Running in Fear: Ghost Warrior Read online

  He sat still, the music still played, while he watched the cloud slowly lift from her gaze. “You are the one that got us naked.” The smile appeared, but still she didn’t move.

  He leaned back against the bathroom counter. “Well, I had hoped to get you to relax tonight, I have this warm bath water, where I want to personally bathe you, and then I wanted to just hold you tonight. I thought I could tell you a little bit about my world, and share that with you. Have you ever had a man bathe you, Lissa?”

  She shook her head to the question. “No sex?” Her voice cracked, but she met his gaze as she held her breath.

  Nikola cocked his head to the side. “No, we will not make love tonight unless you want to. But I would like you to try and get used to my touch. Can you try? In time Lissa you will want me, but I promise you, I won’t pressure you. When you are ready, we’ll both agree.” He didn’t move and waited for her to make the first move.

  “You’re awful sure of yourself? Aren’t you ever scared?” Her voice caught on the last part of the word scared, and a tear slipped down her face.

  That one tear drove a spike of uncertainty through him, which he never knew he had till that moment. He rested his head against the hard wood behind him, and broke eye contact with her, as he closed his eyes.

  “For the first time in my life, yes. I’m afraid, that I won’t be able to protect you, to love you enough, to give you everything you need, and…” He opened his eyes as her head slowly lay against his shoulder as she cuddled next to him. “I’m afraid my demands will send you running away from me.” He held his hands out in front of him and stared at them as they shook a little. He was so big and powerful the thought that he could accidentally hurt his mate…

  Lissa ran her hand down his arm to his, fitting her small one into his big one. She twined her fingers with his. “Thank you Nikola. I know it took a lot to say that. All I can promise right now is to try.”

  He lifted her hand up to his mouth and kissed her knuckles.

  “That’s all anyone can do. Ready for your bath?” Nikola waited, her gaze slid to the large whirlpool tub then back to him nodding.

  Standing he bent scooping her into his arms. She smiled kissing his chest. “You know I can get in the tub.” He grunted and stepped into the warm water. “Of course you can, but tonight I want to do everything for you. All I want you to do is relax, Lissa. Let me take care of you.” He sat down in the bubbly water with her in between his legs. His cock brushed against her lower back and she grew ridged. “Lissa, I have a feeling I’m always going to be hard around you, there is nothing wrong with that, but I promised you nothing will happen, until you are ready.” He whispered into her ear and watched as she slowly relaxed leaning back against him.

  “Talk to me Nikola, tell me about yourself?” Lissa glanced up into his face and smiled.

  He kissed her nose, gathering the warm sponge and slowly moved it over her face, washing the blood off of it. “I was born here in this world. Both of my parents are still alive. I have two brothers and three sisters, whom you will meet soon. I am the cap-tain of the queen’s guard, but soon I will step down.” Rinsing the sponge he brought it back up and down her neck to her breasts.

  Her breath hitched, but she didn’t stop him as he took his time washing and playing with her breasts. “I am the oldest child to my parents. I’m two thousand and forty three Earth years. Do you have any family left?”

  Lissa’s bottom lip quivered, and he mentally kicked himself in the gut. He threw the sponge into the water, and wrapped his arms around her. “Parvus Papilio, forgive me, my tongue ran ahead before my brain could catch up,” he said kissing the top of her head.

  She glanced up at him, a small grin on her face. “I think you meant to say you stuck your foot in your mouth.” Lissa giggled and he frowned.

  “Why would I stick my foot in my mouth? That does not make sense.” He kept his face blank all the while he smiled inside as he tried to distract her.

  With a small kiss to his chin, Lissa once again relaxed on his lap. “Thank you for making me laugh, but you know there might be a little problem with your age.” Lissa giggled and slowly turned in his lap. Placing a leg on each side of him, his cock rubbed the skin above her pussy. Lissa slid her hands up his chest to rest on his shoulders. All the while she held his gaze, Lissa slowly rose and lowered herself on his cock.

  He grabbed onto her hips and held her still. Nikola was larger than most men. “Are you sure, Lissa?” His thumbs rubbed her skin as her body slowly accepted his size.

