Blood Oaths Read online

  “Go. I’ll go find the children.” She gave Iramis a hungry kiss, that caused the vampire’s eyes to momentarily shade to a bright red. “Hurry back.” On slightly unsteady legs she left the quivering vampire in the alley.

  “… let me stay over tomorrow night. Will that be okay with you, Mom?”

  Sandra snapped out of her reverie to find Jenny looking at her with large pleading hazel eyes. So much for keeping it together.

  “Will I be okay with what, sweetheart?” she asked calmly as she combed her fingers through Oscar’s curly mop. He needed a haircut. Maybe she should take him to the barber shop tomorrow. It would give Jenny and Iramis time to catch up.

  “Imogene has asked her mother if I could sleepover at their place tomorrow night.” Jenny grabbed her hand. “Please, please, please, say yes, Mom. Please.”

  Sandra was still processing the request when Brandon shouted from his bedroom that he had spotted one more hair on his chin. Between her only daughter’s frightening wish to go sleepover in a fully vampire headed household and her son’s elation at finally growing a beard, Sandra wished fervently that Iramis could be there.

  ***

  “The UN Security Council has asked for an audience with us.”

  Iramis surreptitiously pushed the goblet away from her. After having drunk from Sandra, this stale, donated blood would not do. “On our terms or theirs?”

  Adomini shrugged. “They’re coming here.”

  “To Switzerland or here to our compound?” Iramis frowned slightly. She did not trust unattached humans near their compounds, especially not when they had their families here.

  “I’ve suggested a meeting at the city centre,” Adomini said calmly as he sipped from his goblet. “They’ve asked to meet with us both, but I don’t see the necessity. I’m sure they are well aware that speaking to one of us is like speaking to us both.”

  “Do you want me to meet with them?”

  Adomini grinned. “You’re the face of the Vampire League, after all. Too many humans make me jittery.”

  Iramis’ eyes travelled over her friend and she smiled. He still lived like a true vampire warrior, complete with his leather breastplate and cape. “Yeah, you’ll scare the crap out of them.”

  Adomini shrugged. “Unlike you, time is quite sluggish in my household. Armenia prefers that I stay the way she found me two thousand years ago.”

  “The things we do for our women,” Iramis sighed as she lifted her wine glass to her lips

  “Like tupping one’s wife in an alley,” Adomini said quietly.

  Iramis took a sip from her wine. “If you were aware of what I was busy with at the time, why interrupt me? This wasn’t too urgent.”

  Adomini’s eyes twinkled. “With Armenia on a month-long sex fast, I guess I was jealous.” He drained his glass. “They say anticipation makes it so much sweeter.”

  Iramis drained her glass. “They say so. Now tell me what will be expected from me tomorrow.”

  “Well, the reason why I called for you is quite urgent. Our contact informed me that the Ridgewells are planning an ambush on the UN delegation.”

  Hearing that, a sneer slashed over Iramis’ face. “We need to settle this once and for all, Adomini. Our alliance with the humans could be irrevocably damaged if they were to be successful.”

  “I know and I agree with you. It pains me greatly to see vampire fighting vampire, but times are different now and we need the humans to secure our future and that of our young.”

  Iramis felt her fangs prick her tongue as he stared down into her empty goblet. She did not want to ask, but she had to. “Have you heard anything else?” She raised her eyes and gave Adomini a searching stare.

  “Yes.” The vampire elder looked paler than before. “We found the mole. Your suspicions were correct.”

  “I’m sorry, old friend.” For the past three decades, Iramis has been suspecting that Adomini’s adopted son could be working both sides of the League. As one of their celebrated diplomats, Heritier’s comings and goings were not regulated or questioned. When a few cleverly planted pieces of information had been accessed by their spy in the Ridgewell clan, she had decided to keep a close watch on the man. Vampires were rich, but power and rank were too strong a lure to resist, as was the case in Heritier’s case. The hardest part had been telling Adomini. Thanks to a long relationship which was based on complete trust, Adomini immediately agreed to set a trap.

