by Kendra Ashe
Mason closed the distance between us. Reaching up, he gently caressed my cheek. “It is.”
I covered his hand with mine. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
“What happened to your brother?” he asked.
I felt a lump form in my throat. I turned away as that familiar darkness descended on my heart.
Thinking about it was like reliving the horror of that day all over again. “It happened a few years ago. I was seventeen and still living at home. I was tending Johnny while my mom worked. He was supposed to be in school, but that day he’d stayed home because he was sick.” Again the tears came and Mason gently brushed them away.
“You don’t have to talk about this if it’s too difficult,” he spoke softly, kissing my forehead.
Shaking my head, I pushed on. “No, it’s okay. I need to talk about it.”
“Okay.” He gave me an encouraging smile.
I drew in a big gulp of air before continuing. “Johnny was sick. I had him in a bath of cool water. The phone rang and I left him alone while I answered it. I was only gone for a minute. I mean, he was five years old and the water wasn’t deep at all.” My words came out with a sob.
Stopping, I took several calming breaths as I struggled to bring my emotions under control. “When I came back, he was facedown in the water. I tried to save him. I tried to bring him back, but it didn’t work.”
Mason wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “You don’t have to say anymore.”
“They said he’d tried to get out of the tub and had a seizure … because of the fever.”
“You couldn’t have known.” Mason’s voice was soothing, like a gentle breeze.
“I should have known! I should have been more responsible than that! The phone could have waited!” My self-hatred came through in every word.
“And now you seek death so that you can rectify this perceived wrong - so that you can pay?” Mason asked.
He was right. Maybe that was the root of my fascination with death. “I should be the one dead, not Johnny. He was just a little boy. He was as innocent as a soul could be.”
Clasping his hands on both sides of my face, Mason tilted my head so that I was looking into his eyes. “I know your pain.”
Lowering his mouth to mine, he kissed me, but it didn’t end there. I eagerly opened my mouth to his probing tongue, letting him draw me into his crushing embrace. Outside, the storm raged while in this place of death, I was finding the strength to endure life.
His lips moved from my mouth to my jaw. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known,” he murmured in a raspy – deep voice.
Along with his soft kisses, I could feel his fangs nipping at my flesh.
My body quivered. It didn’t take long until I’d practically lost my mind. “I want you, Mason,” I gasped.
Pulling back, he looked into my eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Oh yes. I’m sure,” I breathed.
Lifting me into his arms, he cradled me against his chest. The next thing I knew, Mason was placing me on top of the crypt. “Even if I have to make love to you here?” he asked.
“Yes.” I didn’t hesitate.
It was a dance of passion that up until that moment, I could never have imagined. Mason’s lovemaking was beyond anything I had ever experienced.
When our hunger was finally sated, Mason leaned over to kiss me. “That was incredible,” he whispered.
“Thank you, Mason,” I told him, lifting my head to kiss him again.
He chuckled. “You’re kidding, right? It is I who should be thanking you.”
“It was the most unbelievable experience,” I told him.
Sitting up, I took the blouse he was holding out to me.
In the aftermath of our passion, I finally remembered what my mother told me. “Do you know of a vampire that calls himself Nicolas Benolt?”
Mason’s brows came together. “Why?”
“He’s my father.”
The expression on his face shifted from a look of contentment to alarm. “No wonder Kieran wants you.”
Chapter Twelve
“This cannot happen again,” he said, turning away.
Surprised by his behavior, I reached out and touched his arm. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“It’s too dangerous. Not just because of who your father is, but because you share the DNA of a very ancient vampire. There is no telling what a vampire bite would do to you. In fact, you may turn into a monster, like me.”
“You act like your bite is some kind of poisonous venom,” I said, rolling my eyes. “If I’m not mistaken, I would need to actually die after being fed your blood in order to turn.”
“For most people that is true, but you have the blood of an ancient vampire. If you die, it could automatically turn you. Besides, it isn’t really venom, as you call it. What infects us is a virus. It isn’t as if we have scientists checking to see how a born vampire might react to the virus.”
“But I’m fine. Nothing happened.”
When he looked back at me, he was smiling, but it was a sad smile. “We were lucky this time. I can barely control my urges when I am making love to you. It would be too easy to infect you through a wound. If the virus gets into your system -”
“Who is Nicolas?” I asked.
“He is Kieran’s brother. I’m sure this is why he wants me to bring you to him. He wouldn’t want to risk drawing Nicolas’s attention. If you go to him on your own, what could Nicolas do? But sooner or later, he will take the risk, if I don’t bring you to him soon,” he added.
I was silent while I thought about this new twist to my situation.
Mason continued, “He offered to tell me what I want to know about the ancient secrets and to release my bandmate if I did. I told him I would consider it, but that was only to buy some time.”
“But if you brought me to him, it would not be of my own will,” I pointed out.
“Nicolas wouldn’t know that. If you went with me, it would appear as if you did. Your father probably has spies watching you.”
