CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO

SHOW ME HEAVEN

LEAH LUCIER:

This was going to be the hardest thing I'd had to do. Basically I needed to pretend to betray the love of my life, my husband, my whole reason for existing to save myself and our marriage. I was prepared to do whatever it took. In my eyes I had already let Etienne down, badly. It was up to me to fix the situation. My husband was on route from the airport. I was at our Vancouver home, in our lavish bedroom facing Daniel in the light of the romantic candles I'd lit in preparation for this seduction. I had text him earlier in the day to beg him to come home. I told him I needed to see him. I told him I loved him too. Necessary lies required to keep him here until Etienne could carry out Lukas the angel's wishes. I prayed Lukas was right. Kat had relayed the information to me on the phone, surely this would work? It had to. Although Bella and Edward had told me that they had never heard of it. Carlisle did mention that even though vampires hating garlic was a myth, it did have a resonance of truth because some plants were known by witches and herbalists to have magical powers. Etienne had procured this ancient plant from a witch so I guessed Lukas was right. Angel's don't lie. Do they?

Daniel's blood red eyes stared lustfully at me as I stood before him in a very revealing outfit. My dress was basically nothing but a skin tight sheath of scarlet red silk which covered me from the top of my breasts to the top of my thighs. I was just within the bounds of decency. When I had told Etienne what I was wearing he had gone quiet, but then agreed it was a good choice. My husband prefers me in less revealing but still sexy clothes. Daniel's pure and bloody lust for me meant he responded to the more baser attire. I looked like a lady of the night if I'm completely honest. My hair was piled up high on my head so my neck was even more tantalising to Daniel. I had impossibly red high heels on which accentuated my toned legs to perfection. I held out a hand to Daniel, but he was already at my side in a blur of movement. He pinned me to him with brute force. I gasped slightly at his strength. Being away from him for a few days had dulled my connection to him and I felt more in control than I had been at our last encounter. Still my skin burned and my lips ached to taste him. Some things couldn't be erased so easily. Daniel's mouth found mine in an eager hungry kiss as his hands gripped me around the waist tightly. Oh but his kisses excited me, I'm ashamed to admit!

"You love me huh?" he said huskily as his lips trailed over my cheek and down my neck. I nodded and braced myself for his bite. But it didn't come. His lips moved over every inch of my neck and pale throat, slowly and teasingly. I heard an involuntary moan of pleasure come from my mouth. Daniel was being unusually gentle and sensuous with me. I shivered with desire. But it was Etienne I was thinking of. He kissed me like this. I focused on my beloveds face so I would not fall under Daniel's spell. "Then let me have you" he suddenly growled against my skin as his lips returned to mine with a vengeance. Oh Etienne please hurry up! Daniel's hands were roving all over my silk clad body as his mouth kissed mine ravenously. His excitement was evident as he pushed me up against the wall. He pinned my arms up behind my head and gazed into my topaz eyes with his scarlet ones. "We will run away together Leah. My Leah. My love. I will be the best fledgling ever. I will be bound to you and you to me forever, by blood, by lust, by love. First, we must consummate our love for each other. Surrender yourself to me, now!" he commanded me, his voice full of lust and longing.

I smiled what I hoped was my sexy seductive smile. "Must we rush things?" I asked. Daniel ground his hips against mine lustfully. "I have to have you Leah!" he exclaimed as he once again began to rain my pale cold skin with fiery cool kisses. He let his teeth graze me a couple of times as he moved his lips all over my shoulders, throat and cleavage. I shivered with desire. As much as I didn't want him near me like this, part of me couldn't help loving his plain desire for me. He was a very handsome and passionate vampire. He wasn't Etienne though and never could be. My poor husband must be tying himself in knots knowing that I had to seduce Daniel tonight. He would be shuddering with horror at the thought of his lips, his hands, his body on mine. I didn't blame him. Where was he? Please hurry Etienne! I can only keep Daniel at bay for so long! I knew I had to distract him. I knew there was only one way to do this successfully. I let my neck fall to one side and pulled his head towards my venom blood filled vein. Of course he took the bait instantly. He held me against the wall as his teeth plunged through my marble skin and he drank from me thirstily and violently. I gasped as I felt my mind cloud over with his possession of me. At least it kept him occupied. I ran my hands through his thick dark hair as I writhed and moaned in passion. My act should do the trick until Etienne got here. I was willing to sacrifice some more of my essence, some more of myself to him if it meant I could save my marriage and stop Daniel being a monster. Usually I resisted somewhat. This time I gave myself up to him completely, I joined in with his lustful passion and I made him believe I was his now.

