Lachlan

by D. B. Reynolds

Lachlan strode back to the main house, taking his time, stopping to have a friendly word with several of his people along the way. He had a good group on the estate. They were accustomed to him being gone for long periods of time, but they still expected him to keep up with what was going on in Inverness. Once he became Lord of Scotland, he’d have to spend more time in Edinburgh, while the Killilan fortress would become even more the occasional getaway. He could see himself on some wintry future night, snowed in there, tucked up in his suite with Julia in his bed. The unexpected thought made him stop for a moment as he crossed the gravel drive. He didn’t know if she’d still even be here by then, or if she’d want to be. Much less in his bed.

  But that was the future. Tonight, she was here, and he wanted her.

  He found her just coming out the kitchen. She had a smile on her face, although not for him. She was looking back, laughing at something Graeme had said. Dressed casually in jeans and hiking boots, with the braid of her pale hair even more striking against a dark sweater, she was just as enticing as she’d been in a tight skirt and heels.

  “Princess,” he said softly. Her head came around, and her smile faded.

  “Lachlan,” she said as coolly as if he was a guy trying to sell her a used car, instead of the man whose dick she’d been sucking just a few hours ago. What the fuck?

  “Did you get something to eat?” he asked cautiously.

  “I did, thank you. Graeme seems to have adapted to this weird schedule of yours.”

  “One person’s weird is another’s normal.”

  “Yes. Are you going out tonight?”

  “No,” he said slowly. “We’re staying here. What’s going on?” Lachlan had never been one to dance around a problem, preferring to confront it head on. And there was clearly a problem here.

  “What do you mean?” she asked, as she headed back down the hall to his, their, bedroom.

  Lachlan followed, closing the door behind him, watching as Julia quickly put the bed between them. As if that would stop him. Using the speed of his vampire nature, he moved and was next to her by the time she saw him take the first step.

  Her eyes were wide and startled when she looked up at him. “How’d you do that?”

  He slipped an arm around her slender waist. “All vampires can move fast. The stronger the vampire, the faster. And I,” he tightened his hold on her, “am very powerful. Now, tell me what the fuck’s going on with you.”

  Her entire body stiffened, eyelids lowering to shutter her gaze. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean you went from sucking my cock to treating me like a stranger in the space of an hour. What happened?”

  “Nothing,” she said, still not looking at him. “I just . . . .”

  He waited while her body softened against his, and she placed one hand against his chest.

  “I’m not . . . good at casual relationships. I think maybe—”

  “Who says this is casual?” he demanded, surprising himself.

  She finally looked at him, her pale blue eyes clear and full of emotion. “Isn’t it? We were supposed to be partners, both of us wanting Erskine dead, which meant spending time together. Then we flew to Malibu and back, and it was just the two of us, and you’re so damn sexy. You have to know—Shit. I didn’t mean to say that.”

  Lachlan tried not to grin, succeeded in keeping his lips tight, at least. Fortunately, Julia didn’t see it, since she was avoiding his gaze again. But at least now he understood her reasons for treating him like he had the plague. “Come on,” he said, sliding his hands down her arm and twining their fingers together. “Let’s get you a jacket. It’s cold out there.”

  “Out where?” she asked, but she didn’t fight him as he pulled her over to the closet. “Where are we going?”

  “I’m going to show you one of the most beautiful sights you’ll ever see.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  JULIA SAT ALL bundled up in her down jacket and wool scarf, gloves on her hands, but that wasn’t what was keeping her warm. No, that would be Lachlan’s strong arm around her, holding her to his side as they sat on a flat rock, overlooking a river that was gleaming silver in the light of a waxing quarter moon. Sure, her butt was freezing, but that was a small price to pay for what truly was a stunningly beautiful sight. Not to mention the gorgeous man sitting next to her. This was the most romantic moment of her life, although she kept that truth to herself.

