The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter Thirteen, part one

Jun 16, 2011 19:33

Title: House of the Rising Sun
Fandoms: a cross over between Marvel's X-Men(to some degree) Universe and the Anita Blake Universe
Rating: no one under 18. there will be blood and gore, sex and violence. dirty language and whatever else i feel like tossing in here.
Warning: as i said, sex and violence and dirty words. said sex will include, but not be limited to, M/F, M/M, M/F/F, F/F, M/M/F and probably any other combination i can work out. weak stomach, not my fault. you have been warned.
Disclaimer: i do not own anyone from the Marvel universe. i do not own anyone from the Anita Blake universe. i don't even own Gin. i'm lucky to own myself. i swear i'm not making any money from this. i just do what the sick voices inside my head tell me to. i write purely for my enjoyment. and possibly the comments. please don't sue, harass or bother me. i have no money to pay you, but i do have a really nasty temper. and i know some good cuss words.

Author's Notes: oh, the shit's going down now. big time. fucking wordiness killed me again. damn it.

The House of the Rising Sun: The Index

She watched him lounging against the sheets, his body almost completely at ease. This was one of the only times she ever really saw him this way. It was the softest he ever got, the most relaxed and calm. His blonde hair flowed across the pillows while his blue eyes tracked her every movement. That was something that never changed. Even when he was lying on his back in bed, his eyes were always moving, always seeking and watching. Always a warrior on guard for his master.

He'd come to her almost as soon as he'd risen and they'd spent nearly two hours messing up the bed. The sex was wild and enjoyable, just like it always was. And it was completely without emotional ties or bindings. Just as it had always been.

After a few moments of staring, he sat and she found herself entranced by the way his abs crinkled and rippled as he moved. There was something almost heart stopping about the beautiful way he was formed. She was about to turn away from him and seek out her clothing for the night when his lips tipped up at the corners. Another event that happened so rarely. She found herself caught by the sight. It warmed her all the way to her toes and back again. "Come back to bed, Amanda. We have time before we are required to make our appearance. There is something I have wanted to try with you."

She smiled at him, gave him a knowing look. "Now I know where you got your name. That's totally wicked. And while you haven't got much to put on, you know the dress Jean Claude had made for me for this party takes far too long to put on. Then I have to put the war paint on and do my hair. As much as I would love to climb back into bed with you and do all those wicked things your eyes are promising we'll do, I really have to get ready for this party."

Wicked heaved a sigh, but he slid from the bed and moved shamelessly toward his own party clothes. She paused in gathering her things up to watch him as he stepped into the leather pants of the evening. The legs had cut outs down the sides, showing off a lot of skin. The leather hugged his frame and fit him like a second skin. Amanda was sure she'd be seeing a lot of that tonight. Jean Claude had definite ideas in regards to how he dressed his people for show.

Turning away from him, because if she kept staring at him she'd drag him back to bed, she stepped into the skirt that went with her party dress. It sat at her waist, held in place by a band of elastic, and hugged close to her hips. The bottom hem hit her knees, but only until she was fully dressed. Skirt in place, she brought out the other part and gave it the evil eye. It was going to take work to get into. Wicked's hands gently tugged the garment from her hold. The smile on his face when she looked up matched his name perfectly. "Allow me."

"My own lady's maid. How impressive." She shot him a grin and watched as his fingers made deft work of the busk on the front. In only a couple of seconds, the corset was open, only held together by the ties in the back. One hand holding the silver and black corset, he made a motion for her to turn around and present him with her back. She did so and the garment in his hands came into view around her sides. She lifted her arms over her head as she shot him a look over her shoulder. "I wasn't aware you knew how to put one of those on. I thought you only knew how to take it off."

"There are many things you do not know about me that will no doubt surprise you," he whispered in her ear while his hands began rehooking the busk. It didn't take long for him to close the corset up. Without being told, she made sure to adjust her breasts into a more comfortable position before his fingers began to tug and pull at the laces. It took him a good ten minutes to get the corset properly laced. When he was done, Amanda hooked the skirt to the tabs that hung off the bottom of the corset, giving the skirt a single gather around the center that shortened it. Worn that way, he heavy silver satin skirt had a kind of old time circus feel to it. The final touch was a choker in black satin that Wicked tied around her throat so that the silver sword charm hanging from it was pointed directly at the valley between her breasts.

When he had her fully dressed, she took a minute or two to simply stare at herself in the mirror. The base color of the corset was silver. There was an overlay of black lace in a mock fleur de lis pattern covering the silver, as well as thin scallops of black lace that edged the top of the bust. Black bows decorated the upper curve of the bust line on either side, as well as on the ends of the tabs that bunched the skirt up. Each bow had a small rhinestone in it. Those rhinestones winked and flashed with tiny rainbows when they caught the light.

