The Necklace Read online

  His friend snorted loudly, before responding. “Even without being privy to your every thought, Tylan, I know how you think. And I am warning you not to involve him. To be indebted to that monster is unworthy of Eritrea.”

  “You do not know him well enough to condemn him in such a way,” Tylan slowly answered, turning his head to stare back out of the window.

  “I do not need to know him. I have heard enough about him from the Committee to believe he is not to be trusted.”

  “He does not involve himself with the Committee for a reason. And I would think you were not so foolish as to always believe gossip and innuendo.”

  Cowan stiffened beside him, his deep in-drawn breath the only noise in the silenced interior of the limousine. “If you were not my friend, I would challenge you for that remark. I don’t give a shit that you are also the King. I am telling you,” he gritted. “He is not to be trusted.”

  “Noted,” Tylan answered back, his voice hard and unyielding.

  He understood Cowan’s concerns, reading his mind easily, but he refused to be swayed. Gabriel Marcone, the half Lycan-Vampire, was indeed dangerous, just dangerous enough to help him rescue Marissa and the delaphin.

  Tylan had no choice but to trust him.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Gabriel thrust into the woman’s pussy, her slick passage dewy and wet.

  “What was your name again?” he muttered, raising her legs so the balls of her feet sat against his chest, allowing him to plunge deeper and harder.

  “Jennifer,” she moaned.

  “Oh that’s right.”

  Gabriel smiled down at Jennifer, taking in her glazed, glassy eyes, parted red lips, and flushed skin. He probably could have called her Esther and it wouldn’t have made the least bit of difference.

  The woman was way too caught in the rapture of pleasure to worry about mundane details like a name.

  Shaking his head, Gabriel leaned down, raising her hips by forcing her bent knees into her abundant breasts. The pulse in her neck throbbed visibly, and his fangs lengthened, eager to taste the hot sweetness of her blood.

  Pulling his cock out, till barely the tip was visible, he looked down to where their bodies joined before ramming inside the tight sheath. She screamed, her body shaking, and vibrations raced along his cock.

  “You like this dick? Don’t you, Jennifer?”

  “Yes! Oh God Yes!”

  Gabriel smiled again, slowing his thrusts. At this rate, she would pass out on him before he even came. Human women never could keep up, but he wanted to at least find a modicum of pleasure before it was all said and done.

  “What about me? Don’t I get any more?”

  Gabriel turned, partially startled by the seductive voice. Staring at the lush, naked figure standing in the doorway of his loft, he grinned broadly. He almost forgot about the other woman.

  “Of course,” he muttered softly, withdrawing the full length of his cock from the trembling body beneath him. Jennifer moaned in protest, but he silenced her with the tip of his finger before bringing his hands to caress her large breasts.

  “Why don’t you come over and taste, for starters,” he urged, crooking his finger at her, alternately glancing down at the thick, tumescence of his cock.

  Gabriel didn’t remember her name either, but figured he would give his faulty memory a try since she was being so accommodating. “I think you’ll like the taste … Rebecca? She’s got a sweet pussy.”

  “It’s Amanda,” she said, laughing as she climbed onto his high four poster, Californian king-size bed.

  Gabriel raised his eyebrow in apology. “Amanda.”

  She smiled at him, before lowering on all fours, her face inches from his cock. “I don’t care what you call me as long as you keep giving me this dick.”

  Very accommodating. “Well, don’t deny yourself then.”

  Amanda’s wrapped her lips around him, easing the thick length inside her mouth. Holding her head between both of his hands, he thrust slowly, listening to the slurping suctioning sounds, as his gaze lingered on the erotic scene below him.

  “I need some attention too, Gabe,” Jennifer moaned softly, bucking her hips.

  Removing his eyes from the tempting sight of his cock sliding in and out of Amanda’s mouth, he placated Jennifer by easing a long finger inside her pussy, while using his thumb to stimulate her clit. The dewy wetness from her pussy drenched his finger with sticky cream.