Finally he was sated. My venom filled blood dripped from his lips as he drew away from my throat to gaze at me in desirable awe. "Leah" he smiled with satisfaction. He kissed my mouth. I tasted my own blood. Now his hands were deftly pulling down my dress to leave my top half exposed. He looked at me with such desire I almost had to look away such was his intense stare. "You really are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen." he whispered reverently as he gazed at my semi clad body. I smelled Etienne's unique scent from beyond the bedroom door. He was here at last! I must disentangle myself from this compromising position. I needed to help Etienne with this final part of our plan. His hold had loosened on me now. He was too busy staring at me. I pulled up my dress and led him by the hand to our four poster bed which sat majestically in the centre of the room. I roughly pushed him down onto it with a knowing smirk. From under the bed I pulled out a set of steel handcuffs. Daniel laughed with glee, "Ha! So Etienne likes to be dominated huh?"I smiled seductively, "And so will you" I leaned over and secured his compliant wrists to the bed. Then I used the code words Etienne and I had so cleverly thought up. "Now you are my prisoner!" I crowed triumphantly as I did a provocative sexy dance around the bed. Daniel's hungry red eyes watched every move, every curve of my silk sheathed body as I writhed.

Etienne entered the room with a flourish. I smiled at him with relief. His eyes narrowed with terrible anger when he saw Daniel. "You will never come near me or my wife again!" he spat out as he whirled around the bed liberally sprinkling the hawthorn plant in a thick layer. Daniel let out a horrifying and frightening howl of furious rage. He broke the handcuffs easily and lunged at me from the bed. But a miraculous miracle occurred. Lukas was correct. The apotropaic worked! Daniel bounced back as if an invisible force field stopped him from leaving the bed. He growled and snarled at us both. "You evil seductress!" he exclaimed. Then he smiled at Etienne maliciously, "Oh but it was worth it! To taste her lips, to drink her blood, to press up against her near naked body! She loved it too Etienne! She will never forget me, not now! Not since I've bound her to me through blood and pleasure! She is my maker. I am her fledgling forever and ever." he boasted. Etienne narrowed his topaz eyes at him again, his quiet rage just simmering below the surface of his cool demeanour. " Not as long as I exist" he stated calmly. "You will remain here for seven days Daniel. Then we will set you free. You will have overcome your addiction to human blood. You will no longer crave my wife. You will leave us alone forever. If you don't I will kill you. Understand?" he added. I gazed at Etienne with pride. My beautiful husband. How I loved him. How I needed him. Now we could reignite our relationship again.

We left Daniel screaming and howling obscenities and profanities to an empty room. Etienne had booked us into a plush luxury hotel suite in Vancouver. After checking in we took a speedy run into the forests to feed. I needed to replenish as Daniel had taken a lot from me. I felt my strength and essence return in abundance. My whole body felt alight with an icy fire as Etienne took me in his arms that night. His kisses electrified my cool pale skin with shocks of pure pleasure. I had missed our closeness so. How could I have let Daniel come between us. He had enthralled me with the excitement and danger of the situation, but now I was back in my love's arms I knew there was nothing I needed or wanted more. Etienne thrilled me like nothing else ever could or would. Our pale marble bodies entwined in passion and absolute love as we rekindled our flame of desire. We would stay here all week to make up for lost time. How delicious! When we returned home, hopefully Daniel would be no longer be a terrible human killing newborn but a calm, collected and wise vampire, ready to face the world on his own with compassion and control. Etienne's lips and touch were working their magic on me and I began to forget the awful events of the last few months and I gave myself wholly to him once again. I fell into his eager embrace thankfully. Only my husband occupied my mind now as his body possessed mine with the purest abandonment. I sighed. I whispered breathlessly in his ear, words for him and him alone.

"Take me to heaven, my beloved, on the sweet wings of love and desire."