Wicked went back to his clothes while she took her stockings and shoes over to a chair. The stockings were real silk, with Cuban heels and a seam running up the back of each one. The seams were decorated with a long line of rhinestones, giving her that last bit of flash to snare the eye with. They were thigh high, with a bow resting at the top of the seam. Briefly, Amanda had to wonder where a straight man had gotten so much fashion sense. The shoes were black patent leather, with a platform under the foot and a tall enough heel that she wouldn't get lost in the crowd. After buckling the single strap across the top of her foot to keep the shoes on, she stood and headed for the bathroom to finish her look.

A set of hot rollers went into her hair while she did her make up. Nothing as severe or exaggerated as what she wore when she performed. A pale pink blush gave her cheeks just a hint of color while her eyes were in shimmering shades of grey and silver. Black mascara. Black liner. And lips painted a dark red. By the time she finished with her make up, the rollers in her hair had done their job and she worked at tugging them free carefully. Her hair hung in ringlets and wild curls from the back of her head, secured in place by an elastic band and some bobby pins. The small top had that had come with her dress sat slightly forward and to the side, adorned with silver and black lace to match the rest of her.

Wicked was waiting for her when she left the bathroom. He'd slipped into his shirt, as well as a pair of butter soft leather boots that crawled up his legs to just under his knees. His shirt was silver and silk, with a line of buttons that went up to about mid chest. She took a moment to enjoy the bared expanse of pale flesh before turning toward the mirror one last time to make sure she was completely in order.

Her fingers were playing with the curls when he stepped up behind her. There was heat in his eyes as he stared at her reflection in the mirror. His hands lifted and came to rest on her shoulders, fingers kneading gently to rid her of the thin thread of tension she hadn't been aware of. "You are quite beautiful, Amanda," he whispered against her ear before his mouth dropped down to nibble lightly at the flesh of her neck, just under the edge of the choker. She sighed and tipped her head sideways to give him better access. His hands skated across the bared skin of her clavicles to the where her breast bone was so that his fingers could lightly stroke the gleaming silver sword charm that rested there.

Another sigh left her as his hands crept down slowly, fingers brushing lightly over her skin until they found the spot where her breasts met one another, pressed together by the corset as they were. He trailed them over the swells of her breasts, back and forth and ever downward until they were brushing the lace edging the top of the corset. She wasn't surprised when he managed to work his fingers under the garment despite the fact that it was laced tight enough to cinch her waist in nicely. They found her nipples and tweaked them so hard that she gasped.

"Such a wanton sound, Amanda," he whispered the words, voice filled with dark desire.

"How long until the party starts?"

"Soon enough. But Jean Claude will say nothing if we are late." Her answer was a groan, prompting him to some how lead her over to the bed without ever removing his hands from her corset. He gave her one last squeeze, then drew his hands back and moved them to her back. "Bend over for me, my sweet."

In record time, she found herself bent over the bed with her skirt tossed up over her hips and her panties down around her knees. And Wicked was living up to his name. He was buried inside of her, thrusting hard against her.

Some where in the back of her mind, she wondered briefly if anyone would miss her should she not make it to the party. Wicked was proving amazingly skilled at convincing her it wasn't necessary. Then those thoughts were washed away as pleasure swept over her head and dragged her under.

~*~

The party was in full swing by the time she and Wicked managed to join it. Amanda let her gaze slide around the room, taking note of all the faces while seeking out those that were familiar to her. She found Kimberly and Susan deep in conversation with London and Requiem while Anita stood with Jean Claude. They were talking to someone she didn't recognize. A quick look told her that Asher hadn't arrived yet. Nor had the trio from New Orleans. That was curious.

Almost as soon as they stepped foot into the throng of party goers, Truth joined them. Like his brother, he was wearing skin tight leather pants that had been tucked into knee high boots. His silk shirt was of the same style, but instead of silver, it was in a bronze color that matched his hair almost perfectly. "You look quite stunning this evening, Amanda," Truth commented. She smiled up at him

"Thank you. You look very handsome." She lifted up on tiptoes so that she could press a kiss to his cheek. Her greeting earned her a faint smile. In that moment, the similarities between the brothers was even more apparent. Then she looked at Wicked. "You both do."

"Shall we mingle?" Wicked asked, offering her his arm. Amanda gave an incline of her head and slipped her arm through his. Together, they started forward. Truth shadowed their footsteps, remaining close at hand in order to be close to his brother. Where one went, the other followed. It was something that happened every time they were in public. At first, it had made Amanda uneasy. But she'd gotten used to it with time and Truth had never done anything to frighten her. In fact, she'd grown to like him so much that it felt odd when he wasn't with them in public.

They made their way slowly around the room, stopping to chat with each group of people as they met up with them. They spent a good ten minutes with the men who helped her during her show. The entire time, Wicked's fingers and hands touched her arms or her back, grazing the bare skin on her shoulders and neck. She knew it served two purposes. The first was to tease her and make her want to drag him into a dark corner somewhere for yet another quickie. The second was to let one and all who cared to look that she was his and his alone.