  Lachlan hadn’t said much as he’d waited for her to put her jacket on. He’d just taken her hand and led her out past the wide-open space in front of the house, to a nearly hidden pathway that rambled through tall grasses that were as green and fresh as if it were spring, instead of fall. She’d realized why when they’d stepped off the path. The ground was soggy beneath her feet, which wasn’t much of a surprise, since Scotland was a wet place, full of rivers and lakes, and waterfalls of all sizes tumbling over cliffs and down hillsides.

  She and Lachlan had made their way through the grass to this pile of stones that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and now sat with their feet on the ground and butts perched on a stone. A cold, cold stone.

  “Is this view the reason you bought the house?” she asked, leaning her head against his shoulder, ignoring her recent debate with herself, which had argued for putting distance between them.

  “In some way,” he replied. “Scotland is full of such places, but that this one came with a big, broken-down estate was a bonus.”

  “When did you buy it?”

  “1963. Recent enough that we knew about indoor plumbing and electricity, at least. Though we’ve had to upgrade the phones more than once, and add all manner of digital connections, of course. But upgrades would have occurred no matter when we bought.”

  They sat without speaking for a few minutes, as her butt went from cold to completely numb, until Lachlan’s arm around her shoulders squeezed tightly, and he said, “What you said earlier, about this being casual. It’s not, you know.”

  Julia’s breath caught, not only at what he’d said, but the way he’d said it. This wasn’t some slick, say anything to get laid proclamation. There’d been a reluctance to his words, as if he’d been having the same doubts as she had, but had come to a different conclusion.

  “I didn’t plan on it either,” he said, as if reading her thoughts. Again.

  She reminded herself to ask him about that. Later. Right now, she wanted to hear what he had to say.

  “I admit, at first, I just wanted you in my bed. I might be a vampire, but I’m still a man. When I meet a smart, beautiful woman, I want to fuck her.”

  Julia slapped his rock-hard thigh lightly.

  “Aye,” he admitted. “Neanderthal and all that. But that attitude didn’t last long with you. We’ve been through some shit these last few days, all around the world. We secured the backing of the most powerful vampire in the world—”

  “He is?”

  “—fought off two separate attacks by people who want you for reasons completely different than my own. And now we’re about to risk our lives to eliminate another very dangerous vampire lord.” He paused, then continued, “I’ve got to tell you, princess, I never thought you’d stick with it.”

  “What? Why not?” she demanded.

  “Look at you. You’re all pretty and pink, with those needle-like heels and tight skirts that hug your ass. You don’t exactly scream ‘killer.’”

  She didn’t know whether to be pleased or insulted. She didn’t want to scream ‘killer,’ but she didn’t like the image of herself as pretty and pink, either. She never wore pink, for God’s sake. “You seemed happy enough when I shot that vampire for you last night. Maybe I should buy a pink gun.”

  He shuddered. “Please don’t. And that’s not my point. I’ve discovered you’re a hell of a lot more than my shallow, male mind first thought.
I like you . . . more than I should. My life isn’t . . . will never be anything close to normal. I’m a vampire. I’ll soon be a vampire lord, with a world of responsibilities.”

  “Why do it then?” she whispered.

  He sighed. “It’s in the blood. Literally. The vampire symbiote makes every vampire more aggressive, more prone to violence. But for those few of us gifted with real power, the ones with the potential to become vampire lords—”

  “Like you,” she said, thinking she knew where this was going.

  “Like me,” he agreed. “For us, it’s more than simple aggression. We’re driven to rule, to conquer every vampire we meet. That’s why vampire lords typically can’t be in the same room with each other for very long. There are exceptions, and I’m told the North American lords have become true allies under Raphael’s guidance. Although I suspect what’s happened over there is that Raphael is so damn powerful, he’s become like a super vampire lord, and the others follow his lead. But that’s not what I want to talk about.” He shifted on his seat, pulling her even closer. “What I’m saying is my life will always be dangerous, and I probably shouldn’t drag anyone else into it, much less a pretty, pink princess.”

