Damek's Redemption

Chapter Sixteen

Damek held a glass of ouzo in his hand and wondered how in the hell his life had changed so quickly in such a short time. He was a thousand-year-old vampire and he had…in-laws. And a huge extended family. He shuddered to think about it.

Even his chauffeur, Jerome, had been taken into the Agostino family and was currently enjoying the feast the entire family had set out for their arrival.

Sonia was talking with one of about a million cousins that were jammed into her parents’ large apartment. Some were in the kitchen and dining room, while the rest of them ranged around the living room. Children raced around, being fed and petted by the adults. One tiny blonde girl tripped and fell and before she could start to cry was picked up, comforted and sent on her way again.

He’d never been in a room with so many related people before. They were loud and boisterous and he found them endlessly fascinating.

“Not what you’re used to, eh?” Roberto stood next to him, pride on his face as he surveyed the large room. “We are many and you are used to being alone.”

“It’s not that different from the crowds at my nightclub.” That wasn’t quite true. There was a purity to this group, an openness and honesty that he’d rarely seen in his long lifetime.

Rather than being offended, Roberto gave a hearty laugh and slapped him on the back. A lesser man would have taken a header, but Damek didn’t move an inch. He simply stared at the half-breed werewolf.

“Just as loud, at least. It is a good thing we own the entire building and only family lives here or we would have many complaints.”

Damek didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to complain about anything the Agostino family did. In spite of their open and jovial natures, there was no mistaking the deadliness of the males who watched over the females and children.

He turned to his host. “How old are you, Roberto?” He usually never asked people personal questions, but found he was curious.

The werewolf sighed and dragged a hand through his slightly graying hair. “I have seen three hundred and fifty years. I will live another hundred and fifty, give or take, but my Nicola will not last that long.”

“I’m sorry.” Now that he had Sonia, Damek couldn’t imagine living without her.

“That is the way of the world, is it not?” Roberto nodded toward his son, Vincenzo. Sonia had worked her way over to her father and was chatting to him. “My son will live to be a hundred or more, but he too will be gone in less than fifty years.” He turned to Damek. “You are luckier than most.”

Damek nodded. “I am, and I’ll take good care of her.” Sonia was smiling now as her father lifted her off her feet and swung her around. Her laughter reached his ears and lightened his heart.

“I would not let you have her if I did not think you would do so.”

“You could not have taken her from me,” Damek pointed out.

Roberto shook his head. “Maybe, maybe not. I have a lot of friends in low places, vampire. Do not forget that.”

Damek respected the werewolf and the family he’d built. He even admired the organization he’d built. The Keepers were indeed helping other paranormal creatures to adapt and thrive in the human world, living side-by-side without harm. But he was getting tired of being threatened by them.

A muscle beneath his eye ticked and he needed to get away from them all for a while before he did something he’d regret. Before he could make his escape, Sonia’s brothers stopped before him.

“How are you enjoying yourself?” Milo asked. He was a banker and the most even-tempered of the two brothers, but not by much.

Damek sipped his ouzo. “You throw quite a party.”

Stefano laughed and slapped him on the back. “You get used to us. Sonia is a package deal. Her family comes with her.”

“So I’ve come to understand.” His dry tone made both brothers laugh again. In the past few weeks he’d come to see how the family worked. Sonia talked to her mother every day and her grandmother at least twice a week. While he was glad they were close, he was happy they’d decided to keep living in Chicago. Too much of this togetherness would drive him mad.

Sonia laughed again and Damek smiled. Idiot that he was, he would visit her family as much as she wanted if it made her happy. She practically skipped to his side, shooting her brothers a nasty glare. “You’re not giving Damek a hard time, are you?”

“Who, us?”

Sonia laughed at Stefano’s look of innocence and shooed her brothers away. When they were alone, she wrapped an arm around his waist. “I know this isn’t easy for you. Thank you.”

She understood him so well and he loved her for it. He was also concerned for her. While she was getting stronger at resisting the bloodlust, it was difficult for her to be around large crowds for such an extended period of time, and it could come over her at any time. Unbeknownst to her, he was constantly monitoring her, ready to step in if needed. She was strong, but they both could use a respite from the large gathering.

“I was thinking it was time for us to take that side trip we talked about.” Craig had used the identification they’d found on the vampire hunters’ bodies and his computer skills and had found all three residences of the deceased hunters. Luther Kostas had lived right here in New York, and Damek wanted to search the Manhattan residence.

“Sure. They won’t miss us, and we’ll be back before they know it.”

Damek began guiding her through the room as he raised his hand and caught Jerome’s attention. The driver had been alerted earlier that they’d be going out later so he put down his plate of food and met them at the entrance. Unfortunately, so did Sonia’s mother.

“Where are you going?” Celia Agostino frowned at him and then at her daughter. “The night is still young.”

Sonia hugged her mother. “We’ve got to go out for a bit but we’ll be back. I promise.”

Celia searched her daughter’s face, finally sighed and patted her cheek. “Stay safe.”

“I’ll watch over her,” he assured her.

