“Imants. Imants,” Reinis growled. He shot up in his chair, shoving it back against the kitchen cabinets. “Where are you?”
The imprint battered his chest in a harsh alarm that only occurred one other time in his life. When Velta attacked Sarma. And almost killed her. He bolted down the hall to look for his mother and Imants. Why hadn’t they heard him? Where were they?
Daina sauntered out of the nursery and glanced up at him. By the look in her eyes, he must have appeared like a madman. With a tightly sealed mouth, she backed up against the wall.
“Auseklis is fine. He’s sound asleep. What’s going on?”
He shook his head. “Something is wrong with Sarma. Where are Imants and my mammu?”
“They went to the manor for elder business. Said they would be back soon.”
His chest constricted with a sharp, stabbing pain. He grasped the top of his shirt and doubled over. The imprint sent out a jarring vibration. Moments later, it went dark. Oh, god, no. What the fuck happened to her? All the strength drained from his legs, but Daina grabbed his hand and he forced himself to stand. He coughed, trying to catch his breath.
“I’m going to Liepāja. Now.” He took off down the hall in a dead run, then grabbed his coat and cell phone.
“I would go with you, but I have to watch your son,” Daina called after him. “You can’t go alone!”
“Stay with Auseklis. Call Aivars and get some guards here. Lock down the house! I fear for Sarma’s and Auseklis’ life.”
Outside, heavy snowfall clouded the sky, and if he were human, he’d barely be able to see a thing. He reached out to Sarma through the imprint to gather any sense she might be okay. But nothing came back. Not a whisper. He pounded a fist into his open palm. What an idiot he was. Why the hell did he let her go to Liepāja? What was wrong with him?
Feet scraped along the frozen path ahead and he squinted through the drift. His mother and Imants approached the house. He raced to Imants, almost crashing into him.
He grasped Imants’ shoulders and shook him. “Sarma is in trouble. I need you to follow me to Liepāja. Mammu, go to Daina. She’s alone with Auseklis. You need to inform Aivars to keep him safe. Go!”
Imants grasped his forearms. “I came rushing back because someone just called me. Told me I should get to Liepāja or Sarma will die. But the damn reception cut out and I didn’t hear where. When I called back, they didn’t answer.”
“Fuck.” Reinis let Imants’ shoulders go, clenched his fists and screamed into the stormy night.
Laima said nothing but rushed toward the house. Imants and he took off into the air, flying toward the biggest city nearby. He kept sending out a signal to Sarma through the imprint, hoping to get a ping back. Nothing returned. Ice shards battered them, but he pushed ahead, ignoring the below freezing temperatures. Not even vampires could take this cold for too long. He closed his mindguards so Imants couldn’t read his thoughts. No way he wanted Sarma’s father to know the imprint had gone silent.
That usually meant one thing. Death.
~ * ~
Sarma couldn’t figure out if she was dreaming or if the cold made her mind snap and she’d gone insane. Over her stood the giant statue of a woman shielding her face with one arm.
Her arms and legs hurt so badly, she could cry, and she couldn’t move them. Bound with titanium chains, the only metal her thoughts had no control over. House of the White Swan had tied her up. Then they had sprinkled her with some strange powder. A cross between cinnamon and something bitter smelling.
The biting cold froze her so deeply, she was beyond shivering. At first, her skin itched, then she couldn’t feel it anymore. At least the pain from the beating they gave her was numbed. Her eyes hazed and the statue kept becoming two. She blinked, trying to stay awake. Her eyes drooped and she shook her head again. She was nodding off.
Why did she agree to meet her mother? Gunita had led her into a trap. When members of House of the White Swan tied her up, they thought she was knocked out. In truth, she had fainted, but she came to when they placed the chains around her limbs behind her back. She was bait. They really wanted Imants. They were going to wait and kill him as soon as he showed up. But how did they know he would come? Somehow her mother lured her here with promises to tell her the truth. Gunita had set up the whole rotten ambush. And now her father and she would die.
