The Beast 4: Soul Tripping Page 8

  Nathan’s fingers slid around to his anus, sliding over the puckered muscle while he swallowed hard, undulating his throat against the head of Gui’s cock.

  Guillermo moaned and a small amount of water seeped into his mouth. He pushed his tongue down, forcing it out. Sliding his fangs down, he ran his sharp teeth along the edges of the veined shaft. He was met with an electric pop against the back of his throat, causing him to jerk his hips forward, and they rolled, locked onto each other. Nathan broke free and swam to the surface, Guillermo coming up in front of him. “Is there something wrong, amante?”

  Nathan grabbed him, mashing his lips against Gui’s, working his tongue into his mouth, feeding at him with voracity, shoving his passion down Guillermo’s throat.

  Wrapping his legs around Nathan’s waist, Guillermo gave back everything he was getting and their tongues met in a brutal match. Nathan shoved his back against the side of the pool. “I want to fuck you. Here. Now.”

  “Then do it,” Guillermo said, reaching down and grabbing Nathan’s cock beneath him and guiding it to the opening of his channel.

  “But, we don’t have any lubricant --”

  Guillermo cut his words off with a finger to his lips. “I do not need it.”

  “I don’t want to hurt you.” Nathan’s voice, hoarse and raw, betrayed his desperation to be inside his lover.

  “I do not want to wait.” Guillermo pushed down, taking the head of Nathan’s cock into himself, feeling the sweet pressure of friction as the shaft pushed past the first ring of muscle. “Besides, I like a little pain.”

  Without further protest, Nathan splayed his fingers across Guillermo’s ass and pulled him down, slowly, inching his way.

  “All the way,” Guillermo told him, wanting to be filled, needing it as much as Nathan. “Take me hard, amor. Like you mean it.”

  Nathan shoved himself the rest of the way in, then withdrew slightly, and thrust again. Guillermo cried out as his lover impaled him over and over, the friction adding to the pressure and the pleasure building in his body. Nathan captured his lower lip into his mouth, suckling the soft skin, scraping his teeth against the sensitive tissue. He could feel Nathan growing harder inside him and his balls tightened at the sensation.

  “Harder, faster,” he panted in Spanish, and Nathan obliged, pumping his hips against Guillermo’s buttocks as the water agitated in a frenzy around them.

  “Oh, God, I’m going to come.” Nathan groaned. “Fuck. Oh Fuck!”

  Gui felt the electricity run along Nathan’s skin, stronger than he’d ever felt it, making his body feel tingly all over.

  “Ah!” Nathan called out as he thrust hard one last time. His back went rigid then shook forward as he lit up the pool with his orgasm like someone dropping a hair dryer into the bathtub. When the shock jolted through Guillermo, he came as his body jerked and twitched at the currents running through him. His mouth opened to cry out, but no sound came out and he collapsed into complete darkness.

  * * *

  “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit,” Nathan mumbled. He’d pulled Guillermo out of the pool and had him on the side. “What have I done? Oh, my God. Gui?” He slapped the master vampire’s face. “Gui! Talk to me. Come on, wake up. I know you can.”

  If it hadn’t been for the strong heartbeat, which had already lasted more than five minutes, Nathan would have sworn he’d killed him. “Come on, please. Please wake up.”

  Even though he was used to throwing off sparks of electricity when he came, he’d never expected that he’d create enough power to knock Guillermo out, let alone short-circuit all the lights in the pool.

  “Guillermo Perez! Wake up!”

  Gui’s eyelids fluttered and Nathan nearly wept with joy. “Madre?”

  “No, not your mother. It’s Nathan. You know, the guy who just nearly put you into a coma.”

  Guillermo looked confused for a moment, then rubbed his eyes. “Nathaniel? I saw…” Pain clouded his face. “I saw my mother, exactly how she looked when I was un chico pequeño, a small boy.”

  “I’m sorry. So sorry. God, you had me scared.” Nathan stood up and paced. “We are not doing that again, not in water. Shit, I thought I’d lost you. I didn’t think you were going to wake up.” He could hear Gui’s heartbeat finally begin to fade. “Do you realize that you were pumping blood for nearly…” he looked at his watch, “…six minutes now?”