  “I want you, please, I just need to do this slowly, Nikola. Let me take control this time. I need and want to conquer my fears.

  I want you Nikola, all of you.” Lissa nipped at his lip, and then licked it, as she slowly moved up and down on his cock. She leaned forward, brushing her large breasts against his chest. Her skin was darker than his, but silky to the touch and her areola’s were large, the size of half dollars. Nikola took a deep breath.

  Her head fell backwards and he trailed kisses down her neck to her breasts. “You are beautiful, my Parvus Papilio.” She slowly lifted her head, the bottom of her hair wet from dangling in the water, her eyes now a glow of excitement.

  “As you are Nikola, my first lover of my heart.” She whispered, her pace growing faster and faster.

  He slid his hand down to her pussy, and ran his finger over her clit, where he proceeded to rub it slowly, bringing her higher, and higher. “That’s it Lissa, trust me, and yourself.” He pushed his index finger into her mouth wetting it with her juices. Her ruby red lips sucking on it made his cock twitch, and he slowly started to match her movements.

  Nikola slid his finger out of her mouth and moved it to her ass.

  In small increments he pushed his finger fully inside of her. Her gaze startled at first, but soon the combined heat from their bodies, and the warm bath water in the bathroom, fogged the mirrors.

  “Nikola?” She pleaded as her eyes closed again and her head fell forward onto his shoulder.

  “I’ve got you, let go Lissa, let me take you where no other can.” His pace increased as he added a second finger to her ass.

  “Come Lissa!”

  Her body shook in his arms, spasms after spasms fell upon her.

  She cried and screamed her nails dug into his shoulders and he released his seed into her.

  Her breathing evened out, and her grip on his shoulder slowly returned to normal, as she lifted her head and smiled at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Nikola dumped a cup of warm water onto her head, to wash her hair and she sputtered and frowned at him. “You did that on purpose.”

  “Hmm, you think so, you don’t need to thank me Lissa.” He lifted her off him and turned her back around as he squeezed the shampoo into his hand.

  “Yes I do…” she glanced around the bathroom as if she sensed something was wrong. “What is it?” She asked drawing his attention back to her, all the while he issue orders in his head to his men.“I’m afraid as soon as I get you all cleaned up, we have to go back. I had hoped you would be able to sleep some, but it looks like your prediction of someone dying has come true, already.” He scrubbed her hair quickly, and rinsed it.

  “Come, we are meeting everyone in the dining room, seems there will be no sleep tonight. We need to prepare for an attack.” Nikola stood, slowly lowering her out of the tub, drying her instantly, and dressing her in a nice short black leather skirt, and halter top.

  “Umm, I hate to complain, but I never where stuff like this.” Lissa questioned him.

  He smiled leaning down and nibbling on her lip. “Oh, but you’ll wear it to please me now, won’t you?” He slid his hand up the back of her thigh and squeezed her naked butt cheek. “Just make sure you only bend down in front of me, or I might have to spank this cute ass.”

  * * * *

  Lissa, stared up at Nikola’s dark green eyes, which held laughter. “You do know, if I need to protect myself, I’m going be wi
de open for anyone to see. Wouldn’t jeans be better?” He wrapped his arm around her waist, and kissed her lips once more, flashing them into the hallway just outside the dining room. Nikola pulled back, licking her lips that were now swollen from his kiss, and smiled.

  She reached up touching her lips, and grinned at her favorite outfit that now covered her body. “Thank you.” Lissa turned as Jaycee came around the corner talking to Suzanne, Shelly, Marsha and Cecil.

  “Oh good, you’re here. Remi, Dominic and the other men are waiting for you in the dining room. We’re off to get coffee and breakfast going, since no one is going to sleep this day.” Jaycee rubbed her large belly and nodded to the door they just came out of. “Castor and his men found Jack and Belinda in the gardens, Bo isn’t taking this too well. He’s called in more of his men and so have Remi and Dane.” A tear slipped down her face and that is when Lissa noticed the dark circles under her eyes, which were now bloodshot.

  Nikola bowed before Jaycee, “I’m sorry Jaycee, there are just so many of us, and we can’t be everywhere. I know how much Jack meant to you personally.”