Her head fell to the side again. Her strength dwindled and sleepiness swamped her. She wanted so badly to give in and fall asleep, but she had to stay awake for Auseklis. And for her dear heartmate, Reinis. Coming here was one of the worst decisions she’d ever made. Now she’d never see her son or the love of her life again. Never caress her son’s perfect, soft skin, or make him strong and healthy. She’d never snuggle him in her arms or press her nose into his tiny neck, inhaling his sweet, baby scent. If tears could run down her face, she’d be sobbing.
As awful as her mother had turned out to be, she was right. She was a monster. A horrible, evil vampire, who set up her father and abandoned her son for answers that turned out to be worse than she imagined. Now she wouldn’t get a chance to tell her father she cared for him, wanted him in her life. Damn it.
She’d always wanted a father, and she’d squandered the opportunity. And she’d wasted so much damn time not giving her son the blood he needed. Disgust for herself had paralyzed her, blocked her from helping her most precious treasure. Her lovely Morning Star. Now with her awful choices, she had proved her mother right.
She’d let Reinis down. The male who’d defended, protected, and loved her more deeply than anyone. Imants warned her. Reinis warned her. And she’d never given him 100 percent of herself. He’d always craved making love while sharing their sacred blood together. But she never granted him that. She’d always been too afraid. Too afraid the bite would hurt like when Velta tried to kill her. Why did she come here? Oh god, why?
A shudder rolled through her body and her eyes flitted shut.
~ * ~
On the ground, a snowy mass clouded Reinis’ vision. With no imprint to depend on, he’d have to rely on the scent of Sarma’s body and blood. He’d recognize those if he were the walking dead. This couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t be lost…forever. She’d already had two side-swipes with death—one when Velta tried to kill her and the other when their son was born. Some said the third time was a charm.
As soon as Liepāja’s lights twinkled below, he swooped down toward the city, breathing the air intensely for any trace of his beloved heartmate. Imants followed close behind him. Though they were cloaked by night, Reinis put up a mental shield around them. No human could see them even if the person glanced in their direction.
The trail of her fragrance began near a small café, but her physical body did not remain there. He followed the path toward the beach. What the hell was she doing at the beach? With some other person’s scent he didn’t recognize. Her favorite place, yes, but a good idea to visit in the dead of winter with a blizzard? Hell no.
Frigid gusts kicked up around them, stinging his face. He shuddered, imagining Sarma lying somewhere below. They passed the park and landed with a thud in layers of snow on the sand. Every hair on the back of his neck and arms stood straight on end. A bone-chilling shudder split him in half. His nose picked up on something he didn’t expect.
His blood revved into high gear, propelling him forward in a blur of a dash. Imants stayed on his heels, their boots crunching across ice. Damn them all. He’d rip out their hearts with his bare hands. He gestured to Imants to take up the right while he ran left. There would be no surprise, but he didn’t give a damn. All he cared about was saving Sarma. But he lost her scent. Why?
From House of the White Swan, Elza and Guna—AKA trap and torture—stood in the shadows of several pine trees. He hadn’t seen his twin cousins since the night they stalked Sarma at the club in Riga where they met.
A human struggled in their hands, an older lady whining with a gag around her mouth. She uselessl
y fought one of his blond enemy’s hands. The wench laughed, dark web-like lines framing her eyes and curling down her cheeks. She pulled the cloth in the human’s mouth tighter. Reinis charged her, twisted the human woman out of her arms, and put the twin into a headlock.
“Where the fuck is Sarma?” Reinis growled, his fangs extending like a switch blade. Dita trained them too well.
Imants grabbed the human and shielded her from the other twin’s punches. “Gunita. What are you doing here?”
The vamp twisted around, escaped Reinis’ hold and punched him in the side of the head. Snow clouded his vision for a moment, and when he looked up, the second twin brandished a knife in her hand. Imants cracked her in the knee with a swift kick while he still held onto Gunita. Reinis shot his glance around the forest. The temperature had dropped to a dangerous level and he still didn’t know where Sarma was.
He grabbed the bitch again, twisted her arm behind her and pulled her up against him. “Tell me where Sarma is or I’ll break your neck. Now speak.”
She gasped in pain but didn’t say a word. Her chest heaved and she tried to escape but couldn’t. With pain weakening her, he combed her mind for any clue for where they held Sarma. Through her sieve-like mindguards, a clue filtered through but he couldn’t narrow in on the location. Why couldn’t he smell Sarma anymore? A movement in the corner of his eye distracted him and he lost the thread he followed in her mind.
