"Sheesh." Gregori pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry. This happened while I was in my death-sleep?"
She nodded, her cheek nestled against his chest.
"God, I hate it when I'm not able to protect you."
She glanced up at him. "You can protect me now from Lord Ming."
He winced. "I don't want to bite you, Abby. I've never bitten a mortal before."
"If you don't bite me, he will!" She fisted her hands around the lapels of his jacket. "Please. I can't stand the thought of him touching me. Or sinking his teeth into - "
"Okay." Gregori dragged a hand through his hair. "Shit. I can't stand the thought of him touching you, either."
"You told me at the nightclub that you bit vampire women, and it was somehow pleasurable. Can you do that with me?"
"It's . . . possible."
"Good. Let's do it."
He paused. Shifted his weight.
She lifted her eyebrows. "Well?"
"I don't want you to see me with my fangs out."
"I've seen every other part of you." She huffed with impatience. "Come on, Gregori. I know you have fangs."
He scowled at her. "You haven't seen them extended. They get really long."
"I've seen another extended part of you, and it wasn't too long for me to handle."
He crossed his arms. "You think you can handle it?"
"Yes. Bite me."
His mouth twitched. "You're trying to goad me into it."
"Whatever it takes. I'm not letting that creep touch me." She sat on the mat and arranged her silken robes around her. "So, just how long do you get?"
He arched a brow. "Long enough to get the job done."
"Okay, do you prefer the right side?" She tilted her head left. "Or the left side?" She tilted her head right.
He removed his jacket and tossed it on the floor. Then he walked toward her, his eyes glittering with green intensity.
She swallowed hard.
He fell to his knees in front of her. His eyes turned red.
"Right side or left side?" she whispered.
He pulled her onto her knees and into his arms. "Backside," he growled and slapped her rump.
She gasped. "Greg - "
He cut her off with a fierce kiss. Meanwhile, his hands squeezed her bu**ocks and pressed her against his groin.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and delved her hands into his hair. He nuzzled her neck, and her head dropped back.
He dragged his tongue up her neck, and she shivered.
He did it again, and she gasped. Somehow she'd felt it between her legs. Her knees trembled, and she fell back onto the mat.
"Abby." He untied the sash and opened her robe.
Her ni**les hardened under the sheer white silk shift.
"So pretty." He rubbed his fingers over her ni**les, then lightly pinched the hardened tips.
She moaned. "Gregori, bite me."
He chuckled. "You really want this, don't you?"
"Yes." She reached for him. "I love you, Gregori. I want to experience every part of you."
His red eyes glowed brighter. "I love you, too." He kissed her, then returned to her neck. He licked and nibbled, and with each move, she felt it between her legs. And she wanted more.
"Oh God, touch me." She rubbed a leg against him.
He pulled up her shift and slipped his hand between her legs. She jolted with pleasure when he touched her clitoris and his fangs scraped the side of her neck.
With a soft pop, his fangs broke through. With each deep suck, it felt as if he was penetrating her deeper and deeper. Her climax hit with a shattering force.
Gregori removed his fangs and held her until the last of the throbs faded away.
He gazed into her eyes. "Are you all right?"
She nodded. His eyes were back to green, and his fangs were retracted. "Make love to me."
"I thought I did."
"Not completely. I want more."
His eyes glinted with humor and he kissed her nose. "I don't want to take you on a dirt floor, Abby."
She smiled. "We could always try the ceiling."
He laughed, then stopped and looked up. "The ceiling."
"It's covered with silver."
"Yeah, but that's a big light fixture." He stood and levitated to the ceiling.
She stood and adjusted her clothes.
"Stand back against the wall. This could get ugly." He ripped the light fixture off the ceiling.
Lights sizzled and popped. He yanked harder. The lights exploded, and the room turned dark.
"Stay put," he told her. "There's broken glass on the floor."
"Can you see?"
"Barely. There's an opening here. I think it's big enough I can levitate through it."
She waited, then heard his muffled voice.
"I can feel the tile roof. I'm going to teleport out. Hang on."
She listened, then heard a thump on the roof. She waited in the dark for what seemed a long time, then the door opened.
Gregori leaned in with a torch in his hand. "Watch your step."
She hurried outside and found the three guards unconscious on the ground and the other doors unlocked. J.L. and Russell were helping themselves to the guards' weapons. They each took a sword and a dagger, and handed Gregori the same. Ping and Genji stood nearby, hugging each other and whispering.
Gregori wrapped an arm around Abigail's shoulders. "I should teleport you straight to Kyo's place."
It was tempting, so tempting. "We can't go until we find Howard."
A roar sounded in the distance. Bearlike, angry and hurt.
"This way," Russell led them quietly around the Buddhist temple.
They stopped behind some pillars.
Abigail gasped.
There in the courtyard was a giant cage, and inside was a huge bear. Blood coated the side of his head. Soldiers stood around the cage, jabbing long spears inside to pierce the bear's skin. The bear circled, swatting and breaking the spears in front of him, but more spears would stab him the back.
Abigail's eyes burned with hot tears. "They're torturing him."
Gregori glanced at the other two Vamps. "Shall we show these ass**les how it feels to get stabbed?"
The Vamps teleported behind three soldiers, spun them around, and stabbed them through the chest. With a whooping war cry, they continued fighting and slashing at the guys with spears.
An answering war cry sounded outside the compound, then the courtyard filled with Vamps teleporting in. Abigail cried with joy as she recognized Angus, Robby, and Kyo among them. Another roar filled the air, and tigers leaped over the walls. The Vamps succeeded in opening the cage, and Howard leaped out, roaring and slashing at the men who had tortured him.
Ping and Genji screamed and ran inside the temple. A loud gong sounded, and more soldiers streamed into the courtyard.
Abigail eased up the steps of the temple so she could steer clear of the fight and have a better vantage point. She didn't want to take her eyes off Gregori. He was slashing a path through the enemy, working his way back to her.
Suddenly a hand clapped over her mouth and dragged her back. Lord Ming's sharp nails curled into her skin, and his foul breath filled her nostrils.
She elbowed him hard in the ribs and pulled away. With vampire speed, he was on her again in a second, clutching her by the arms. His eyes narrowed on her neck.
He shrieked with rage and shoved her back. She stumbled on the stairs, banging up her knees, but righted herself quickly. She froze.
He had drawn two long daggers from his belt.
Gregori shouted behind her.
With a growl, Lord Ming threw the daggers.
She ducked just as Gregori teleported in front of her. Two sickening thuds. Gregori's body jerked.
"No," she whispered. He crumpled in front of her.
"No!" she screamed.
Russell ran up the steps and skewered Lord Ming in the chest. He turned to dust.
"Oh God, no!" She fell to her knees beside Gregori. He lay pale and still with two daggers embedded in his back.
She hugged him, turning her head to press her cheek against him. "Gregori."
At the top of the stairs, by the entrance of the Buddhist temple, she saw Master Han.
He stood quietly watching the battle, then vanished.
Chapter Twenty-nine
"He's still bleeding!" Abigail cried as she tossed a blood-soaked towel into a plastic tub, then grabbed a fresh one to press against one of the wounds on Gregori's back.