4

As he led her inside she noticed other vampires sitting around conversing with one another. They all stopped and stared as Ruben entered with her. He stood on the step leading down into the grand lounge area from the large marble foyer and pulled Kat up beside him. She stood confidently staring back at the vampires, her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket and she planted her feet a foot apart.

Ruben smiled as he saw the vampires all staring. He knew how hot the woman next to him looked, how delectably delicious and her scent would be sending them crazy as they tried to figure out exactly what she was. Wearing tight dark blue jeans and a tight black singlet, with her black cropped biker jacket, teasingly showing that inch of flat stomach. Her long beautiful golden blond hair cascading down her back in soft waves, and her large expressive green eyes sparkling with confidence and a dangerous fire.

“This is Katarina de Basille, she is my guest.” He announced her, making it very clear by his tone that she was under his protection.

Kat looked at him surprised and then frowned. “How do you know my full name?”

He turned and winked at her and smiled his usual knowing smug smile. Kat looked at the vampires still staring at her. “They know I’m not a vampire.” She muttered darkly, assessing all the dangers in the room automatically.

“That’s alright, you’re with me.” He led her over to a side table and poured two glasses of whisky from the decanter. He turned and handed her one. She took it but didn’t drink it. Ruben frowned slightly as he sipped his. “Is something the matter?”

“I think I’ve had enough to drink tonight.” Kat was feeling slightly light headed all of a sudden as the room seemed to spin a little, unfocused. She had already drunk quite a lot that evening and with all the tossing and throwing around she had endured it was obviously all starting to catch up on her…at least that sounded like a good enough excuse…

“No, that’s not it.” Ruben said more firmly. Kat looked up at him surprised he saw straight through her. He smiled reassuringly at her. “You’re perfectly safe here.”

“Oh, I know that.” Kat scoffed causing Ruben to raise his eyebrows in surprise. “I’ve just never been in a vampire nest before…it’s quite intoxicating.” Her senses were in overload and she was finding it a little hard to concentrate with all the heady scents that were drifting thickly in the air.

Ruben narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to her. “Intoxicating? That’s a strange word to use, what do you mean?”

“The smell of the place.” She felt her head swoon and had to strain to focus as she became acutely aware of the fact that there were some humans amongst the vampires as she watched one stand up with a vampire and get led from the room by their hand, they looked completely mesmerised as they shuffled along behind the smiling vampire heading for somewhere more private.

Ruben smiled again. “What does it smell of?” His voice was husky and amused.

Kat looked him straight in the eyes. “Blood and sex.”

Ruben’s eyes seemed to darken and glow. “You don’t say…” He muttered obscurely, his face suddenly hard to read as he perused the room. “Perhaps we should move along with our tour.” He grabbed her hand again and showed her though the house.

There were another couple of lounges, library, dining room, a large banquet hall that seemed to open up to a massive lawn area outside, everything was so lavish and expensive. Every vampire they passed stared at them, their eyes almost bugging out of their heads as they bowed in respect to Ruben, then descended into gossiping whispers behind their backs. Kat watched them all intently and when Ruben finally opened the door to a large study and escorted her in, she sat down where he indicated, on a richly upholstered chair while he moved away and sat down in a large leather chair behind the desk. Kat clenched the fist of the hand he had been holding all that time, strangely missing his cold touch.

“You don’t bring women home much do you?” Kat said with a teasing grin as she looked up from her hand back to Ruben. She was feeling a bit more comfortable out of the main rooms and away from others with all the intoxicating smells, especially the fresh blood.

Ruben looked confused a moment, a slight furrow appearing on his forehead. “Where did that come from?”

“I’ve been watching all the reactions from everyone in this house, at first I thought it was me, but then I realised it’s you. You’re surprising them, so you’re obviously doing something extremely out of character for you.”

Ruben laughed. “Yes, I suppose I am.” He admitted as he relaxed back in his chair looking like the confident Lord he was in his own domain.

“So all the blood and sex fest that goes on, you don’t partake in?” Kat asked amused.