  “I’m going fuck her right now,” he said to Amanda, smiling at her pouty mouth-full-of-cock expression. “But I want you to lick her pussy as I slide my dick in, taste her pussy and tell me how you like it,” he finished huskily, grabbing a fistful of her bleach-blonde hair to guide her reluctant mouth away from his cock.

  Amanda gazed up at him, her eyes sparkling with lust. Licking her lips, she smiled briefly before moving her face between Jennifer’s thighs, her pink tongue circling the engorged bud of the clit.

  Gabriel watched the two women enjoying each other, the corner of his mouth lifting in a slight smile. His cock grasped between his hand, he stroked the length in anticipation, preparing to ease his the thick organ inside Jennifer’s dripping pussy when his keen sense alerted him to a presence inside his home, inside the very room.

  Stiffening, his head turning toward the door, he jumped from the bed with preternatural speed, growling fiercely at the three intruders, his fangs sliding between his gums.

  “I should have known I’d find you like this.”

  Gabriel panted, his skin rippling, the beast inside aching to change, to challenge the trespassers. “What do you want, Cowan?”

  The tall Eritrean’s eyes skimmed between him and the two women lying on his bed. “I’m wondering if they could handle all four of us. From the thoughts in their minds, I think they definitely could.”

  “So, you came here to fuck? What would you have done if there were no women here?”

  Cowan’s eyes snapped back to him. “Don’t tempt me, half breed. I don’t have time for jokes.” He paused, his gaze moving toward the bed. “Do something about the humans. I need to speak with you.”

  Gabriel glanced briefly at Amanda and Jennifer. The two naked women looked frightened, afraid, and sexually turned on. Shaking his head, he realized Cowan was right. The two were thinking of fucking all four of the men in the room.

  Turning away, he wondered why he bothered with humans at all. Aside from food, and the occasional moments of sexual release, they really weren’t much use.

  Because there is no one else who can deal with you. Cowan’s haunting voice entered his mind smoothly, almost between his thoughts.

  Gabriel stepped forward, his muscles rippling with tension. “Stay out of my head, Eritrean. Or else,” he growled, quickly throwing up a mental shield in his mind.

  His would not be an open menu, not without a fight.

  Cowan growled softly in return. “Give me a reason, half breed. Give me a reason to kill you right now.”

  Stopping in his tracks, Gabriel glared, his eyes moving between Cowan and the two warriors standing behind him. He wasn’t scared, but a healthy dose of prudence, courtesy of his Lycan half, stopped him from reacting to the taunt.

  Eritreans were a renowned race, though secretive and removed. They were the most dangerous of adversaries. One on one, maybe even two on one, he might have stood a chance, but with 3-1 odds, his chances of survival were extremely slim.

  Still, a part of him toyed with the idea.

  They might kill him, but what difference would it really make in the scheme of things? He had walked this earth for too long—lonely, frustrated, shunned. Perhaps death would bring some measure of peace.

  Rolling his eyes toward the agitated, sexually frustrated women peering from his bed. He realized no amount of fucking or blood could ever bring him what he truly craved.

  Reaching into their minds, he turned their thoughts away from the men gathered in his large room and back toward each other. Amanda and Jenni
fer blinked suddenly before turning to smile at one another, totally immersed in their own pleasure.

  Gabriel raised an eyebrow at the two, smirking at the quickness of their attention span, before turning to face Cowan and the two Eritrean warriors behind.

  “So, what do you want?”

  “I’m not here for your death, half breed. If that’s what you think. I have a request to make.”

  Scowling, looking at the tall, dark-skinned Eritrean, Gabriel realized he was still reading his thoughts. How the man penetrated beyond his shield, which was formidable, was better left unasked. Why they had come was much more important.

  “What do you want?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Marissa could feel her body floating on a sea of contentment. She felt peaceful, languid and soft, but the feelings were foreign to her mind, something continuing to shadow the back of her consciousness.

  A loud grinding clamor sounded in the background of her hazy world, and she turned, trying to investigate the noise.