They met the new act, a group of jugglers. But not just any jugglers. Vampire jugglers. She could only imagine what they would juggle during their act. That was something she really wanted to see.

The whole lot of them were really friendly and cheery, and they were totally looking forward to performing at the Circus. Amanda welcomed them and introduced her two shadows. Again, Wicked made sure to stake his claim. This time, it involved a bit of nibbling at her shoulder, which made it hard for her to concentrate when the leader of the jugglers, a vampire with age that called himself Alonzo, was trying to explain to her about the portion of their act when they juggled specially made sets of one hundred pound weights.

They'd made it around to half of the room before Asher finally joined the party. She saw him enter the room out of the corner of her eye and head over to where Jean Claude stood with Anita and Jason. Despite the fact the man could communicate with his master mentally, Asher leaned in and whispered into the other man's ear. He pulled back, then took a few steps back so that he stood to the side and behind the Master of the City. Something was happening. Amanda glanced around and took note of the faces gathered together. Jo and the others hadn't arrived yet. Perhaps Asher was informing the other man of their imminent arrival.

Amanda found that mildly curious.

When the vampires at her side turned to look toward the entrance, Amanda decided to follow their gazes to see what was going on. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that everyone in the room was doing the same thing. The missing trio strolled slowly into the party, Remy's arms hooked through Gin's left and Jo's right. The three of them were striking. As with the rest of the men, Remy wore leather pants and a flowing silk shirt. The trousers had blue accents running down the sides of the legs. The shirt he wore matched his odd eyes, a brilliant crimson that accentuated the hints of auburn in his hair. There was a belt made up of rings, the metal painted a deep blue, that sat low on his hips and dangled down one thigh.

Jo and Gin were in dresses that were actually two pieces of material that were held together by more of the blue rings. The material was satin, a rich and deep onyx that was accented with faint bits of blue. Jo's rings were in front and back, the top done in a halter style while the skirt hung just low enough on her thighs to miss being labeled obscene. Gin's ring was on the right side, under her arm. There was one shoulder to the top while the skirt dipped down into a point on one side. Both girls wore a choker in red and black that tied them to Remy. All three of them wore leather boots. Remy's stopped under his knees. Gin's came up to the middle of her calves while Jo's rose up to swallow her knees and end above them. And all three of them left their hair hanging long to flow around their shoulders.

Even if Remy hadn't been a vampire, something about the three of them would have drawn every eye in the room. They had a kind of presence that screamed at people to look at them. But Amanda knew that the vampires in the room were responding to the power that rolled off of Remy. Off of the three of them together. She'd heard Wicked and Truth discussing the new arrival to Jean Claude's kiss. She knew that Remy, only five years a vampire, had way too much power for his young age. It was the talk of the kiss. No one could explain how such a thing had happened. And that was the one thing everyone wanted to know.

The room held its breath for a minute while the three of them stood and waited. Then the moment was broken when London and Requiem glided forward to greet the trio. Noise began again as conversations picked up where they'd left off and the room went back to normal. Amanda returned her attention to the men with her and once more fell into conversation with Wicked and Truth and Willie and Hannah.

"You look smoking hot, Amanda," Susan said as she and Kimberly sidled up next to her. She turned a smile on the two women and took the moment to study them. Susan was wearing a knee length cocktail dress with wide set shoulder straps that rested right where the arm joined with the shoulder. The neck scooped low in the front and even lower in the back. The material sparkled and flashed as she moved, little stars twinkling in the night sky. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek chignon.

"Thank you. You are quite the seamstress." Amanda grinned at her. Her gaze slid over to Kimberly to find that she was wearing a slinky, floor length number in burnished gold silk. It softened the brown of her eyes and added golden highlights to her hair, worn long with the sides and top pulled back and held in place by a simple gold clip. There was a slight wave to her locks, as if she'd worn it in a loose braid all day long. The dress had straps that went over the shoulders to cross between the shoulder blades. A second set of straps crossed low on the back to show off nearly all of the woman's back. All four sets of straps were embellished with glittering crystals. So was the upper edge of the bust, under and along the sides of the breasts. Even the material on her back just above the curves of her ass was encrusted with crystals. The skirt hung long and straight in the front, while extra material had been gathered and pleated at the back to give it a sense of movement.

"She is. This dress is much too extravagant for me," Kimberly nodded, her hands absently smoothing the shimmering gold material clinging to her thighs.

"And you look fabulous in it, sweetie," Amanda told her. "Seriously, Susan. You've outdone yourself this time."

"You say that every time we have one of these events, Amanda," Susan replied with a laugh.