  “Really?” The pained expression was gone and replaced with curiosity. “How peculiar.”

  “You can say that again.”

  “How peculiar,” Guillermo teased. “It’s late, or early as the case may be. Let us retire to our room for the night.”

  “Okay.” Nathan saw a mischievous expression cross Guillermo’s face. “No. Don’t even think about it. We are not having sex again.”

  The dark brown eyes widened. “Never?”

  “You’re incorrigible. No, not never. Just not tonight. I don’t think my heart, or yours, could take it.”

  Guillermo held out a hand, and Nathan helped him to his feet. “You are a hard man, amante,” he said, looking down at Nathan’s cock.

  Much to Nathan’s dismay, he was growing hard again.

  “It is one of the things I like about you.”

  “I mean it.” Traitor! his mind called out to his stubborn dick. “Not tonight.”

  “Fine, fine. As you say.”

  Nathan had had enough for one day, with the premature labor, the BOT, and now this. He was going to bed, and he would stay there until his soul, at least one of them, left for the day.

  Chapter 11

  The little girl with cinnamon brown hair crawled into his lap, while Nathan sat in a leather chair enjoying the roaring flames licking from the fireplace. “What are you doing here?”

  She giggled and kissed his cheek. “Daddy. It’s time to wake up now.”

  Nathan jerked, his eyes flying wide open. He felt down his chest. “I’m in bed. In bed. Just a dream,” he mumbled. Turning his head, he looked at his watch on the nightstand. It was six thirty and the sun wouldn’t be down for another hour. “Oh shit. Not again.”

  Four days had passed without incident, without any dreams, and without any early waking. The house was completely furnished and everything had been good. Really good. So why now? He sat up and put his feet on the floor. Excited noises drifted from the bottom floor and Nathan panicked. The Brotherhood! No, it couldn’t be them, he reasoned. It was still daylight. Then what?

  A woman screamed and the sound echoed in his ears. “Crap! Anna!” He leapt from the bed, grabbing his pants and jerking them on as he stumbled out of the room and down the stairs.

  When he reached the foyer, his mother and Shirley were holding Anna’s hands and Alfred was kneeling between her legs with a bundle of clean towels and a bowl of water next to him.

  “Nathan!” his mother gasped. “Anna’s having the baby.”

  “What? She can’t. It’s too soon. We have to get her to the hospital.”

  Anna wailed a low keening moan and bore down.

  “It’s too late, young man,” Alfred said. “We tried to get her to the car, after her water broke, but the baby was already starting to drop down into the birth canal. The head is already crowning. One or two more pushes and it’s going to be here for good or ill.”

  Nathan froze in fear. “I should deliver. I’m a doctor.”

  “So am I.” Alfred shook his head. “And I venture to guess I’ve delivered a sight more babies than you have. Now, I know she’s only five months along, but her fundi feels more like eight months.”

  Nodding, Nathan felt numb. “What can I do?”

  Nan stood up, breaking Anna’s solid grip on her, and pulled Nathan over. “Sit with her, dear. Just comfort her.”

  He knelt down and took her hand.

  “Nathan,” Anna whispered, most of her strength gone. “It’s the baby. She wanted this. She’s afraid the Brotherhood will kill her before she gets a chance to live.”

  �
��How…”

  “I know. She’s been sending me images. Then today, it was like complete thoughts. I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but she’s ready.”

  “Okay, Anna, give me another hard push,” Alfred said.

  “Uhhhh!” Anna pushed forward with Nathan supporting her back.

  “The head’s out, now back off and let me turn her and clear her mouth.”

  “You’re doing great, Anna.” Nathan rubbed her back. “You’re doing just great.”

  “I can’t push any more, Nathan. I can’t. I’m all used up.”

  “You can. You can do it. You’re strong, Anna. You can do this for our child.”

  Nan’s hand went to her mouth and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

  Alfred kept one hand on the head and grabbed a towel with his other. “Okay, one more hard push should do it. Give it everything you’ve got.”

  “You ready for this?”

  “I’m not, Nathan. I’m really not. But I’ll try.” Tears streaked Anna’s face as she grunted everything she had into that one last push.

  A small voice cried out. A miraculous, small voice.

  “Congratulations. You have a daughter.” Alfred patted Anna’s leg. “You did very well, my dear. Very well, indeed.”