Across the clearing, two males leapt from the darkness and charged Imants. How had Pavils, another of Dita’s coven, and the other guy hidden themselves? Reinis should have sensed them. The other twin swung the knife toward Imants. He dodged her, shoving Gunita out of the way.
Reinis drop kicked his female to the ground. When he looked up, Pavils held Imants’ arms behind his back, and the other blonde plunged the knife into Imants’ shoulder, pulled it out, and stabbed him a second time. Blood sprayed down his jacket and across the snow. She went for a third strike when Gunita ripped the gag out of her mouth and screamed.
“I’m sorry, Imants but I had to do it. You ruined our lives!”
Imants shoved back, trying to escape the hold, but his legs wavered as he continued to bleed. Pavils socked Imants on the side of the head, and the other male grabbed Gunita, swooping her into the air.
“Shut up! You humans are so annoying!” He took off into the woods into the opposite direction he’d come, hauling off Gunita in his arms.
She squirmed, kicked, and shouted, “Just don’t hurt my daughter! Sarma? Where’s Sarma?”
Reinis charged the still standing female. Every one of his enemies’ faces wore those hideous dark lines around their eyes and cheeks that appeared from their corrupted blood. Gave him the creeps. Reinis tore the knife out of her hand and threw it to the ground. She swung around to kick him, but he blocked her. Imants collapsed onto the ground, Pavils kicking him again and again, slamming his sides.
Reinis ditched the twin and attacked Pavils, full force. He beat him, not giving him time to react. The twins rushed toward them, trying to get to Imants. Pavils punched him in the face several times, splitting Reinis’ cheek. He shoved Pavils back, then kicked him with all he had in the balls.
Despite the power of their species, no male could withstand the overwhelming pain ricocheting through Pavils’ body. When he doubled over, Reinis shoved one of the twins aside, and scooped up Imants. Both females reorganized, slugging and kicking him from each side. Reinis grunted and took their hits, pain blitzing his ribs.
Through the white covered clearing, he trudged. Imants was passed out and his blood left a trail as he moved in the direction the other male ran. Though females, their strikes caused him enough pain to lacerate him and crack his bones. He wouldn’t be able to take this much longer.
Without warning, he placed Imants on the ground, and grabbed one of the sisters by the hair. She screamed, twisting her face in agony. The other attacked Imants again while Reinis worked through the twin’s mind that he had in his hands. With the pressure he applied to her, she couldn’t block her thoughts anymore. Reinis yanked Sarma’s location free then threw her to the ground.
He struck again, knocking the other twin out, then collected Imants. Not wasting any more time, he did a one eighty, sprinting through thick flurries toward the statue of woman overlooking the sea. With Imants in his arms, he lifted off the beach, flying through the air. He landed on the top of the concrete stairs at the base of the monument.
Sarma lay balled up on the ground next to the stone pillar staring out to the dark ocean. Her gaze sent a stomach-curling shudder through Reinis’ body. She gave a warning of danger, to all the fisherman the water had taken. All the men who had been lost. He glanced down at Sarma, still motionless, half frozen on the ground.
Chapter 21
Several inches of snow gathered around Reinis’ feet and Sarma’s body, her hands and feet tied with chain behind her. Reinis placed Imants on the ground again, then took his pulse. His heart lumbered along, and the wounds still seeped with blood. He couldn’t carry them both. How the hell would he get them both home?
He sank beside his heartmate, his hands trembling, his heart constricted, too afraid to reach out and touch her. Snowflakes dusted her hair, pale cheeks, and her eyelashes around closed eyes. What if…he couldn’t finish the thought. He edged his hands closer, and tears welled in his eyes, but he shook his head, not allowing them to fall. Was he too late?
With two fingers, he slid them below her chin to check for a pulse. A sluggish, waning beat thud beneath her delicate skin. Why did he let her leave the house? What was she doing on the beach? What the hell did they do to her? He needed to wake up either Sarma or Imants. No one from his coven would come right now. They had no clue where they were. His heartmate. The mother of his child…He shook his head and cursed under his breath.