"Well, that's because its true. You outdo yourself with every event," Kimberly assured her. As a group, the three of them watched the late arrivals mingle with the various groups at the party. There were plenty of smiles and laughs. It seemed like all of them were starting to settle into their new home. Amanda knew from experience that Jo had changed over the past six weeks. There were still occasions when she was a right bitch, but she usually realized what she was doing and apologized. To Amanda, at any rate. The vampires were another matter entirely.

The three of them chatted away at length, discussing everything from the weather to just where Wicked had tried to hide the bite marks this time. There was much teasing and ribbing between them, all of it good natured and friendly. Amanda spent quite a bit of time just talking to her friends while she watched the party go on about her in an absent sort of fashion. Until Jean Claude lifted his hands to bring the entire room to silence. Everyone turned and gave him their attention.

"I wish to thank you all for attending this get together tonight. You have done an excellent job of making Alonzo and his fellow jugglers welcome here at the Circus." The vampires in question each raised a hand and drew all eyes their way. They swept into a gracious bow that smacked of old world charm. When they rose, Jean Claude spoke again. "We hope that you enjoy your new home here. No doubt your act will excite and please everyone who sees it."

Polite applause broke out among the party goers. The room echoed with the rhythmic, staccato sound of clapping for a short time. But it died away as Jean Claude held his hands up again. Amanda felt Wicked step up behind her, his body brushing hers lightly. She leaned into him, letting him know that she enjoyed his presence.

"Everyone knows of ma petite's ongoing search for a pomme de sang. As yet, the search has yielded no one worthy of such a position and so the search continues. Just this evening, we have negotiated an interview with a group of vampires from New York City. They will arrive in a few day's time. This will mean strange vampires in the city. And this means I will require that everyone is on their best behavior while our guests are visiting."

Amanda was sure that last bit was thrown in for Jo's benefit. A glance toward the other woman showed her a pleasantly blank look plastered on her face. It looked like the woman's night had just taken a turn for the worse. Amanda could sympathize with her on that one.

"There will be another party thrown for our new guests, of course. I will expect everyone to attend and be gracious. You will receive details within a day or two. Now, please. Enjoy the rest of the evening. There will be entertainment soon."

With that, the talking erupted again. Amanda could hear the excited murmuring going on around her as Jean Claude's guests speculated on the soon to be arriving delegation of New York vampires. Amanda tried not to think on it. While she had grown accustomed to the vampires in Jean Claude's kiss and had even made friends with many of them, the idea of meeting this group from New York left her cold inside. She still had nightmares sometimes from her run in with the vampires she'd told Jo about a few weeks ago. And new vampires always made her uneasy.

Wicked sensed the change in her and eased closer. "You have no need to fear, Amanda. No harm will come to you when they arrive. This I promise you."

She turned to look up at him. There was a tender smile on his lips that clashed with the fire burning in his eyes. She reached up with one hand and pressed it against his cheek. "Thank you. That makes me feel so much better."

He turned his face so that he could press a kiss to her palm. "You look in need of a drink." His hand settled at the small of her back and urged her forward. She smiled again and let him lead her toward the area where the refreshment tables had been set up. A bartender was on hand to pour her a glass of white wine, which she accepted with a smile and a word of thanks. Then they were making their way toward the hors d'oeuvre table.

She was in the middle of making her selections when she heard the smooth tones of the Cajun vampire. "You okay, cher? You don' act youself. Dere somet'ing wrong?"

"I'm just tired, Remy." The assurance came from Jo. Amanda frowned. She'd been tired earlier and had blamed it on a poor night's sleep. In fact, she'd skipped out on practice early in favor of taking a nap.

"You do look a little pale," Gin commented. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"No. I'm fine. Just tired." There was a hint of snark in Jo's voice. Amanda smiled and reached for a stuffed mushroom. She glanced up in time to see the man give Jo a skeptical look. And she thought he might have let it go, but Asher joined them right that moment, offering a faint smile to both Gin and Remy before turning a real one Jo's way. Amanda saw Remy's eyes narrow speculatively.

"Good evening, cherie." Asher's voice was smooth as honey and filled with a slight warmth that Amanda couldn't remember hearing in it before. "I trust you are enjoying yourself?"

Jo's gaze skittered sideways to look at Remy briefly before she returned Asher's smile with one of her own. "I am. Thank you for asking."

Asher's icy gaze raked up and down her frame, taking in her ensemble slowly before returning his gaze to her face. "As I said last night. You look lovely."

"And you look very handsome." She was right. He did. The shirt he wore was the same color as his hair. Like the other men's shirts, it billowed when he moved. Unlike the other men's shirts, this one buttoned all the way up to his throat. The leather pants clung to his legs and ass like they'd been painted on. Amanda saw the other woman's hand twitch, as if she wanted to reach out and touch him but wasn't sure she should do it. And there was a look in her eyes...

As if only just realizing that they were being watched so closely, Asher inclined his head and stepped back from Jo. "Enjoy the rest of your evening, cherie. I will see you later." He was gone before anyone could say anything else.