Ruben levelled a complex look at her as he leaned casually to one side in his chair, his eyes darkening into an intense smoulder. “Do you wish I did?”

Kat’s eyes widened and she looked away. “No…I’m kind of glad you don’t.”

“I haven’t said I don’t…” Ruben said amused, turning the conversation around and gaining the opportunity to tease her a little.

Kat looked up at him. He was still smouldering darkly at her like he wanted to eat her. She felt a deep drop in her core and had to concentrate on her breathing. “No…I suppose you didn’t.” Kat said awkwardly and looked away again. “You really need to stop that.” She muttered darkly. She wasn’t used to this dark seduction that Ruben was obviously skilled at. Being a servant to a Demon Lord he took what he wanted when he wanted there was no need to seduce her into it, exactly the same as how Scott McGowen treated her now.

“Stop what?” He asked, grinning widely now at her discomfort.

Shit, he is trying to seduce me…and I find myself strangely liking it.

She had never really found anyone particularly attractive before so the butterflies in her stomach were something new to her. Problem was he knew the effect he was having on her and was enjoying teasing her with it immensely. Kat frowned and snarled at him. Her eyes suddenly blazed with golden green light and her mouth was full of long, sharp teeth. “Stop.” The sound from her lips was guttural and animalistic.

Ruben blinked taken aback. As quickly as she changed it was gone again, like a flash of a nightmare vision. Ruben frowned darkly. “What are you?” He demanded in a dominant tone.

Kat looked back at him and smiled, happy the intense sexual hunger had gone out of his eyes so she could at least concentrate.

“You still don’t know? Yet you know my full name…it’s all right there…”

Ruben muttered her name to himself perplexed. “Katarina de’Basille.”

Kat sat forward in her seat, leaning her forearms on the desk and giving Ruben an intense stare. “What is the name Basille to you?”

“Basille? There is only one Basille that I know of…Lord Basille…One of the ninth level High Demon Lords in the Demon Realm.”

Kat looked intensely at Ruben with her eyebrows raised waiting for him to make the connection. Suddenly his eyes went wide and they lifted to hers with a look that was hard to decipher. She smiled ever angelically at him, such a huge contrast from the formidable mouth of teeth just moments ago.

“You’re a demon? Your master is Lord Basille?

“Very well done, I was worried you weren’t going to get it for a second there...”

“Hmm, no wonder you’re the talk of the town...”

Kat frowned. “I am?” Ruben raised an eyebrow at her, his ice blue eyes simmering like blue fire.

“You’ve been upsetting quite a few people with what you’ve been doing for Mr McGowen.”

“Oh…okay…really?” Kat sounded quite disinterested and looked down at her nails.

“Yes…Mr McGowen may think he’s being clever by taking out small underlying gangs in the city and merging them with his own, taking their inventory…but those small gangs worked for other more powerful people.”

“Ha! Right, oh well.” Kat shrugged. That wasn’t any of her business.

“Oh well?” Ruben’s voice went deathly calm. Kat met his gaze unafraid, an eyebrow raised at him for his tone.

“Well, it’s hardly my problem…I just do what he says.”

“What exactly is your relationship with Scott McGowen?”

“I do his bidding.” Kat said completely seriously. “Temporarily.” She added with a sardonic twist to her mouth.

“Anything he orders you to do?” A growl came into Ruben’s voice. Ruben had heard of these Master contracts.

Kat looked at him uncomfortably. “Pretty much.”

“Why?” Ruben growled for real a match to Kat’s own.

“I do not have a choice…” Kat looked away awkwardly.

“Because he owns you?” Ruben was getting angry now and Kat felt uncomfortable because she really didn’t understand why. “Fucking hell, that stupid human made a deal with a Demon Lord to become more powerful, didn’t he?” Kat nodded her head but wouldn’t look at him. “And Lord Basille sent you to him, why?”

Kat couldn’t answer, how could she tell him she had been sent to serve a human as punishment for defying her Lord, an order that he had given her.