I felt relief wash over me. Finally, I felt as if I could truly trust Mason. His heart was not cold. I knew that now.
“Where can I find my father?” I asked.
“I don’t know. It’s been years since he’s come to New Orleans. He disappeared, but like I said, I’m sure he has his followers watching you.”
“If he was so concerned, why did he leave?” I asked, my bitterness evident.
“He probably didn’t want his brother to know about you,” Mason told me as he was getting into his clothes. “If Kieran can turn you and become your maker, you would be a powerful ally. Many who oppose Kieran have suspected he was up to something but didn’t know what.”
“So his intention has never been to kill me, but to turn me?” I tried to wrap my head around this bizarre twist.
“That is what I suspect.”
“How did he find out?” I asked though I didn’t really expect an answer.
“You likely came to his notice because you were working with Wren. It wouldn’t take much to put it together, considering you use Nicolas’s name.”
Stepping closer, I wrapped my arms around his neck and lightly brushed his lips with a kiss. “Mason, I don’t want this to be all we have.”
Mason closed his eyes. “We can’t chance it.”
“But I think I’m falling in love with you,” I told him, unable to keep the tremble from my voice.
Mason’s eyes snapped open and he peered down at me with something akin to anger. “Don’t love me, Claire. I am a vampire and you are human. We cannot have forever.”
“I don’t care,” I was adamant.
“Claire, I am a creature - a monster. Don’t you get it? I am not your Prince Charming.”
“Maybe I don’t want Prince Charming. Maybe I want a prince of darkness,” I told him, hotly.
Again he closed his eyes as if he couldn’t tolerate looking at me. “Let’s go, C
laire.”
“Can you help me find my father?” My tone of voice had changed. It was now all business. Turning off my emotions was the only way I knew to soothe my aching heart.
“That’s something we can agree on. Finding Nicolas should be our next step,” he said.
Chapter Thirteen
Mason
It was late. The skyline in the east was already turning pink with the dawn of a new day. I could feel my skin getting hot.
The darkness of my coffin was a relief. As morbid as it was to sleep in a coffin, I didn’t have a choice. Basements aren’t a thing in New Orleans.
If a vampire wanted the luxury of a real bed, it would require a light-proof room. Not easy in a place like Louisiana, though I knew some had managed to convert their homes.
The only other option was beneath the earth’s surface. There, a vampire could enjoy the comfort of a bed. Living beneath the earth was safer, but these places didn’t offer the beauty of the night that one could experience above ground.
Could Nicolas have descended into one of the underground vampire cities?
I’d once heard that Nicolas had retreated to Dead Haven.
Maybe it was time I paid a visit?
Though I rarely felt tired, tonight I did. My fatigue was more emotional than physical.
Yes, vampires have emotions.
The vampire may not experience the same range of emotions they did while human, but they were still there. When the emotion was something as powerful as love or hate, a vampire could sometimes feel it even more deeply than he had as a human.
Was I falling in love with Claire?
She had a powerful hold over me, but was it love? I was disturbed by her feelings for me, but even more troubled by my feelings for her. Every moment that I was with Claire, I could feel myself falling deeper and deeper. If I didn’t get out soon, I would never let her go. That would be disastrous.
As far as I was concerned, Claire was the light I’d lost. She carried its essence within her. Loving a vampire would extinguish that light, and that was something I could not let happen. That internal light was one of the reasons she held such power over my emotions.
I would see that she was safe and then I would sleep. I would disappear from the human world for a few decades. When I returned, Claire would be a distant memory, for me as well as the rest of the world.
Closing my eyes, I sought the only haven known to a vampire; sleep. Instead of finding the comfort of oblivion that I desperately needed, I kept seeing her beautiful dark eyes and luscious red lips.
Leaving her would be by far, the hardest thing I’d ever done in my long existence, but it had to be done. To love a vampire meant giving up your life in one way or another. Even if she didn’t turn, she would eventually succumb to the darkness of my world. I could never let that happen.
Chapter Fourteen
After packing an overnight bag, I locked my apartment and sat on the outside stairs to await nightfall, and Mason. It wouldn’t be long now. Only a few more minutes until the sun was down and then he would come.
For two days I didn’t hear or see Mason. But then last night he called and asked if I could be ready by sundown. We were taking a trip.
Of course, I’d wanted to know where we were going but he’d refused to be specific. All he would say is that I would need to pack a few days worth of clothes.
Although I was excited to see him again, doubt reared its ugly head. I trusted him, but what if he changed his mind and decided to turn me over to Kieran?
Dismissing the possibility, I looked at the time on my phone. Not that the time actually mattered. What mattered was how long the sun had been down. I had no doubt that living only at night was one thing that would be difficult to get used to.
Aside from the inconvenience of having a limited time frame when we could travel, there was another problem. Mason had been very blunt about the fact that us making love again was out of the question.
How was I going to be in his company for a couple of days and not want to be with him again?