  She elbowed him in the gut this time, though she doubted he felt that much either.

  He laughed. “Come on, admit it. You like me, too.”

  “What are we? Twelve?”

  “Not for a very long time,” he said solemnly. “Look, Julia, I don’t know where this will take us, but right now, I don’t want it to end. And it’s not just because of your tight ass, either.”

  “You were doing so well before that.” She sighed, trying to decide how to respond. He was right. She did like him. She thought it might be more than simple “like,” but she wasn’t prepared to face that just yet. She also wasn’t ready to walk away, she admitted. Especially not now, when she knew his feelings mirrored her own. Her hand slid to his thigh and stayed there. “I don’t want to end it, either. And since we’re stuck with each other for the next few days anyway, we might as well see what happens.”

  “Well, that’s insultingly practical.”

  She laughed. “We don’t seem very good at this.”

  He lifted her onto his lap as if she weighed nothing—his wonderfully warm lap—then pulled her down for another one of his luscious kisses. Damn, he was a good kisser. By the time he’d finished, Julia’s bones felt like they’d melted, and her arms around his neck were only managing to remain there because her fingers were linked.

  “I’d throw you to the ground and fuck you right here,” he murmured. “But it’s wet, and I’d much rather—” He tensed abruptly, head tilted slightly as if listening to something. “Let’s go.” He placed her on her feet, then stood next to her, holding on as if wanting to be sure she was steady. “Are you armed?” he asked, his tone hard and no-nonsense.

  “What’s happened?” she asked, rather than answering his question.

  “We have a visitor. Damn. I don’t like—” He stared when she pulled out the small pistol she’d tucked into her jacket pocket after unpacking her suitcase. She’d forgotten it was there until they were leaving the house, but after the attack on the road the previous night, she’d decided to keep it. At only six inches long and weighing a single pound, the micro-compact Sig was barely noticeable, until she pulled it out. “Who is it?”

  “You always carry a gun?” he asked, as he pulled up the jacket’s black nylon hood to cover her blond hair and shadow her face. She started to explain, but he continued without waiting for an answer. “Never mind. Put it away, but keep both hands in your pockets, as if you’re cold. I don’t want him to know you’re armed. Stay behind—”

  “Who is it, Lachlan?” she demanded impatiently.

  He stopped his fussing and lowered his head to meet her eyes. “His name is Tucker. He’s Erskine’s lieutenant, and he’s nearly as powerful as I am.”

  She held his gaze for a moment, gripped by a fear so intense that she could almost hear the sudden, hard pounding of her pulse. Her throat moved in a dry swallow. “Nearly. That means you can take him, right?”

  He slid a hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in. “He might not be here to cause trouble. He could simply be Erskine’s message boy and nothing else. But I can’t assume that.” He kissed her forehead. “Remember what I said. Hands in your pockets, have the gun ready. I’d like to send you directly to the bedroom—”

  “No way in hell am I—”

  “—but I know you won’t go without a fight. And there’s no time. I should have sensed his arrival. That I didn’t means he was shielding for all he’s worth, hiding his presence. It could be just instinct when going into a hostile situation, but again, it could be more. Julia, please,” he said, putting both hands on her shoulders, forcing her to pay attention. “Stay behind me, stay in the shadows if you can. I don’t want him to see you.”

  She went on alert. “Why?”

  “Someone’s been trying to kill you. I think it’s Erskine. If so, then Tucker probably knows about it.”

  Julia was about to argue. Surely this Tucker guy wouldn’t try anything here, not while she was with Lachlan and all his security. But Lachlan was as taut as a horse in the chute, ready to get out there and run. So she nodded her head in agreement, then took his hand and let him lead her, at a much faster pace, back along the barely visible path through the wet grass to the house, where four vampires now stood outside the doors, waiting. Their heads turned in Lachlan’s direction before she could even make out their faces, with one of them coming to meet them as soon as they hit the gravel of the drive.

