this side of the Mississippi." He licked his finger and shook his head. "Nope. Still prefer your kisses."

I leaned forward and nibbled softly at his lips. "Then it falls to me to sustain you."

His fingers wove through my hair, and he pressed me closer, something akin to desperation present in his grip as he took control of the kiss, sliding his tongue against mine and exploring the inside of my mouth.

He caressed my shoulders, then nudged the comforter lower and cupped my breasts. The throw he was still wearing tented over his sudden arousal, and I reached out to touch him.

His groan reverberated right through me, and he drew away, his chest heaving with each breath. "You're so difficult to resist."

"Then don't…" I lifted an eyebrow, but he grinned and shook his head.

"You need to eat, just like you needed to relax and sleep last night. And I need to let you do that."

"Such a gentleman," I teased, but gratitude almost lost against the irritation inside me, because morning sex sounded pretty fucking good, actually, regardless of what Nic thought I needed. "But I am completely available to meet all your needs, too."

I pushed the blanket from myself in a bold reveal then groaned at a sharp knock at the door.

"Raincheck?" Nic grinned as he tossed a T-shirt toward me and I slipped it on. "It's Aimée," he murmured, and I nodded, knowing better than to ask how he knew.

Vampire hearing, vampire sense of smell. Vampire telepathy for all I knew. Something that gave him a superpower, anyway.

He wandered back to the door, still wrapped in the ridiculous throw, and his muscles bunched and shifted as he moved, although he looked to be giving it extra sway. Then he glanced over his shoulder and grinned. Yeah, definitely extra sway, and it totally worked because my fingers itched to touch him.

He opened the door then opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't get a word out before Aimée barreled past him and came to an abrupt halt when she saw me.

"Oh, thank fuck," she said as she rushed the rest of the way to my side. She grabbed me and squished me into a tight hug, my head against her boobs, while Nic watched, an amused smile playing on his lips.

"I'm going to take a shower." He headed toward the bathroom. "I won't be long."

"I won't leave her side for a moment," Aimée declared as she folded herself up on the comforter beside me.

"Not necessary." I smiled at her before I took another bite of my beignet, my lips still tingling from Nic's kisses.

"Absolutely necessary," she countered. "Fuck, you gave me a scare yesterday, Leia."

I glanced at her and raised my eyebrow. "I gave you a scare? How about the one Valérie gave me?"

Aimée paled. "I am so sorry. I never should have let you be alone. I just thought… I thought I was close enough. I didn't even imagine that a trip to the bathroom… Nic was close, the guys were around, I didn't see any unknown vampires. I didn't think. Valérie was staff." She took a couple of deep breaths. "Nic almost lost you and it was my fault for letting my guard down, and I'm so sorry. I won't even blame him if he exiles me or something."

"Exiles you?" I laughed. "What the hell for? For letting me go to the bathroom alone? I've been doing that for a lot of years now, thanks."

She glanced away. "For nearly getting his true mate killed. His queen."

I ignored the reverence in her voice and waved my hand. "Everyone is so serious. Valérie overplayed her hand and you stopped her." I didn't feel nearly as casual as I sounded, but I couldn't handle too much more vampire guilt from Aimée. "Thank you for being there. I couldn't have fought her off on my own."

The crushing panic threatened to settle in my chest again as memories of struggling under Valérie's weight and strength rushed through my mind, but I pushed it away, focusing instead on the anger that had burned through me later.

"You're too fragile as you are," Aimée chastised me gently as she pulled me into a hug. "We can't let this go on."

I choked out a laugh against her soft, blonde hair. "Short of walking around in a full suit of armor, or with Jason at my heels every second of every day, there's not a whole lot we can do."

She stilled, the seconds drawing out as she said nothing. Then she sighed. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me too." I rubbed her back as a surge of emotion filled my eyes with tears. Shit. I wasn't used to friends and affection, and I especially wasn't used to a friend who felt almost like a sister. "I don't know what I would have done without you," I whispered as I clung tighter to her.

The bathroom door opened and steam billowed out, bringing with it Nic's spicy scent. I relaxed, releasing Aimée and shoving another bite of beignet into my mouth so I didn't gape at Nic by mistake.

He wore more or less the same thing every day, but he seemed to look even more mouthwatering since we'd had sex the first time, like if I got too close, I might accidentally touch him, might accidentally start removing his clothes, might accidentally jump his bones, or something.

His black shirt was still unbuttoned, and it moved as he walked, teasing me with hints of his chest. His black pants were perfectly tailored and clung across his strong thighs and ass. He lifted his hands, his nimble fingers making light work of his buttons as he fastened them, and I followed the movement downward, almost feeling like I had X-ray vision for a moment, as my gaze landed on the front of his pants.

I looked away, but not before a corner of his mouth tilted like he'd read my mind.

"See something you like?" His voice was low, sexy, dangerous with promise, and Aimée covered her face.