“I know you will.” She patted his cheek as well. He didn’t understand this family at all. They had no fear of him. It was totally disconcerting.

He opened the door and ushered Sonia outside and down the stairs. Jerome already had the car waiting out front. They’d elected to drive to New York, rather than fly, as it gave them more freedom to move about whenever they wanted.

Since Jerome already knew where they were going and the privacy screen was in place, Damek pulled Sonia onto his lap. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “I’m having the best time.” Her hand settled against his chest. “I know this isn’t your idea of fun, so thank you for agreeing to stay for a few days.”

“I don’t mind your family.” They understood the necessary precautions and had already outfitted Sonia’s apartment with a state-of-the-art alarm system and installed metal shutters on all the windows. They loved Sonia and accepted him. He couldn’t ask for any more than that.

She laughed and hugged him. “You’re so diplomatic.”

He snorted. He’d been called many things in his life but that certainly wasn’t one of them. “We’ll get your things packed up and loaded tomorrow and leave the day after. I need to get back to the club.” He’d spent more time away from his business than he had there for the past few weeks, his need to stay with Sonia until she was comfortable with her new lot in life being paramount above anything else. Byron was handling things, but there was no substitute for the owner being there.

“I could help you.” She ran her fingers over his chest and shoulders. “We haven’t talked about what I’m going to do now that I’m suddenly unemployed.”

He caught her face in his hand and brought it close until their noses were almost touching. “I know it wasn’t easy for you to quit your job, but you can do anything you want. I don’t want you to overdo it until you’re stronger.”

Sonia smiled and kissed him. “I’m as strong as an ox and ready to go out of my mind if I don’t find something to occupy my time.”

“Are you sorry to leave your job behind?” He worried she would grow to resent him.

“No.” She shook her head and played with a lock of his hair. “I enjoyed teaching and the research, but it’s time to start a new chapter in my life.”

The vehicle sped through the streets of the city, the lights and people never ending. They were silent, both of them lost in their own thoughts, until the car pulled in just down the street from the building they were going to.

Damek hit the intercom. “Stay here. We shouldn’t be long.”

“Yes, sir.” Jerome was human and had no idea his boss was anything but what he appeared to be—a nightclub owner with dubious connections. Most thought he had ties to the mafia and had no idea what he truly was.

He opened the door and drew Sonia out of the limo. “Stay close.” She nodded and kept pace as they walked up the sidewalk. Damek barely glanced at the doorman, who immediately opened the door for them. He’d already used his preternatural powers to mess with the cameras so there would be no record of them coming or going.

Sonia breathed a sigh of relief when they stepped into the elevator and the doors shut tight. “I’m amazed he didn’t try to stop us.”

“He did not because I planted the suggestion in his mind that we belonged here.”

“Handy skill.” She took his hand and held it as the elevator went up to the twentieth floor.

They ghosted down the corridor and Damek waved his hand and the locks tumbled open. He pushed the door open and ushered Sonia inside.

Sonia wished they were anywhere but Luther Kostas’s home, somewhere they could be alone together. She knew Damek was finding it difficult to be around her family and was only staying in New York for a few days to make her happy. She loved him for it even as she wished he were more at ease around them. It might never happen, but she hoped he might relax around them with time. Of course, if she’d known her family was going to descend en masse for a party she would have told her mother not to do it. She’d planned to keep this visit low-key, to give Damek time to acclimate.

He was so aloof, so alone even in a room of boisterous people, maybe even especially then. She planned to take him back to her apartment when they finished here and show him just how much she loved him.

Damek stiffened, turned and stared at her, his eyes glowing with lust.

“Oops.” She’d thought too loudly again. It was difficult for her to hide her feelings from Damek, especially her sexual ones.

“Later,” he growled.

Right. They had a job to do first. She looked around with interest, wondering what kind of place a vampire hunter would live. The living room had the requisite sofa, chair and big-screen television. There was a dining area beyond with a table that would seat four.

She walked through the room and peeked into the kitchen—stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and tile floor. Classy all the way and totally impersonal. It reminded her of Damek’s apartment, but she’d soon change that. She already had plenty of ideas of what she wanted to change in her new home.

His hand rested against the small of her back. “There is nothing here. Let’s check the bedrooms.”

“Okay.” They walked down the short hallway, past a bathroom that was small but luxurious. “This hunter had money.”

“Yes, he did.” Damek stood before a closed door. “I’ll have to find out where it came from.”

“You’ll get Craig to do that.” She’d come to realize that Damek liked the human male and enjoyed his clever mind.

“Most likely.” He paused. “Do you mind?”

“Why would I? I like Craig.”

Damek ran his hand over the door. “Can you feel it?”

Now that he mentioned it, she could sense a humming, almost a vibration in her bones. “What is it?”

“Power. There are powerful objects in this room. Let me go first.” He pushed open the door and stepped inside.

“Holy crap,” she whispered as she followed him, stopping just inside the door to look around. This was where the vampire hunter really lived. The room was covered with weapons and artifacts. She found herself drawn to a wall covered in swords. “Many of these go back hundreds of years. They’re not reproductions.” She’d seen many ancient weapons during her years of research, and the ones in this room were worth a small fortune.