  Adomini waved away the remark. “It needs to be done.”

  They had known each other far too long for Adomini to hide his distress. Knowing Adomini to be a righteous and devoted man, Iramis could see that the betrayal was hurting him. He was not even aware that his fangs were showing. She walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Nevertheless, it pains me to see you go through this. I’ll deal with the issue and although it’ll take time, things will be almost back to normal again.”

  Adomini smiled at her, a sad smile. “I haven’t told you everything…yet.”

  ***

  With a relieved sigh, Sandra closed Oscar’s bedroom door behind her. She adored her children, but with all the hype of the travel and the events of the evening, they took a lot out of her. A couple of times during the course of the three hours she had spent with them, she had wished Iramis could appear and glamour them. She sighed. They had tried it once and it almost killed them knowing what they had done. But today she would have done it almost guilt-free. She still owed Jenny an answer to her request to sleep over at Imogene’s tomorrow night. Brandon asked to be allowed to spend the day at the basketball courts tomorrow and Oscar simply asked to have Iramis come kiss him goodnight when she returned. All possible requests, but none easy to grant without her wife’s input.

  Brushing her hair back from her face she slowly made her way down the hallway to the main bedroom. She could do with a shower while she waited for Iramis. She stepped into the spacious bedroom and was about to pull her t-shirt over her head when she felt it.

  It felt as if an electric current coursed through her every time she drew in air. She gasped and spun around to find Iramis standing in the door leading to the bathroom. The vampire had a disturbingly intense look on her face as she looked back at Sandra.

  Alarmed, she took a step towards Iramis, but Iramis held up her hand “Are you okay, honey?”

  “I will be. Please don’t let me interrupt you. I believe you were about to undress.” That look was still on Iramis’ face.

  Suddenly shy, she swallowed hard. Iramis was an exciting lover. Hell, she was the most intoxicating lover she had ever had and would ever have, but since they started a family, their sex life had cooled a little. Sandra knew it was not because of a lack of interest, rather a lack of time. With three demanding children it was not always easy to indulge themselves with small ears listening in. Tonight however, it seemed as if Iramis was not concerned about that at all. And it made Sandra hot knowing that her sexy wife wanted her that much.

  “Take off your clothes, Sandra. I want to see you.”

  “The children…? Brandon and Jenny are still awake.”

  Iramis came over to tower over her, her eyes glittered with something raw. “Don’t worry about them. They’re fine.”

  “Did you…you know?” Sandra asked softly as she studied her wife’s hungry eyes.

  “Glamour them?” Iramis shook her head. “No. I simply told them that I planned on ravishing their mother tonight and that I would appreciate it if they would not disturb us.”

  Sandra gaped at Iramis. “You…you told them that we were going to have sex?”

  “Sex? No. Make love, yes.”

  “Oh, man,” Sandra groaned, closing her eyes. How was she going to look them in the eye tomorrow?

  “Easy,” Iramis murmured and when Sandra opened her eyes, it was to find Iramis standing very, very close to her. It prompted her to take a small step back. “They know that we are quite active.”

  Sandra blinked in surpr
ise. “And how would you know that?”

  “Because they’ve told me. They hear you some nights and they’ve asked about it.”

  Feeling utterly mortified, Sandra hid her face behind her hands. She felt strong arms wrapping around her waist as she was pulled into a hard body.

  “I want you.”

  It was not a request. It was simply an honest statement, uttered with honest hunger. She dropped her hands from her face, eager to see the expression on Iramis’. She loved to see the vampire’s face when she was turned on. She studied the beautiful visage for a long moment.

  “How do you expect me to…to...” she waved at the bed. “... do this now.”

  Iramis grinned.

  “We could try and be quiet.” Without preamble she reached out and pulled Sandra close. “On the other hand, dear, I’ve quite a few powers and could help you over your shyness.”