"What just happen here?" Remy asked, voice low to keep others from listening in. His words dripped with the heat of anger and Amanda saw Jo actually take a step back from him. He followed, his hand reaching for her. The tips of his fingers snagged on the edge of the choker she wore and pulled. The sound of cloth being rent apart was loud in the sudden silence. There, plain to see against the paleness of her flesh, were fresh fang marks. Remy muttered a curse under his breath. "Dis what you do while we all apart? You forget about me an' Gin? You go off and fuck someone else?"

"Excuse me?" she asked. The shock and confusion were gone, replaced by the anger the woman used to protect herself with.

"How many times you let him bite you? How many times you let him fuck you?"

Jo's eyes narrowed on him. Her voice, when it came, was barely above a whisper. "You son of a bitch! You're going to judge me now? About this?"

"You mine. Or don' you remember?" Remy stepped closer to her until he practically stood over her. She crossed her arms and glared up into his face defiantly. "You got no business fuckin' someone else."

"And where were you, Remy? Where were you when I was stuck here amongst all these strange vampires? What the fuck was I supposed to do? Lock myself away in a convent?"

"You keep you legs shut. Dat what you do."

For all of two seconds, Jo looked stricken by his words. Then the anger washed over it and took the look away. "And what the fuck about you? How many little vampire groupies have you been banging while I've been alone here? How many whores have you had your fangs in?"

"Dat different. Dat..."

"Don't. Don't you dare say that to me. Because we'll both know you're a liar. Just stop right there."

Gin stepped between them, her gaze floating around the room. Amanda knew without looking that everyone was watching the drama unfold. "She's right, Remy. Maybe this is a discussion to be had in privacy."

Remy didn't look at her. "You gon' defend what she do?"

"No. I'm not. But I don't think everyone needs to hear it," Gin replied, her tone firm.

"No. Let them all hear it. Let them all hear how fucking out of control I am," Jo said as she stepped around Gin and into Remy's personal space. "Because gods know its a terrible thing when one of the undead can't control a mere human. Darious tried, you know. He tried and tried."

"You fuck him, too?" Remy asked her. There was a soft gasp and Amanda didn't know if it was Gin or Jo who'd done it.

"Fuck you. Just fuck you. How the hell can you ask me that after everything I went through? After everything I did for you! Go to hell, Remy! I've been on my own for almost two months. And maybe the two of you fit into this fucking fucked up little family we're in, but I don't."

"Jo..." Gin began, but the redhead turned her fury on the other woman.

"No. Don't. I've been trying. I swear I have. But where the fuck do I fit in here?" Jo asked her before turning back to Remy. "What the fuck do you want me to do, Remy? What?"

"My friends, this is not the time or the place." Jean Claude joined them just then, his face blank. He laid a hand on Jo and Remy's shoulders in an attempt to draw their attention his way. Remy didn't react. Jo did. She reached up with her hand and knocked his away.

"Don't fucking touch me. This is all your fucking fault anyway," she snarled at him.

Jean Claude only smiled in the face of her anger. "Shall I have Asher come over to soothe your temper, Jocelyn? No doubt he can accomplish that task easy enough."

She turned to glare at him. "You leave him out of this. I know that you told him to woo me and try to calm me down. I know that you used his weakness against him. You used both of us. That isn't something I'm likely to forget. But convincing him that sleeping with me was the way to go? That's pretty low, even for the likes of you."

"You slept with Asher?" Anita asked the question. Amanda heard Jean Claude sigh and decided she shared his sentiment. If Anita was going get into this argument, things were going to get ugly really fast.

Jo shifted her position so that she could keep the four of them in sight. Amanda was amazed that she hadn't gone off worse than she already had. It said a great deal about how hard the woman was trying. And no doubt all of this had thrown her hard work right out the window. "Not that its any of your business."

Anita stared at the other woman in shock. Amanda wanted to go to Jo's side and speak in her defense, but Wicked's hand closed around her arm and held her back.

"Who the hell do you think you are? You don't just come into a vampire's territory and then fuck someone who belongs to someone else."

"Why not? Isn't that what you do?"

"I'm the one who brought you here. Jean Claude gave you and your friends shelter. We didn't have to do that. We could have left you with Belladonna and her kiss," Anita replied, arms crossed over her chest.

Jo let her gaze skim from one face to another before finally returning to Anita's. There was such a look of hurt in her eyes. It hurt Amanda to see if there. All of her conversations with the other woman had led her to believe that Jo truly loved both Remy and Gin. This fight must feel like a betrayal to her. "I wish you would have."

There was silence a moment. Surprisingly, it was Asher who spoke. Amanda hadn't heard or seen him join the group. "But, cherie, she would have killed you."

"I know." The words came out on a pained whisper, then Jo turned away from them and fled. Remy took a step after her, but Gin's hand on his arm brought him up short. When he looked down into her face, she shook her head.