  Looking around, moving her head from side to the side, she saw the room begin to spin on its axis, causing a wave of nausea to roll through her body. Retching violently, her chest heaving with force, the bile in her stomach exited, splashing against the floor.

  “Oh, gross, she got it all over me.”

  “Go and change then, Jillian. The butorphanol and medetomidine are working nicely. She’ll be sedated for a couple of hours.”

  “Sure you’ll be okay with her, Brian? She hit you pretty hard. The way she was fighting, she might shake off the drugs sooner than you expect.”

  “It was barely a tap, Jillian. Now go. You smell like vomit.”

  Marissa struggled to seize the context of the words sifting around her. She’d heard butorphanol and medetomidine, and some distant portion of her brain recognized the names of the powerful analgesic and anesthesia. But she couldn’t understand anything beyond that. Her mind just felt too cloudy.

  When a hard surface eased against her back, the loud mechanized whining stopped. Chords were loosened from her body, her arms falling uselessly to the side.

  Looking around again, seeing nothing but a colorful array of blobs, another bout of queasiness upset her volatile stomach. Chest heaving, she turned instinctively to the side.

  “Not feeling so good, Marissa? Serves you right. You know, I could’ve been running this institute two years ago, but you kept that doddering old fool safe with your discovery. Now, you’re my discovery.”

  A rush of anxiety crested through her body, moving down her spine, and for a split second her vision cleared.

  Peering up, she stared at Brian, struggling to push words past her lips. “Y-you can’t hurt me. Jon w-won’t st-stand for it.”

  “Notice you don’t see him anywhere though, do you? Stupid bitch, you never could figure out which side of the toast was buttered. I could have given you everything-”

  “Le-leave m-me al-lone, prick.”

  Marissa felt her face bounce against a hard surface, and a part of her mind realized she’d been slapped. Yet there was no pain or stinging discomfort, her body continuing to float on a plateau of disoriented peace.

  Moments later, she felt a slight prick in her arm, before her head lulled to the side, her lids drifting down, nearly closing. Her muscles became like jelly, lifeless and immobile, powerless to stop the cold, grasping hands squeezing her breasts, pinching the flesh of her nipples.

  Marissa’s lips opened, but nothing more than a strangled gasp escaped.

  “Funny, I always thought you were a cold fish. I guess I was right.”

  “Brian! What the hell are you doing?!”

  “I-I was testing her motor reflexes, Jillian. What do you think I was doing?”

  “It looked like you were trying to feel her up.”

  “Give me a fucking break.”

  “Whatever! Let’s hurry this up. This place is starting to give me the creeps.”

  “Scared?”

  “Noooo, it’s just that I’ve never been here this late at night, and there’s no one else in the building but those damn security guards. I thought everyone was going to stay for the transfer tomorrow?”

  Marissa could hear their words. She could almost understand what they were talking about, but the voices floated around in her mind, teasing her subconscious.

  “I guess they decided to call it a night. Now stop yapping and bring that light over here. I want to examine her.”

  “I thought you already got a good look at her.”

  “Just bring the damn light over here, Jillian.”

  “Fine, fine.”

  A bright glare poured over her eyes, and Marissa blinked, trying to turn her face away. Her head rolled from side to side, but she couldn’t escape the blinding rays. Abruptly, a pounding started in her body, ricocheting through her veins. Anger, swift and hot, descended into her mind.

  “Did you see that?”

  “See what?”

  “Her p-pupils just dilated.”

  “Probably a reaction to the light. Hand me the clamps. Jillian, hand me the clamps!

  “Okay. Okay. Jeeze. Here.”

  Marissa felt a slight tugging at her ears, then a hard poke to her eardrums. She tried to move away, but her head lay still, refusing to answer her summons.

  “Look at this.”

  “What is it?”

  “Here, look at these holes behind her ears.”

  “Oh God, it’s like they’ve detached or something. What do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know, could be some sort of echolocation sensory, maybe gills. Hand me a sterile swab, I want to get a sample.”