  Lissa placed her hand on his arm before he turned to leave, stopping him. “Nikola, you and your men can’t be everywhere.

  You saved me tonight, in more than one way. Thank you.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I’ll go with the women and help prepare the food. Maybe I can lighten Jaycee’s load a little.” He nodded and turned to leave. “All you have to do is think of me, Lissa, and I’ll be there for you.” Nikola whispered inside her head, and she shook her head following the women, as they walked down the long corridor toward the massive kitchen she had visited earlier to get a snack.

  An arm wrapped around her waist and Suzanne bumped her hip against hers. “So how are you doing? Dominic told me what happened with Stephen.”

  Lissa shrugged her shoulders. “There isn’t much I can do about it now, but I’m sure it will all catch up with me later. Right now, I think I’m numb, with everything going on. Sort of like Jaycee. I know when this is all over all of us are going to need a vacation.” She pushed into the kitchen ahead of everyone else.

  Kimberly had her back to them, a hand around a young girl’s neck. The girl’s feet were now a few feet off the ground and she was trying desperately to get free. That’s when Lissa recognized the young girl who had offered herself to be fed from, who had helped her when they had first arrived and had tried to befriend her.

  Without another thought the window shattered, English Ivy grew up the walls, vines from the willow tree outside weaved inside and around Kimberley, yanking her away from the small girl she meant to harm. Blood ran down the girl’s neck, and Marsha ran to her, covering the wounds. Suzanne, who was now next to girl, sealed the wounds, and turned her attention towards Lissa.

  The room grew quiet, even the girl’s whimpers had calmed.

  Kimberly kept her mouth shut, as Jaycee moved next to Lissa, and placed her hand into her’s, squeezing it. The Ivy crept further into the room, up the walls, almost covering every inch. Some of the vines from the willow tree tightened around Kimberly’s neck, as Lissa glared at the hateful woman.

  “Lissa, you need to stop. You’ll regret killing her.” Jaycee whispered.

  “No I won’t. She carries the Bloods’ mark. Look on her inner wrist, Suzanne, and if I’m not mistaken it’s Franco’s mark. If she carries his mark, he’s close. I wouldn’t be surprised if he and his goons were the ones who attacked your friends, Jaycee.” She glanced at Jaycee.

  “I’ve learned a few things being their prisoner for so long, and she’s not Castor’s blood mate. I am.”

  Jaycee shook her head. “The Bloods might be cruel and dangerous, but they would not be able to sneak up on Jack and Belinda. Their cats alone would be able to smell and sense the enemy if close by.”

  She moved closer to where Kimberly was securely attached to the wall, a vine wrapped around each limb and her neck. “How long have you been able to communicate with plants, Lissa?” Jaycee grinned and ran her hand over the vine glancing back at her, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes.

  Lissa shrugged, the other women went about getting food ready as the plants receded from the room, except for the vines that held Kimberly.

  “I noticed little things when I was first turned, but said nothing to anyone. As a child my mother and father would always find me outside either in a tree or walking in our garden. I could talk to them even then, it was as if they understood me and I did them. I guess that is why our garden always did so well.” She smiled, hopping to cheer up Jaycee a little.

  “You would be right about the Bloods, if they were human anymore, but most of them are not. The last few weeks I was held in captivity, I noticed things were different.” Suzanne came up next to them and handed Jaycee her croissant. “Eat, both of you. How different? Where they like us, or shifters like Jaycee and Shelia?” Suzanne munched on her croissant when Dominic, Remi, Nikola and Castor came into the room and stopped. Each man glanced at Kimberly, then at Lissa, since the vines had seemed to migrate from her.

  Jaycee nudged her with her elbow. “Go on, ignore them, they can listen. This is important.” She took Lissa’s hand and led her away from Kimberly. Both of them stepping over the vines that were still there, as they moved towards the kitchen table.

  Jaycee nodded to the chair next to her and she sat with Suzanne, pulling the chair out at the table. Cecil and the other woman hovered about while Marsha helped the girl up and out of the room.

  “At first, I noticed a couple of the Bloods had been turned to vampires, but then some were something altogether different.