There was no way I was that strong, especially when it came to Mason. He was way too hot and I’d been way too deprived for too long.
The more time I spent with him, the more I fed my addiction. I was addicted to Mason Romero. He was my drug, my comfort, and my escape from the horrors of life.
Closing my eyes, I imagined what life would be like without Mason. I was sure that sooner or later he would leave me, just like my father had left my mother. Life without him would be dark, as bleak as the darkness I was born to.
I felt his presence before I heard his car approach. Either I had some kind of soul connection with him or I was getting very good at sensing vampires.
As soon as I saw him pull up to the curb, I ran to the car before he had a chance to get out. When I was settled in the front seat, I looked over at Mason. “So where are we going?”
“Well, greetings to you too,” he said with a secretive smile.
“Sorry. I’m just a little nervous about all of this. Why couldn’t you tell me where we’re going?”
Mason pulled onto the road. “We are going to get your friend, Ax, and then we need to go to New York. I didn’t want to let you know ahead of time, just in case there is a vampire out there who can read you.”
“How are we going to do that?” I asked.
It didn’t make a lot of sense. If he couldn’t fly me out to the swamp, I had serious doubts he would attempt to take me all the way to New York. No doubt driving was out of the question. It was at least a two or three day’s drive.
And I couldn’t imagine how he’d convinced Ax to help out. Maybe he’d scared the other vampire into it, which is more than likely exactly what he’d done.
Mason laughed. “The same way most people get to New York. We’re using the airlines. It is only a three-hour flight. Obviously, we’ll have to stay over before our return flight,” he explained.
“Why do we need Ax?”
Still smiling, Mason glanced over at me. “What he’s seen might be enough to entice some truth out of an old vampire, who I happen to know is hanging out in New York.”
Chapter Fifteen
It was only a short flight from New Orleans to New York, but I was glad when it was over. Although I was getting used to staying up all night and sleeping during the day, just sitting in a cramped chair had a way of wearing on me. I was tired.
Throughout the entire flight, Ax complained about the business he was losing by taking this trip.
As we were exiting the airport, Ax did some more complaining. “I just don’t understand. Wyoming is way out west from here. What are we doing in New York?”
All I could do was shrug. Mason still hadn’t told me exactly who we were in New York to see. All he would say was there was someone he had to talk to before we went searching for Shadow Valley.
Outside the airport, Mason hailed a cab. A yellow taxi stopped abruptly and the three of us slid into the backseat.
“Can you take us to the Cortlandt Station?” Mason asked.
The cabby peered at us through his rear-view mirror. I noticed that he had a strange look on his face. “What the hell ya want to go there for? The place is abandoned, and is a shambles.”
“Personal business,” Mason smiled coldly.
The cabby shrugged his meaty shoulders. “Well, ya get all kinds these days,” he muttered to himself.
I gave Mason a curious look, but he betrayed nothing.
A short time later, Mason pointed to a dark street corner. “You can let us off here.”
The cabby pulled over without comment. As soon as Mason paid him, he drove off, but I could see him shaking his head as he pulled back onto the street.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
“Follow me,” Mason told us.
He led us into a dark alley where we came to a steep staircase that appeared to go underground.
“This is the back way in,” he said.
�
�The back way into where?” I asked.
Ax laughed. “He is taking us to Dead Haven. It’s an underground city that was built in the abandoned tunnels beneath New York.”
“Oh.” I really didn’t know what else to say. Over the last few months, I’d kind of grown accustomed to the strange and unexpected.
At the bottom of the staircase, we entered a dark walkway. I couldn’t see a thing once the door to the outside closed behind us. Grabbing Mason’s shirt, I let him guide me through the black hole we’d entered. At least that’s what it seemed like it was.
“You know, I wish you would remember that I can’t see in the dark like you guys.” My words echoed through the empty corridor.
We came to some more stairs that took us further under the city. With my free hand, I held onto the rails, taking the steps slowly. The staircase seemed to go on forever but it did finally end when we came to a door.
Mason pulled the door open and we stepped into a tunnel.
The emergency lights illuminated the tunnel somewhat, though it was dim. Every few seconds the lights flickered, which didn’t do much to put me at ease.
A rat scurried across my foot and I screamed.
Both my companions laughed at the same time. Apparently, they were amused that a mere rodent would frighten me.
“Not much further,” Mason promised.
“I hope not,” I told him.
I wasn’t comfortable with the situation at all. The last thing I thought I would be doing tonight was walking through abandoned subway tunnels beneath New York.
At last, we came to a small break in a cement wall. Mason slipped through and motioned for us to follow. I eyed the opening skeptically, puzzled by the fact that Mason had managed to squeeze through it.
Drawing in a deep breath, I held it as I slipped through the opening. Ax was close behind me.
When my eyes adjusted to the brighter light, what I saw brought a dozen questions to mind. We seemed to be in some type of underground city. There were actual structures built from cement and bricks.
“What is this place?”