"Let her be, Rem. She needs time. She'll apologize later, after she's thought things through. It might do you some good to do the same." When Gin turned her gaze to Jean Claude and Anita, her eyes were the grass green of the beast lurking inside of her. "Maybe this will teach you not to play with people's lives."

Amanda watched as Gin tugged Remy away from Jean Claude, Anita and Asher. Anita turned to look at Jean Claude and glared. "You told him to seduce her. I don't remember you telling him to fuck her."

"I told Asher to do whatever was necessary to ensure that she would learn to relax," Jean Claude told her.

"We'll discuss this later, when there's no one around to hear me yell at you," Anita snapped and turned to march off. Jean Claude followed her, obviously intent on trying to soothe her temper. That left Amanda to stare at Asher. He didn't look pleased. She watched as his eyes traveled around the room, landing first on Remy and Gin, then on Jean Claude and Anita. The last place he looked was where Jo had last stood. Then he, too, turned and stalked away from them.

Amanda frowned. What a cluster fuck of epic proportions. Jean Claude's interference had really hurt her friend. And she knew without a doubt that the man would keep on fucking around with people's lives.

Wasn't that what the vampires did, after all?

~*~*~*~*~

The back door slammed open and hit the wall with an echoing crash as a body came barreling through it. He shifted in his car seat and watched as the woman who'd come out the door stomped away from the building. That was a curious development. Last he'd heard, there was a big party happening below the Circus. Why would someone who had obviously been at the gathering be storming away from it? Alone.

It was obvious to him that she'd come from the party. He knew Jean Claude's fashion choices when he saw them. And her outfit screamed of the vampire touch. He watched her as she stalked across the parking lot and out into the night. She was in a rush to be away from the Circus and he knew that she wasn't supposed to be on her own. Shit. Looked like it was time for him to play baby sitter. After scooping up a few things out of the passenger's seat, he slipped from the car and hurried in the direction the woman had gone.

She seemed oblivious to her surroundings as she walked, hands shoved deep into the pockets of the leather jacket she'd thrown on over her party dress. He stayed at a distance but never let her out of his sight. Did her people know she was out here on her own? He doubted it. If they did, chances were good they'd have already dragged her back inside. He probably should have made her go in himself, but the way she'd exploded out of the Circus suggested she was in a fine temper. She probably needed to be alone so she could cool down. Still, wandering around without someone to watch over her wasn't the best idea.

He'd heard things. Things that had brought him back to St. Louis. His contacts had mentioned to him that a group of vampires, a group that stayed off the radar, was moving its way toward St. Louis and Jean Claude's territory. He wasn't sure how good Jean Claude's intel was, which was what had seen him heading to St. Louis and parking his ass outside the Circus. His plan had been to wait the party out, then contact Anita to let her know what it was he'd found out.

That plan had been scrapped by the appearance of a solitary woman with a chip on her shoulder.

Edward sighed softly and let his gaze flit left and right. This wasn't the smartest move anyone associated with Jean Claude could have made. Especially someone who hadn't been officially tagged as one of Jean Claude's people. As with every job he took, he'd done his research. And he knew that the three people he'd helped Anita bring back from New Orleans had mostly been kept isolated. Oh, the male had been given a job in public, but it was still in a place of Jean Claude's choosing. But the women had kind of been kept to themselves. He knew that Gin had been spending time with the shifters. But Jo only left the Circus to go somewhere. With someone. Amanda. Asher. Kimberly... She never went anywhere on her own.

At least, not until now. He watched as she took a turn without thought and shook his head. She was going to get herself killed. She was a virtual stranger in town and there were vampires roaming who didn't belong to Jean Claude. As far as he was concerned, that was a recipe for disaster. Maybe he should have grabbed her before she got off of Circus property, but she probably would have gone for the nuts. He'd dug into the girls' history when he'd done his digging around on the young vampire for Anita. He'd learned a few things about them.

Ginette and Jocelyn had been friends since childhood. Usually, where one went, the other followed. Both girls were smart and accomplished in what they did. But where Gin was the more even tempered and level headed of the two, Jo was the one who was always in trouble. There had been a string of minor arrests to her name, as well as some questionable boyfriends. The last one had been a prick and deserved to have his ass kicked for the things he had done to her. And it would seem her temper had gotten the better of her again.

He pulled from his thoughts to realize, rather sheepishly, that Jo had disappeared on him. How the hell had she done that? She'd been only feet from him moments ago. Muttering a curse under his breath, he paused and tried to listen for the sound of her footsteps against the sidewalk. What he heard was the soft crunch of twigs breaking under the soles of her boots. Shit. She'd gone off the main path. An even worse idea than leaving the Circus on her own.

He listened for a few seconds, long enough to know her general direction, then he darted off the sidewalk and into a copse of trees. His senses were on high alert. Something was off. He wasn't sure what told him that, but he knew to trust it. It was the same thing that had kept him alive all these years as a bounty hunter.