After slashing his wrist, he dripped blood into Sarma’s lips, then did the same to Imants. Sarma didn’t stir, but Imants jerked and sat up. He popped his eyes open and swayed, leaning on the ground to catch himself from tipping over.
“You found her. What’s wrong?” Imants rubbed his eyes and forehead.
“Can you fly? We need to get her home.” Damn it. Titanium chains. He couldn’t open them with mind control. He’d have to take her home like this. He gathered her in his arms. His heart slammed in his chest. He pushed off the ground before Imants answered.
“I think so.” He pushed himself to his feet, grasping the statue. “Let’s hurry.”
Would Imants make it himself? They tore him up, but Reinis couldn’t wait any longer. “If you can’t, hide out, and I’ll come back for you.”
Wind rushed around them, coming off the ocean in gusts, kicking up the snow. The flakes hadn’t stopped falling and Reinis’ body hurt like hell. Imants lifted off the ground, wavered for a moment, then continued. Up they flew, back into the clouds, with Sarma’s face cradled in his neck. She moaned with her arms tight behind her back. This couldn’t be the end of her, of their time together. They barely got a few months and hadn’t even had a chance to enjoy their son. Oh god. Their son needed her more than he did.
Snow crunched under their leather boots as they landed next to the farmstead. They rushed inside with Imants grunting and groaning. He hobbled along, trying to keep up with Reinis’ fast pace. Reinis barged into the house and didn’t stop at his mother’s and uncle’s pleas. Inside his bedroom, he laid Sarma down, slit his wrist, and placed it on her lips. Laima sat next to them with Imants and Miervaldis lingering nearby. She removed Sarma’s boots and massaged her legs. Miervaldis ran out of the room, and when he returned, he worked to get the chains off her arms.
“She’s been exposed—no vampire can take such cold for too long. Stay calm and feed her, Reinis,” Laima instructed. After she covered Sarma with a wool blanket, she continued to rub her limbs.
Sarma’s fangs shot out and she bit down on his wrist. She sucked hard, gulping down his blood for several minutes. Reinis exhaled sharply. H
is heart swelled. Sarma had reacted.
“At the beach, she didn’t respond.” He ran his fingers through the damp strands of her hair and down a cheek. She fed for a few moments more, then licked the wound closed.
“I’m sure the fact that she hasn’t fed lately, along with the cold, got to her,” Laima said while still working.
Reinis gripped her hand. Sarma’s eyes popped open and she looked for Reinis then her father. Her eyebrow furrowed, then a sob gushed from her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” Sarma wailed. “It was a setup. Oh, god, it was a setup. I’m so sorry. Where’s Auseklis? Dad, are you okay? I thought they’d kill you.”
Imants collapsed on the bed, bracing himself on the wooden frame at the end. His upper body slumped over, he trembled, barely able to hold himself up. Reinis pulled her into his arms and buried his nose in her hair. Her light magnolia scent flooded his senses, and he embraced her tighter. Slowly, she quieted in his arms, though she gripped him like she never wanted to let him go.
“Another vampire might have died. My age and strength kept me alive. And Reinis gave me a few drops to get home.” He wheezed and coughed.
Laima went around the bed to Imants’ side. “You’re not well. Let me feed you.” She extended her wrist and Imants accepted, sinking his incisors into her flesh.
For several minutes, no one spoke. Daina entered the room, delivered Auseklis to Sarma, and then left them alone. Sarma took him into her arms and kissed him on the forehead.
“What I don’t understand is why I lost your trail when we hit the beach,” Reinis said.
Laima sniffed the air. “They sprinkled her with a mix of imbued cinnamon and mugwort to cloak her. You would have been able to follow her until you got close, then it would be like she disappeared.”
He caressed Sarma’s cheek with his thumb. “If I hadn’t read the mind of one of those twins, I wouldn’t have found you, Sarma. The same thing happened at the site where we found them. Imants and I came upon the two females alone, but then suddenly Pavils and another male appeared out of nowhere. We didn’t smell them at all.”
Darkness Born: Paranormal Vampire Romance (Immortal Desire Series Book 1.5) Page 10