"Sister in the room, you guys."

"Well, that's easily remedied, though, Aimée. The door's over there." Nic jerked his head in the direction of the door he'd mentioned then grinned. "But alas, I'm the one who needs to use it." He focused back on me. "I need to go to the club. I need to find out what happened last night, interview my staff at the casino about Valérie and what they know about her motives…"

He trailed off, his face grim, and I shivered. There was probably a lot in his head I didn't want to know. A lot in a vampire's head I never wanted to know.

"I just need to make sure nothing like that ever happens again." Desperation flickered through his gaze then seemed to form a crease between his brows.

"There's an easy way to do that, though, Nic," Aimée said softly, and I held up my hand.

"I don't think I need to know the details." Seeing Aimée behead Valerie had been plenty enough violence for me. I didn't need to find out what sort of violence Nic could enact to ensure my safety going forward.

Nic flashed another grin, this one strained after he frowned at Aimée. "Kyle will handle the details. He usually seems to enjoy those."

He crossed the room and dropped a soft kiss to my forehead as I wound my arms around his neck.

"I'll miss you," I whispered to Nic, and Aimée gave my shoulder a gentle shove.

"But my brother won't watch old British comedy movies with you and laugh at all the right parts, I'm sure. Four Weddings, or Bridget Jones?" She didn't wait for my reply. "Both? I can also offer popcorn."

"Bye. I'll be back as soon as I can." Nic spoke from the door, his voice low before he slipped away.

Aimée shook her head. "I have no idea what you've done to my brother, but I've never seen him like this. Maybe there is something to this true mate shit after all." She gazed at the door for a moment before returning her attention to me. "Right, you go grab a shower and a fresh set of jammies, and we'll head down to the basement. Then we can watch whatever you want, but I'm in the mood for a movie marathon."

I nodded, happy to humor her and her attention. "Sounds good enough to me."

Three hours later, we were sprawled over the luxurious seats Nic had installed in his home theater, and I was surrounded by fast food wrappers from the meal Aimée had insisted Mr. Baldwin sneak in for my lunch.

"Chef doesn't need to know. He provided enough at breakfast to keep you full for the better part of a week, anyway." She'd watched indulgently as I'd eaten bites of burger similar to one Nic had fed me last night.

Both she and Nic seemed to like watching me eat sometimes, which was weird, but not exactly a hardship for me when I spent so much time doing it anyway.

She sighed as the credits rolled on the big screen. "Ready for the next one?"

I nodded, about ready to enter a food coma rather than keep my eyes open to watch another movie. It was so warm and comfortable in here, and Aimée had just dimmed the lights. I tugged a fleecy blanket over me and wriggled to a more comfortable position. Nic had kept me up part of the night after all.

Just as my eyes started to drift closed, my ass vibrated.

"Shit. A phone call." I sighed and reached into my pocket. "'Lo?"

I didn't even crack my eyes open. I was trying to be asleep, dammit.

"Miss Boucher? This is Melody from Cascade Falls Rehabilitation Center."

Well, that had my attention. I sat upright, the movement so fast it should have given me whiplash. "Yes?"

"I'm just calling to find out if you know the current whereabouts of your father, Jean Boucher."

"Yes..." I spoke slowly, like this was a test. "He should currently be with you."

She sighed softly. "I'm afraid I have to inform you that he appears to have left us."

"Left you? What the hell do you mean? How can he just have left?" I gripped my phone tightly.

She sighed again, but it sounded more like sadness than frustration. "No one here is a prisoner, Miss Boucher. People sometimes leave. It's normal for them to return to their families and familiar environments—places where they pick up where they left off before."

I blew out a breath. "But he promised. He made a deal."

Her silence spoke volumes. Dad wasn't the only guy who had made a deal and found himself in her treatment center over the years.

"I know this is probably painful—" she started.

"No. No, you don't. Tell me exactly what you know." My mind raced. "How long has he been missing?"

"He hasn't been to any of his meetings today."

"And did he take his bags when he snuck out in the dead of night?"

Aimée had paused the movie and was watching me. She slipped her own phone from her pocket.

"I can confirm everything is still in his room, Miss Boucher."

My mouth dried. "What the hell? You call to tell me my dad has left your facility, and he randomly left all his shit behind like he was just running out to the store?"

I sensed her shrug. "No one knows where he could be. But this isn't unusual. Like I said, our guests aren't prisoners, and many of them are…quite unstable."

And I could almost guarantee none of her other guests were related to people who'd been abducted by crazy, restaurant-owning vampire princes from New Orleans, too. Dad could be anywhere—not just missing or checked out early. The abducted kind of missing. Fucking drained of blood and lifeless.

"I'll get back to you," I ground out as I tried to stem the rising panic. Then I disconnected the call and met Aimée's wide gaze. "Fuck."