His foot steps were as silent as he could make them as he slipped through the trees. There was a little light to see by shining down from the moon. It helped guide him toward what appeared to be a small clearing in the middle of the trees. He could just see the moonlight shining off the woman's red hair as she stood still. As if she was waiting. Another figure breezed around her and his hand reached automatically for the gun holstered at his waist. He had the gun out and aimed when he came to the edge of the trees. He was ready to fire, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks.

Jo stood in the center of the clearing, carefully keeping an eye on the figure that circled her. His movements, liquid and graceful, marked him as a vampire. And, as yet, neither one of them had done anything spectacular. Which was the confusing part. It was obvious that the vamp was going to attack. His very posture screamed of it. And it was obvious that she was aware of this. But he didn't get why she just stood there and why the vampire hadn't attacked yet.

"You are a tasty morsel. And some stupid fledgling has marked you. Why are you out without protection, morsel?" the vampire asked her.

Jo only smiled at him. "I have plenty of protection."

"But I see no escort." The vampire made a point of looking around. For a moment, it seemed as if the vamp had spied him in the trees. But his eyes went past as they traced the edges of the circle. When they finally returned to her, he gave her a toothy smile that was meant to frighten. To her credit, Jo didn't move an eyelash.

"I don't need an escort. And you don't scare me. I've faced worse than you and survived."

The vampire stepped closer to her and drew a deep breaths into his lungs. Edward could see his nostrils flare from where he stood. The smile that crept across his face was evil. "But I do scare you, morsel. I can smell the fear on you. I must admit, it is a heady aphrodisiac. Will you be this brave while I drink you dry?"

"Try it, dick."

If ever there was a moment that someone needed a swift kick in the ass.

"Such pretty words." The vampire mocked. And it moved. Edward didn't see it dart forward. But, somehow, Jo knew where it was going to be. She ducked at the last moment and put a foot into the vampire's knee. There was a sickening crunch of bone as the heavy sole on her boot destroyed the joint. She might have done okay if the vamp had gone down all the way. It didn't. Instead, it reached down and used its hands to put its knee back into place with another crunching sound. It stared at her, wagging a finger at her in a 'naughty naughty' kind of motion, then a fist flew out and impacted with the girl's cheek.

He watched Jo's head snap back, watched her stagger backward before landing on her ass. The girl's hand went to her boot and came out with a blade that flashed silver in the moonlight. The vampire was already charging her and never bothered to stop. The knife went spinning end over end to thump meatily into the vampire's chest. He stopped cold and stared down at the handle protruding from his flesh. "Poor morsel. Such a valiant effort and you missed. This is not my heart. Your throw was too high. And there will be no next time to get it right."

The vampire pulled the knife from its upper chest, above the heart and below the shoulder, and dropped the blade even as he threw himself at the girl. It happened in a blur. The vamp landed on her, one hand grasping her throat to squeeze off her oxygen while the other grabbed her hair and used it to slam her head back against the ground. She tried to fight it and got another fist for her effort. All of that happened in the time it took Edward to aim his gun and pull the trigger.

The vampire's head exploded when the bullet tore through it. He fired off two more rounds, putting them both through the vamp's heart. The body tumbled limply to the ground, landing beside the girl, who struggled to pull herself upright. Edward was at her side in a minute, his hands pressing her back into a sitting position. "Don't move. You might have a concussion."

"Just what I fucking need," she groaned and settled down. He ran his hand against the back of her head, fingers feeling for any tell tale knots. She hissed when his touch grazed over a small bump. No doubt it would get bigger before the night was out. He took care to check out her throat and her face where the vamp had struck her. A bruise was already forming on her cheek but it didn't look as if he'd bitten her.

"Do you think you can stand? I should get you back to the Circus. No doubt they're wondering where you're at by now." He offered her a hand.

"No." Her tone was adamant. She slapped his hand away and slowly rose to her feet on her own. Edward looked at her and frowned.

"No, they're not looking for you or no, you're not going back?"

"No, I'm not going back." Jo stepped away from him a few paces, staggering ever so slightly, and stopped. She leaned down slowly, her fingers closing around the hilt of the knife she'd thrown at the vampire. He watched as she cleaned the blood from it by stabbing the blade into the ground a couple of times. Then the knife disappeared back into her boot where it had come from. "Thanks for your help."

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked as she limped toward the trees.

"I don't know. I don't care. I'm just going." There was such deep determination in her voice that he couldn't stop the smirk that it brought to life. He didn't want to let her get too far away from him, but he didn't plan on leaving the body behind. Out of his pockets came a small container of lighter fluid. He doused the corpse liberally with the liquid, then struck a single match and set the body on fire. When he looked up, she'd stopped and was watching him silently from near the trees. He stayed long enough to see the corpse burnt away and the fire put out.