  Nathan watched as Alfred set the baby down on the towel and pull a pocketknife from his shirt pocket. He tied two pieces of string tightly around the umbilical cord and cut in between, severing the connection between mother and daughter. Wrapping the baby, he handed her to Nathan. “Clean her and get her warm while I deliver the placenta.”

  Nathan nodded, grateful for the little man his mother had so wonderfully brought along with her. And for the first time, he looked upon his daughter’s face, and his entire heart, dead or otherwise, melted. He’d now seen the face of God and she was in the package of a small, wrinkly pink, cherub-faced little girl.

  “She’s beautiful, Anna. Really beautiful.” He tilted the baby for Anna to see.

  “Absolutely.” Anna’s voice was weak, and Nathan looked down at the new mother and saw her face go pale and her eyes flutter.

  “She’s hemorrhaging.”

  No! “Anna!” Nathan dropped to his knees and his mother took the baby from him. Nathan and Alfred worked to stop the bleeding, but it just kept coming as Anna’s heartbeat faded. Nathan placed his palms on her chest, forcing a spark, something to restart her heart. When that didn’t work, he performed CPR for twenty minutes and would have continued for hours longer if the ambulance hadn’t arrived.

  They pronounced her dead on arrival.

  Dead. “Nooo!” Nathan dropped to the ground as they carried her body out on a gurney. “No.”

  He felt an arm around his shoulders and he turned into the embrace. Guillermo. He realized dusk had finally arrived. “Gui.” He couldn’t talk, couldn’t say any more. Anna was gone and with her, some of him had died as well.

  “We should take the newborn down to the hospital and have her checked out,” an EMT said.

  Nathan went cold. “She stays.”

  “But, mister…”

  “That’s Doctor Greer to you. She stays.”

  He didn’t know whether it was the look in his eyes or the tone of his voice, but the EMT backed off. “Okay. As long as you are taking responsibility.”

  “I am. Now leave.”

  The ambulance guy shook his head and backed out the door. Nathan could hear the quickening of his footsteps as he ran to the vehicle.

  * * *

  Guillermo sat next to Nathan on the new leather sofa as Nan rocked the baby, whispering sad coos. “She needs to be fed. Nathan, someone has to go out and get milk for my granddaughter.”

  “Lo siento, Nan. I should have thought of it earlier. I will make a phone call.” He retrieved his cell phone from the charger in the kitchen and called Leo. After hanging up, he heard Tyr and Nadine in the living room. Afraid they would overwhelm Nathan, he quickly made his way back. Nan passed him on the way, heading to the kitchen.

  “It’s getting a little nuts in there,” she said, but it wasn’t anything he didn’t already know.

  Tyr had his head down in Nathan’s lap, his master’s pain clearly pulsing through him. Nadine went into a rage, and she hit the wall, once then twice, puncturing through the layers.

  “Chica! Stop! Now!” Guillermo commanded.

  Nadine turned and screamed her frustration. “This is not happening!” She threw herself into Guillermo’s arms. “She was my… friend. Oh, Gui. She’s gone.”

  “I know, mi chica pequeña, I know.” He stroked her hair, soothing her with hushing noises. “We must be strong.”

  “I don’t want to be strong. Just this once.”

  Tyr kissed Nathan’s shoulder and walked to Nadine. His legs were shaking beneath him as he collapsed to the floor, gripping his stomach.

  Nadine ran to him. “Tyr!” She dropped down beside him. “What is happening? Everything is getting so screwed up!”

  Tyr’s face contorted in pain as he held his hands to his abdomen.

  Face full of accusation, she turned on Nathan. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Nathan was kneeling by the Viking’s side. “I… I’m not sure.” Placing his hands on Tyr, Nathan closed his eyes. Gui knew he was probing the vampire’s thoughts, taking in his energy. “Oh, holy hell. I’m sorry. Tyr, I’m so sorry.”

  “What? What did you do to him?” Nadine screeched.

  “He hasn’t fed in a week.” Nathan tore into the flesh of his wrist and placed it to Tyr’s mouth.

  “No. Not hungry,” Tyr grunted.

  “Why’s he saying that?” Nadine staggered backward. “Why is he saying that?”