  Sandra blinked. Did Iramis just offered to glamour her? “Hell no! I will not let…”

  A warm hungry mouth clamped over hers and immediately all her doubts disappeared like mist before the sun. Like a starved woman, she fed off her wife’s hunger and was the first to begin to shrug out of her clothes. When she stood in her bra and panties, she found Iramis still fully dressed. With an impatient sigh, she reached out and tore the light cotton shirt off the vampire. Her urgency seemed to spike Iramis’ hunger further, for the next moment she was airborne and landed on the bed, a red eyed vampire hovering over her.

  It had been quite a while since she last saw Iramis like this and she rejoiced in her power over her wife. Iramis pulled back and Sandra was treated to an impromptu striptease as the vampire made quick work of her remaining clothing. The air caught in Sandra’s chest when Iramis hastily pushed her legs apart and stretched her tall body over hers.

  With unrestrained hunger and passion, Iramis began to devour her, causing Sandra to clutch fistfuls of the sheets. There was no way she would be able to be quiet if Iramis continued to suck on her breasts like that. The vampire almost had her whole breast in her mouth as she sucked hungrily on the fleshly globe. Before Sandra could get used to the sensation, she felt a soft tug and knew that the only barrier between her pulsing sex and her wife’s wandering fingers was no more. She ached for a kiss, but knew that when in this state, Iramis craved to kiss another part of her. As if on cue, the blonde let go of her breast and began to move downwards, leaving a trail of goose bumps in her wake.

  Her hips shot off the bed and her head pressed back into the pillows when she felt Iramis’ breathe on her clit. Her body was still suspended in the air as anticipation for the first touch drummed through her. She let out a guttural moan when instead of a lick, she felt Iramis’ tongue burrow deep into her weeping cavern. Sandra lost all power in her legs and was about to crash back on the bed when Iramis grabbed hold of her hips and held her up as she plunged her tongue deeper and deeper inside. It was only when she tasted the metallic presence of blood on her tongue that she realized that she had been biting down hard on her lip. Iramis’ head shot up and her red eyes immediately zeroed in on her lips.

  “Don’t…don’t stop, my love,” Sandra gasped, missing the pressure of Iramis’ mouth on her sex. “Please, don’t stop.”

  PART V

  Iramis sat quietly as she stared out of the window of the limousine. Her eyes examined every shadow and corner they passed as they made their way to the Grand Hotel. She reached inside her jacket to caress the concealed dagger. She hoped they did not pat her down at the hotel, for she had no inclination whatsoever to leave her family unprotected. Her family. She turned her head and watched them as they, completely unaware of the danger lurking outside, engaged in their usual bickering. She caught Sandra’s eyes and they shared an intimate smile. Luckily the kids were too busy to notice the heated look that passed between their parents. Sandra looked surprisingly fresh for a woman who had been ravished until very close to sunrise. Iramis quickly broke eye contact. She could not afford to be distracted now. Not when the Ridgewells were somewhere out there, planning an ambush. As their limo drove through the rain-soaked streets, Iramis sent out her senses to determine the location of her bodyguards. A dark SUV followed them closely, with a group of her elite guards, but other groups were scattered on the skyscrapers and street corners.

  “Hello,” as soft voice whispered in her ear, bringing a smile to Iramis’ face. She turned to meet her son’s dark gaze. She did not miss the lone hair on his chin and recalled Sandra telling her last night about Brandon’s elation at finally growing a beard. She reached out a hand and squeezed his knee.

  “Hello, son.”

  “You’re very quiet, mother.”

  “I’m a bit occupied with the meeting. Where are you guys planning on shopping?”

  Brandon shrugged. “Mom said something about Bahnhoff street.”

  Iramis smiled. Sandra was not an extravagant woman, but on the rare occasions that she went shopping, she appreciated beauty and quality, which translated as expensive. Zurich’s Bahnhoffstrasse was one of the most expensive shopping streets in the world. Luckily, she had more money than any of her children or her children’s children could spend in one lifetime.

  “Will you be joining us?”