He caught up with her on the sidewalk. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and turned to head in the direction she'd been going before her detour. "Jo, you shouldn't be walking around by yourself."

"I'm not going back and you can fuck off if you think you can make me." She wobbled on her feet, forcing Edward to close the distance between them so that he could keep her from going down. She turned a glare up at him. "I'm not going back to those assholes."

"Okay. You're not going back to those assholes. Where are you going?" He managed to bring her to a stop. She was glaring daggers at him. "And why aren't you going back to those assholes?"

She snorted. "Because they're assholes."

"Ah, yes. That answers everything, doesn't it?" He sighed and shook his head at her. "I probably shouldn't do this, but I promise I won't take you back. But I want to know what the hell happened in there that made you leave the safety of the Circus."

"They're all a bunch of dicks." She had no problems getting the words out. Edward glanced up and down the street, then began escorting her across the road toward a diner on the other side that had bright lights shining through the windows. "Jean Claude needs to keep his fucking nose out of other people's business."

He chuckled at that. "That's the nature of a vampire. Best you learn it now if you plan on spending your life around them."

She shot him a foul look. "Well, that vampire has fucked up my relationship with two other vampires. And he fucking uses his best friend. How big a dick can he be?" She fell silent for a few seconds and he thought he might have to prompt her to speak again. But she muttered a few foul words under her breath that questioned Jean Claude's parentage. He held back his chuckle. Her temper might be funny to him but something had obviously set her off. "What kind of man tells his best friend to sleep with a woman so that he can mellow her out? Even worse. What kind of man does just what his friend asks him to do?"

They were close to the diner's door and he stopped so he could look at her. In the light, he saw the bite mark on her throat and frowned. "Are you saying Jean Claude asked Asher to sleep with you? And Asher did?"

"You know what makes it worse?" she reached up and touched her hand to her throat. "I really thought that he wanted to be with me for me. Not because he was told to do it." She pulled away from him and made her way to the door. "And of course Remy found out about it. He accused me of sleeping around on him. I mean... I suppose I did. But he wasn't there. They weren't there. And Asher was so charming and nice to me. Even if he'd been told to do it. I'm so fucking confused..."

That was news. He knew she'd been afraid of the vampires when she and her friends had arrived in St. Louis. But had that fear warranted Jean Claude sacrificing his oldest friend the way he had? No wonder she didn't want to go back. It sounded like everyone was upset with her. "I know Anita's your friend, but she's a bitch. She jumped on me for sleeping with Asher, too. Apparently, I'm not allowed to touch. Anything."

"She doesn't really like to share. You're lucky she didn't shoot you."

Jo stopped at the door and shot him a glare. "Right. Because her temper is so much easier to deal with and far less painful." She put her hand on the handle, ready to step inside. His hand came out and pressed flat against the frame, keeping the door closed. She glared at him.

"What are you doing walking around with throwing knives in your boot?"

"Do I look stupid? There are vampires out there. Its for protection. Sadly, its different throwing a knife at a moving body than at an immobile board. I'm going to have to practice some more, I guess. I could have sworn I had him."

He leveled a look at her. "That's something we're going to talk about. For now, inside. Wait here for me. I'm going to go get my car, then we'll go to my hotel room."

"If you want a blow job, you're going to have to let me nap a little. My ears are ringing." He just looked at her. She heaved a sigh. "Fine. We can fuck but I promise you I won't do anything but lay there."

He was tempted to pinch the bridge of his nose, but that would let he know that she had him confounded and frustrated. Best not let her have the power over him. "You just went a few rounds with a vampire. He clocked you good. I had to shoot him to keep him from ripping your throat out. Perhaps you can be serious. Do you really react to near death situations with sex?"

"No better way to prove to yourself you're alive. Give me a little bit until my head stops spinning and I'll show you how alive I can be." She offered him a smile, then lifted a brow. "Hey. You know how to hunt vampires, right?"

"Yes. I've been doing it for years." That thing that warned him of imminent danger was going off in the back of his head, loud as an air raid siren. He wasn't going to like whatever was coming out of her mouth next.

"Can you teach me how?" One hand reached down to pull the blade from her boot. "I've got Amanda teaching me how to throw knives. And I'm getting good. But I can't always rely on a knife. Maybe if I know how to shoot a gun... Will you teach me?"

He was getting a headache, right there behind his eyes. "We'll talk about this later, when you aren't suffering from the effects of a concussion. For now, inside. Sit in a booth. Drink some coffee or pop. Stay awake until I get my car." He pressed some bills into her hand. "Just stay here and stay out of trouble."

She glanced at the money, then looked up at him. "Easier said than done, dude. Easier said than done."

character: asher, character: jo, character: wicked, character: amanda, character: remy lebeau/gambit, universe: marvel, character: gin, character: kimberly, character: edward, universe: anita blake, character: jean claude, character: susan, character: anita blake, fiction: crossover, subject: fan fiction

Previous post Next post
Up