“This is more valuable.” Damek stood beside Luther’s desk and thumbed through a book whose pages were old and brittle.

“What is it?” She hurried over to his side, wanting to see what he’d found.

“A personal history of vampire hunting dating back at least five hundred years.”

“Personal, as in his family.”

“Yes.” Damek shut the book and set it aside. “And there is more. Open your senses and look for an area where the energy is most concentrated.

Sonia focused all her power, wanting to learn how to use it. Every day was a learning experience for her, and while she didn’t have near the power Damek did, she was no slouch either.

“You know where it is, don’t you?” She scowled, drawing a slight smile from him.

“Of course.”

“Of course,” she mimicked. Shoving aside her frustration, she concentrated on the task at hand, letting her gaze flow over the desks, the walls and the bookcases. “There, behind that shelf.”

“Very good.” Damek walked to the bookshelf and felt behind it. She heard a click and then the entire thing swung outward.

“Wow, that’s cool.” It was like something out of a movie. A small steel door about two feet square was visible. “Can you open it?”

“Such insults.” Damek place his hand over the door and within seconds she could hear tumblers fall into place. He turned the handle and opened the door.

“I bow to your greatness,” she said, tongue firmly planted in her cheek.

“As you should,” came his quick reply. He reached in and drew out several leather-bound journals, a file and several boxes. He placed everything on the desk and began shuffling through it. The boxes were filled with old jewelry, a pocket watch and other memorabilia. They closed the boxes and Sonia carried them back to the safe.

Damek flipped through the journals. “We need to take these. This is information about the vampire hunters’ organization.” He opened the file and did a quick shuffle. “This is personal information, bills and such. This can go back.” He handed it to her and she took care of it.

Damek was right behind her and closed the safe with a thunk. He returned the bookshelf to its rightful place and took one last look around. “That’s all for this room.” He gathered the book and journals and ushered her out.

“What about his bedroom?” Sonia didn’t think they should leave any stone unturned. She didn’t want to have to come back. It was creepy enough being in a dead guy’s place, let alone going through his stuff. It would be more difficult if he hadn’t tried to kill her. Something like that tended to put things in perspective.

They went to the last door and opened it. Like most of the apartment, it was generic in nature. The bed and dresser were nothing special. Still, they looked through the closet and all the drawers, finding nothing.

“We need to leave. Now.”

She felt it too, a stirring in the air. Damek hustled her to the front door and out, pausing only to rest the locks. They started down the hallway toward the elevator, but he pulled her into the stairwell.

The elevator bell dinged and two men climbed out, walking to Luther Kostas’s front door. They banged on the door and waited. “Where in the hell is he?” one man asked the other. “It’s not like him to stay out of contact so long.”

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” the other said. The sound of locks being opened reached her ears and their voices faded as they entered the apartment. That was too close for comfort.

“Come.” Damek hurried her toward the elevator and she wasn’t surprised when the doors slid open the moment they stepped in front of them. They stepped inside and he pressed the button for the lobby. In no time they left the building and slid into the waiting limo.

Jerome pulled away, heading back toward her family home in Queens. She released a deep breath. “More hunters.”

“Yes.” He carefully set the books aside and reached for her. She went into his arms easily, loving how they felt around her. “We will watch and study them. As long as they are no threat to us we will leave them be.”

Sonia wasn’t certain that was the right thing to do but kept her own counsel for now. If any of the information they discovered might be helpful to The Keepers, she would convince Damek to pass it along to them.

When he kissed her, she forgot all about the hunters and her family waiting for them. There was only Damek. Their lips touched and tongues met and she lost herself in the heat between them.

His hand slid up her thigh to cup her butt as he deepened their kiss. Wanting to feel his hard flesh beneath his clothing, she flicked open the buttons on his shirt and found the sculpted muscles beneath it.

He settled her more securely in his lap so she was facing him and pulled her close until her pelvis was pressed against his erection. She broke their kiss, gasping for air. Her body still thought it was human and she didn’t mind. It was kind of freaky to think about not needing to actually breathe.

“I think we should see more of the city. Maybe drive around Central Park.” His hand slipped under her blouse and found her breast. He shoved her bra down and teased the pert nipple.

“Excellent idea.” No way could she wait until they got back to her apartment. With her luck, her family would catch them coming in and they’d have to spend more time at the party. And she needed Damek. Now.

He reached out and pressed the intercom button. “Drive around the city until I say otherwise.”

“Yes, sir.” Sonia could hear the slight laughter in Jerome’s voice and knew he was plenty aware of what was going on back here even though the privacy screen was firmly in place. Then Damek kissed her again and she didn’t care.

He teased her lips with kisses and then carefully raked his teeth over her jaw, raising goose bumps on her skin. “Now where was I?” He stripped her blouse off, tossed it aside and unhooked her bra, drawing it away from her body. It joined her blouse on the seat beside them. He cupped her bare breasts and smiled at her, flashing some sexy fang. “Ah, now I remember.”

Sonia’s laugh quickly turned to a gasp and it was a long, long time before they made their way back to her apartment.