Ruben rubbed his eyes with one hand, frustrated, then looked at Kat and she took his breath away in that moment.

She had curled her legs up underneath her in the chair. Her head was down, her long golden hair tucked behind her ear so he could see her side profile as she stared at her hands in her lap. She looked so contrite. He wanted her so badly…like nothing he had ever wanted before. She had been right. He didn’t partake in the sexual blood orgies vampires were famous for. He very rarely even bothered with women at all these days, he found them all so boring. That’s why everyone had stared, to see Ruben Luisetti arrive home with a woman as exquisite as Kat on his arm that had taken everyone by surprise. He had even surprised himself with his actions tonight, but when he had seen Scott’s plan play out in front of his eyes he knew he had to step in and save her from him, now he knew the extent of the abusive relationship he wondered how he was going to get Scott to give her up to him.

He had actually followed her out tonight, deciding after their little touchy flirting that he needed to know her better without Scott McGowen around, lucky for her when he had seen the van drive away, a smear of blood on it catching his nostrils…it carried her scent, and so he had followed.

He had assumed she was some sort of Fae creature, caught in an enslavement spell, the nasty practice was still in wide use, but it was rare for humans to have access to such things. A demon…that complicated things a bit…how the hell had Scott McGowen managed to undertake such a ritual in the first place? They were dangerous enough for those with the right knowledge.

“I will do everything within my power to free you from him…and Lord Basille.” He stated firmly.

Kat looked up at him confused. “Why would you bother?”

Ruben gave her a dashing smile. “Because, like I told you before, I like you…and I can’t bear the thought of him or anyone abusing you.”

They sat in awkward silence for a moment.

“One thing I don’t get?” Ruben asked then. Kat looked up at him. “Why…if you have to do everything Mr McGowen orders of you…did he not just order you to sleep with Big Red…why the subterfuge and kidnapping?”

Kat shrugged. “He was probably hoping I would just kill Big Red.”

“Ah, I see, yes that makes sense. Has he ever made you sleep…?”

“No.” Kat cut him off horrified.

Ruben smiled at her. “I’m sorry, I had to ask…”

Kat smiled shyly back. “No worries, it’s bad enough he takes those liberties himself.” She muttered and hugged herself with a shiver. Ruben’s eyes flashed but he held his control.

“Why does he shun you in public then?”

“It’s a power trip.” Kat said disgusted, rolling her eyes. “He can have me whenever he wants, humiliates me while he’s at it and so likes to ignore me the rest of the time, like some kind of pet he can put in a corner...”

“That fucking as$hole!” Ruben growled. “I’ll kill him myself!” His fists clenched tight in anger as his mind roiled over all the nasty things that his imagination brought forth.

“Why? I still don’t get it.” Kat asked confused about Ruben’s reaction. Of all the things Scott McGowen did to her, it was nothing compared to what Basille did, but she decided to stay quiet on that, surprised by the vehement anger in Ruben.

Ruben smiled on one side of his mouth, sardonically, as he tilted his head to regard her. “You are a damaged wee thing, aren’t you?” He could see by her calm demeanour she was obviously well use to being treated poorly to the point that it was second nature to her. He understood her surprise now when someone like him actually treated her with even a modicum of respect.

“I may be damaged, but I’m not a pet pity project either!” Kat growled at him.

“No, of course not, baby girl…I heard you took out twenty men armed with automatics…all by yourself, just tonight...” A hard edge entered his voice.

Kat shrugged, looking away, collapsing back into her chair and folding her arms, her feet dropping to the floor.

“What is your power?” Ruben asked, pointedly, watching her carefully.

“You seem to know a lot about me? You figure it out!” Kat replied snippy.

Ruben sighed and sipped his drink, and continued to just watch her as they fell silent for several uncomfortable minutes.

Kat looked at him a deeply concerned expression coming over her face. “What are you waiting for?”

Ruben smiled. “You’re perceptive…I’m waiting for Mr McGowen to arrive.”

.