  Iramis nodded. There was no way she was going to leave her family unattended. Even with her bodyguards around, she refused to take the chance. The world loved to see her as the doting mother and spouse. No one realized how she felt at that moment when putting her family’s lives in jeopardy. Adomini was right, it was almost sacrilege for vampire to fight vampire, but the time had come to deal with the Ridgewells once and for all. Elimination was the only alternative now. Kill off their leadership and drive the rest underground where they could be hunted and exterminated with humanity none the wiser.

  “While I have my meeting, you could have dinner at the hotel restaurant. If the meeting runs too late, I will send out someone to make sure that the shops will be opened for us after hours.”

  Brandon’s eyes were wide. “You can do that?”

  She shrugged. “I’ve done it a couple of times before when I took your mom shopping.”

  “That’s so cool and not to mention romantic.” He glanced at Sandra and following his gaze, Iramis realized that Sandra had been listening in on their conversation. The brunette winked at her before she returned her attention back to trying to flatten a wayward curl standing up on Oscar’s head.

  Iramis leaned closer to Brandon so they could not be overheard. “One day when you fall in love like I did, you too, will do anything for your ladylove.”

  ***

  There were a bevy of bodyguards waiting for them at the entrance to the hotel, but Iramis held back until her own bodyguards reconnoitred the area before she stepped out and led her family into the hotel. The moment they crossed the wide expanse of the hotel lobby, she was met halfway by Ismael Yokuna, the UN’s Secretary-General and Felicia Eisenborn, his deputy.

  The cameras flashed repeatedly as she introduced her family and followed the two world leaders to a VIP marked room. When they entered, she found at least six other people in the room. A quick glance to Ermine and Gregori and her family was stealthily herded to the other side of the room where an extensive buffet was laid out. She shook her head at Brandon and Oscar’s excitement at the sumptuous variety displayed before them.

  “Ah…boys are the same everywhere,” Ismael said in his heavy North African accent. “My sons would have reacted in the same manner to food.”

  Iramis chuckled. “From the look on their mother’s face, I think they will be chastised thoroughly.” She turned back to Yokuna. “Not to lessen the importance of the meeting, but I was hoping to take the family for an outing afterwards. Do you think we could start immediately?”

  Yokuna threw up his hands. “We can surely do so. Let me introduce you to the rest of the members.”

  With one look at her family, she followed Yokuna to where Eisenborn and the other six waited.

  ***

>   “Slow down, honey,” Sandra admonished Oscar as the boy tried to cram a rather large piece of roast duck in his mouth. “Here, let me.” She leaned over to cut the piece smaller. “Don’t forget to chew first before you swallow.” She sat back and took a sip from her water. “And refrain from making it look as if we don’t feed you.”

  Except for the curt nod, the boys did not lift their eyes from their plates. Sighing, she turned to Jenny, who like her, sported a modest selection of delicacies on her plate. She rolled her eyes at Sandra.

  “I suggest that next time we simply take them to McDonalds. No one there would look at them funny were they to act like this.”

  “Noted, baby,” Sandra murmured as she daintily picked at her prawn salad.

  She shifted her gaze between the children and Iramis. From the almost dour expressions around the table, the topic of discussion seemed to be a hefty one. The doors opened, letting in a server who was rolling a cart to the table. Had she not been looking at Iramis she would have missed the slight stiffening in her spouse’s shoulders and the flash of rage crossing her features. Gregori, who was standing behind Iramis, took an immediate step closer to Iramis. The humans around the table looked bewildered when Iramis surged to her feet. Both she and Gregori moved as one towards the server. She did not see the next move, for Ermine stepped before her, blocking her view.

  “Get down, milady,” Ermine said in deadly, quiet voice as she reached inside her ankle-length leather jacket. She had been around vampires long enough to know that they never panic or exaggerate. She grabbed Oscar, who was the closest to her, and pulled him under the table with her.

  “Jenny! Brandon! Get down under the table. NOW!”