  “How many, Davie?” Lachlan snapped, without breaking stride as he continued toward the house.

  “Tucker and two, Sire. I’ve got them in the great room.”

  “This have anything to do with the poachers?”

  “No.” Davie’s response was firm. “I tore their brains apart. They really were poachers, nothing else.”

  “Shit. What the hell is this then? Maintain a guard out here. Tell them to keep a cautious eye. If they sense anything—and I mean anything—sound the alert.”

  “I’ll see to it.”

  The vampire walked over to update his men, while Lachlan continued through the front door, his grip on her hand never easing. Focusing on her surroundings, she watched every movement, listened to every word. She didn’t know much about vampire customs, but she’d read and listened to transcripts and videos of enough human meetings, especially the secret kind, that she knew what to look for. Every vampire had once been human. No question that they’d changed when becoming vampires, but from her limited experience, their body language and verbal giveaways remained mostly the same.

  The great room was warm when they walked through the open double doors, with a fire burning on the huge stone hearth. Almost as soon as they walked in, sweat started pooling between her breasts and at the small of her back. But she didn’t take her jacket off, didn’t even push back the hood. Her attention was all for the newcomer—Tucker. She didn’t have to ask which one he was, even though he stood with most of his back to her. The arrogant tilt of his head and the way he’d placed himself apart from the others, even his own men, told her all she needed to know.

  Lachlan let go of her hand almost as soon as they entered, giving her hip a little nudge as they passed the first of four wide, faux pillars that propped up the compass points on the room’s domed roof. The dome itself, she saw, was elaborately painted to mimic a view of the night sky. Whoever had done the painting was no Michelangelo, but was talented.

  Julia remained next to the big pillar, her head lowered slightly, enough that the hood concealed her features, but without appearing to be hiding. Both hands were in her pockets, her right hand on the gun, finger on the trigger guard, thumb near the safety.

  Lachlan kept going, g
iving no outward indication that he cared where she ended up. He didn’t greet their visitor, either. He just strolled directly over to stand next to Davie who’d entered behind them, and now stood with two of his own vampire team, facing off with Tucker and his two. Lachlan’s arrival unbalanced the numbers, but that wasn’t all it did. She’d noticed an uncomfortable static charge when they’d walked into the room, almost like when the winds blew in the desert and the air became so dry that you could feel a tingle against your skin. Except that this was Scotland, and it was wet as hell.

  Even worse, the moment Lachlan entered, uncomfortable had become threatening, as all the air seemed to be sucked out of the room at once. She was still breathing, but her senses were telling her she shouldn’t be able to. The air itself was heavy with menace, pressing on her ears, her chest. A quick look around told her she seemed to be the only one feeling it. Or maybe she was just the only one who couldn’t explain it.

  Vampire magic, she told herself. And damn if it wasn’t real.

  LACHLAN TOUCHED his hand to Davie’s shoulder as he walked forward to face off with Tucker. Davie was strong, but Lachlan could sense his relief that Lachlan had stepped up to take point. Tucker wasn’t only a powerful vampire, he was also a prick. Lachlan wouldn’t have put it past him to pull some asshole trick just to prove that he could. He wouldn’t have gone so far as to challenge Davie, but he might well have tried to provoke him, simply to give himself an excuse to cause pain.

  “Tucker, what an unexpected pleasure,” Lachlan said, his tone making it clear there was no pleasure involved.

  “Lachlan,” Erskine’s lapdog said smoothly. “I missed you in London.”

  “I didn’t know you were looking. We could have had tea.”

  Tucker smiled insincerely.

  “Why are you here?”

  Tucker’s eyebrows went up. “You’re a powerful vampire who recently left Scotland to visit North America. Your return naturally caught Lord Erskine’s notice. He asked me to inquire as to your intentions.”

  “My intentions? This is my home. I wouldn’t think my return to it would be noteworthy.”