  “Brian, I think we should wait and do this in the morning when we have a specialist on standby.”

  “Hell no! I’m going to be the first to do the physical exam. No one is going to steal this from me. Get me some slides and some vials. I want to take a culture.”

  “But Brain! You haven’t even told Felix. You haven’t told anyone. You gave her a lot of drugs, much more than the normal dosage. What if something happens to her? John and Shannon will know. We could get into a lot of trouble.”

  “You know. I don’t need this. Get out! I can do the examination by myself.”

  “B-but Brian?”

  “I said get out. I don’t want you sharing my byline anyway.”

  “What? You said it was our discovery.”

  “I lied. I used you, and now your use is done. Shut the door on your way out.”

  “You jerk!”

  “Yell your insults all you want. After my name’s in lights it won’t be hard to find another piece of ass.”

  “Not with your little dick.”

  “It’s a wonder I put up with you and your shit for so long.”

  “Put up with my shit! I’m the one…”

  The drums in her head beat louder, drowning out the voices around her. Marissa tried to ignore it, but it reverberated stronger, refusing to go away, forcing her to concentrate. It was like someone was reaching inside her mind, drawing her away from the haze.

  She blinked harder, the light blinding, her eyes focusing on the piercing radiance.

  Darling, wake up. Wake up, beloved. Tylan’s rich, deep voice flowed into her mind sounding clear and strong.

  Tylan.

  She could feel him drawing closer, phantom fingers caressing across her skin. “Ty-lan,” she muttered aloud, her voice groggy. “I’d th-thought you’d nev-er come.”

  I would never leave you, my love.

  Hearing his voice helped to clear away some of the muddled confusion from her brain. At first, she thought it might have been a figment of her imagination, but she could feel his presence moving closer, growing stronger in her body. Her limbs remained useless, but she could feel her synapses firing up. Turning her head to face Brian, she stared at him, watching as his features slowly came into focus.

  “Who is she talking to?”

  “I think she’s delirious.”

&n
bsp; Suddenly, a deafening pop, like the explosion from a firecracker, resonated, plunging the room in darkness.

  Jillian yelped loudly.

  “Quiet down, stupid. The power just went out. There’s a back-up generator, we should have some lights in a few minutes. Stop acting like a half-wit!”

  “H-how long does it take to come on?”

  “Shouldn’t be long. All the guards have to do is flip the switch on the generator.”

  It seemed like hours had passed, but Marissa knew only minutes ticked by. Struggling to make sense of her surroundings, hazy images swirled before her eyes.

  She could feel the effects of the narcotics in her body wearing away, aided by the force and strength of Tylan’s mind. She didn’t know how he did it, but somehow he was healing her.

  Relax, my love. All will be well.

  Blinking at the shadowy figures standing near, memories assaulted her consciousness as her cognizant thought returned like a looming specter from the past.

  She’d been inside the tank for over two days, with no visitors except for Jillian and Brian.

  They had tried to run passive tests on her, observing and cataloging her habits. She refused to eat scraps of chum they throw in the tank, disgusted by the very idea, but with each passing hour, her body began to feel the pangs of starvation.

  Weak from lack of nourishment, she could barely move when they came in armed with sedation guns. They used the hoist to remove the top portion of the tank and shot her twice, once in the chest and once in the tail.

  “You used butorphanol and medetomidine—drugged me,” she croaked.

  “Oh my God. She’s waking up.”

  “Hey, you out there. Go and turn on the generator!” Brian yelled loudly. “Stupid idiots. You’d think they would have on by now.”

  “We can’t.” A distant voice yelled back. “Something’s wro…”

  A muffled crash echoed, followed by a loud piercing scream. Shouts rang out. More crashing. Something solid banged against the door.

  Jillian screamed, and Marissa heard a clatter somewhere off in the distance.

  There was a flurry of activity in the room, but her eyes had yet to adjust to the darkened interior. All she could see were foggy shapes.