  There was one there, the girls called him…”

  “Hombre del Diablo, I remember him…” Suzanne hugged her arms around herself. “That thing was creepy, even for a Blood. All the girls would hold their breath, and pray his attention wouldn’t be on them.”

  Lissa nodded, as Dominic picked up Suzanne and sat down on her seat with her on his lap. His arms around her tight… if only…

  Gentle, strong arms, lifted her up startling her out of her thoughts, but all too soon she relaxed. Nikola’s scent drifted to her, relaxing her as nothing ever did. He held her the same way as Dominic now held Suzanne.

  “Go on. Parvus Papilio, finish your story.” He rested his chin on top of her head, and she rolled her eyes at Suzanne, who laughed, but all the while she loved his attention.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you did.” His hand slid under her shirt and he cupped her breast.

  “Nikola…” Lissa tried to push his hand away, but he kept it there.

  Nikola turned her head towards him and lifted her chin to stare into her eyes. “I’m not hurting you am I, Lissa?” she sighed, and gave up. Lissa curled up tighter against his chest while he caressed her breast.

  She glanced up at Suzanne. “The girls were lucky, he didn’t touch them. Towards the end, before I could escape, he’d come for me, because he knew my body would heal.” Nikola hissed behind her and grew still, but said nothing more. “He was the one Stephen handed me over to when they drugged me.” Lissa gripped Nikola’s shirt tight, not caring, as she continued her story.

  “Three days before the girls got me out of there, he came for me. He had huge chunks of his skin missing on his back and there were also claw marks. They were healed, but healed in a way that the skin just covered over the missing muscle, that should have beneath that area.” Like Suzanne she rubbed her arms, but Nikola brushed her arms away, and held her more tightly rubbing her arms for her.

  “That night…Well let’s say he not only took my blood, but part of my hide with him.” She inched out of Nikola’s arms and stood.

  She lowered the left side of her jeans, where a patch of skin now covered a hollow part of her hip, the size of a half-dollar.

  “It seems he also had the taste for flesh. It took Della a good two weeks to heal me after that. That is one of the reasons I needed more blood than usual. It wasn’t just th
e Calcitonin in my system, but his bite, which had some kind of acid that destroyed the skin around it.” She pulled her jeans back up and sat down on Nikola’s lap, feeling exposed.

  Chapter Four

  Pierre and Adonis moved into the kitchen with the other men.

  Lissa stiffened in Nikola’s arms, but didn’t move as Castor bent down next to her and cupped her cheek. “You are a very brave woman, Lissa, I’m just sorry…”

  Lissa put her finger to his mouth. “We all made mistakes, Castor. Look at Stephen, he was my biggest.”

  “Well isn’t that cute. But you’re forgetting something…” Kimberly laughed, spit went flying everywhere. “The Bloods now surround this place, they know all the secrets of the tunnels, too.” Nikola released his mate, and helped her stand to face Kimberly. “You betrayed the Earth, Kimberly. She wants you back for good.” Lissa whispered and everyone watched as vines, leaves, and thorns covered her body, piercing her eyes, mouth and nose.

  The vines enclosed her and dragged her now small carcass out the window, back where the vines had come.

  “Oh crap…Jaycee…” Lissa turned to see Jaycee grab her mouth and run toward the sink. “Damn, I’m sorry Jaycee, I didn’t know it would get that gory.”

  Nikola and Castor moved next to Lissa, and waited as Jaycee puked all that she had eaten. When she was finally done, and had rinsed out her mouth, she turned and smiled. “Honey, that was the best horror/live flick I have ever seen. It’s just too bad my stomach was so queasy. Now, it’s obvious we can’t stay here, and we can’t go back to our home, any ideas?”

  Dane handed Jaycee a can of ginger ale from the fridge and moved her toward the kitchen table once more. Granger stopped in front of them and stared at her, then at Castor. “I was talking to Dominic last night, about Rose Island.”

  Nikola glanced at Castor who nodded his head. “Yes, that would be the perfect place to set up. It’s completely surrounded by water and it’s big enough to hold all of us. We’ll need to update the main house, but I think it will work.”