  “Tyr. Do not ignore your hunger. Now feed.” Nathan thrust his wrist to Tyr’s mouth. “I am your master. Obey me.”

  The large man attacked the bloody wrist with a voracious appetite, suckling the broken tissue. Guillermo watched the starving vampire’s body relax into the feeding. How long had he been without? Nathan had not yet fed this day, and Tyr was taking too much. The young vampire did not and, it seemed, would not stop him.

  “Bastante! Enough!” Gui couldn’t stand by and let Tyr weaken Nathan further. He reached down to pull Tyr off, but Nadine grabbed his arm.

  “No!” Her lavender eyes lit up and shifted to ultra-violet. She bared her teeth.

  “Are you challenging me, chica?”

  Looking at her hand on his arm, her eye color paled back to lavender. “No, I’m not. It’s just…”

  “I know. But we both have people we care about. This has to stop.” He stepped between master and servant, pushing them apart with unnatural strength. “It is enough.”

  “I did it to him, Gui. I’m no good, no good to anyone. Not to my mom, Anna, the baby, Tyr, not even you. I’m a walking, talking disaster.”

  “Nathan.”

  “No. It’s true. If it weren’t for me, none of you would be in this mess. Anna would still be alive. Don’t you get it? I ordered Tyr to ignore his hunger -- six days ago! I can’t keep doing this. I can’t.”

  “Are you quite finished?” Nan piped up as she walked back into the room. “Nathaniel Milton Greer. You will stop feeling sorry for yourself this instant! I did not raise a quitter. Do you hear me?”

  Guillermo stepped back as Nathan rose to meet his mother’s stern admonishments.

  “You’re a man. So, start acting like one! Anna is gone, and I don’t know what else happened in here and frankly, I don’t care to. But you will not give up on yourself. You have a child to think about and you will be strong for her. I didn’t give up when I had to raise you on my own. I held it together, because that’s what you do when you’re a parent. Well, guess what, my son, you are a parent.” She gently placed the baby in his arms. “That’s a good girl, yes you are,” she cooed, then turned her face to meet Nathan’s. “Now, tell her you are giving up.”

  Nathan’s eyes, which had either been vacant or full of remorse since Gui’s w
aking, were now charged, alert. And Guillermo regarded this spitfire woman, this lady who knew the true meaning of sacrifice, and couldn’t help but think, she would have made a wonderful vampire.

  * * *

  Tommy glanced at the twelve remaining Brotherhood. They seemed jittery, nervous. And those nerves were starting to wear on his own. “See, I told you guys we’d get our opportunity. Just had to wait for the right moment.”

  They had hidden in the bushes outside the gate for three nights, hoping for an opportunity to advance on the house unnoticed. When the ambulance came screeching up the road, sirens wailing, and the gate opened, the Brotherhood and Tommy snuck in behind it under the cover of chaos. “Tonight we get rid of the Unrein and his offspring, for good.”

  The boys in the hoods -- Tommy chuckled at the thought -- were not nearly as brave now that Wilhelm had been dispatched, but there was no way Tommy was going to let this way of life slip out of his hands because of one accident of birth. Stupid. They worked their way to the back of the house, staying low as they went to the back door. Quietly, cautiously, he turned the handle and nearly shouted with glee to find it unlocked. He gave the Brotherhood a thumbs-up. Determined, but not suicidal, he invited them to go first.

  * * *

  “Are you okay, Tyr?” Nathan tried to push aside his guilt, for everything. His mother had been right. He needed to start thinking about his daughter.

  Tyr inclined his head. “Much better now, thanks, boss.”

  “Idiot.” Nadine smacked the back of Tyr’s head. “Don’t you ever do that to me again!”

  The act nearly brought a smile to Nathan’s face -- nearly. He didn’t like Nadine, didn’t think he ever would, but her grief over Anna and her actions toward Tyr made him feel better about her. Like maybe she wasn’t the coldhearted bitch she made herself out to be.

  She glared at Nathan. “What are you staring at, ass wipe?”

  Of course, he could be wrong. “Does anyone want to hold my daughter?” Kissing her forehead, he beamed at the little girl, whose bow lips puckered softly to him. Nobody moved or said a word. “Don’t everyone go jumping all at once.”