The Vampire Awakenings Bundle: Books 1-5

by Davies, Brenda K.

  She didn’t know how to respond to that. He confused her in ways she’d never been confused before, but she knew one thing for certain, he was a killer.

  Paige stood and stared at him before glancing at the wood line again. He turned his attention back to the contents of the shed. He didn’t know what he was looking for inside, something to do perhaps, or maybe something to distract him from the realization it was only the two of them up here now. At least there was some outdoor equipment. He could keep himself occupied with that when he found the lake he could smell in the distance. The crisp smell of fresh water and fish tickled his nostrils.

  “Go ahead,” he told her, sensing her thoughts. “You’re free to go anywhere within a ten mile radius. Be careful, there may be some grizzlies or even wolves in the area.”

  She swallowed nervously. “Grizzlies?” It came out as more of a squeak than she would have liked, but she couldn’t help it. The idea of fighting a vampire didn’t rattle her, but the idea of being Yogi’s picnic basket didn’t sit well with her at all.

  “Probably some mountain lions too.” Paige continued to stare at the trees, longing slid through her but his words kept her riveted to the porch. “Just remember freedom almost always comes with a price.”

  With a sigh, her shoulders slumped. She turned around and walked back into the cabin. Standing in the doorway, staring at the small home, she belatedly realized there was only one bedroom in this place. The possibility of being bear bait didn’t seem all that appalling any more.

  Chapter Eight

  Ian tossed another log onto the fire as the sun set behind the mountains. He had no idea what Brian and Stefan had done here, or why Brian would ever come back, but he’d only been here for two days and he was about to go insane. He’d never considered himself a technology junky; he’d often spent days on end in the wilderness at home. Sleeping in a tent, fishing, hunting animals with his bare hands, swimming in the lake, and lounging beneath the trees had been the way he’d spent a good chunk of his childhood and teens.

  He’d also had his siblings to keep him company then. He hadn’t had to keep an eye on a reluctant companion who hadn’t spoken to him since she’d stormed back into the cabin. He’d never realized how lonely and bored someone could be in the presence of someone else, he did now.

  He’d even enjoy listening to his twin sisters, Abby and Vicky, prattle on about hair and boys right now over this endless nothing. He glanced at Paige again, but she was stalwartly staring at the flames with her chin on her hand. Her legs were curled up on the couch beside her. The bowl of soup from her dinner sat beside her on the table, a book from the shelf behind the bar was open on her lap, but she wasn’t looking at it. It didn’t help that he’d had no sexual release in the past couple of days, or that he could see the pulse of blood in her neck, and smell her apple scent. He was trapped in this cabin with a woman who hated him, and all he craved was to pass the time lying between her thighs. The days would fly by then, he knew.

  Normally going this long without sex would have him ready to tear his skin off, and on the prowl, but the urges weren’t as bad as they usually were, yet. You will get through it when it gets bad; you’re a grown man, you can control yourself, he told himself for the hundredth time that day.

  Unwilling to dwell on it anymore, Ian rose to his feet, stretched his back, and walked over to the bar. The single lantern in the room sat on the corner of the bar. Stepping behind it, he searched the contents before pulling out a bottle of whiskey and one of tequila. “Drink?” he inquired and tilted the bottles invitingly. Her turquoise eyes darted to him. She shook her head before focusing on the fire again. “It’s only going to be the two of us up here for at least a few more days. We can pretend to be civil with each other, and hopefully pass the time faster.”

  “Are hostages supposed to be civilized?”

  He pulled a tumbler from behind the bar and sat it on top. Normally he preferred whiskey, but this was a tequila kind of night. He poured himself a quarter of a glass, glanced up at her and then filled the tumbler. He swirled the clear liquid in the glass before downing it one gulp.

  Lowering the drink, he wasn’t surprised to see her attention finally on him. Her mouth pursed, but she had an interested glint in her eyes as she watched him pour another. “A drunken vampire, what a delight.”

  “Don’t worry, it would take more than both of these bottles to get me drunk,” he assured her.

  She turned to stare at the crackling fire again. The flames danced and played over her skin and lit her vibrant eyes. “There’s some rum back here if that’s more to your taste. No Schnapps though.”

  A ripple of annoyance slid down her back. “What, because I’m a woman I’d prefer Schnapps?”

  Ian grinned as he finally got more than a bored response from her. “No, because you’re so sweet I’d assumed you’d prefer Schnapps.”

  No matter how freaking adorable he looked with that smile and dimple in his cheek, she didn’t appreciate his teasing. “Jackass,” she muttered.

  “There’s some of that sweetness now.”

  She gave him the finger. “I don’t drink Schnapps.”

  “Rum then? Bourbon? Perhaps some Scotch or Gin?”

  She frowned as he downed his second glass of tequila. “That really won’t make you drunk?” she asked doubtfully.

  “Fast metabolism,” he replied. “There are many things that would have a negative result on a human, but not on me.”

  “Including screwing anything with a pulse?”

  He released a snort of laughter, but he could feel his anger rising. “Ouch,” he tried to keep his tone light and casual as he slapped his hands over his heart. Despite his airy demeanor, he resented she knew anything about his history, and she seemed determined to remind him of it every chance she got. “I don’t get diseases either.”

  “Fortunately, for all of those women.”

  Ian could feel his patience fraying. “Would you like a drink or not?” he asked crisply.

  She bit her bottom lip before replying, “Scotch.”

  “That’s not what I would have pegged for you.”

  “And what would you have pegged for me? Oh that’s right, Schnapps.”

  He studied her for a minute. “Now I’m thinking more like a lemon drop.”

  She glowered at him. “I’m not sour.”

  “Oh no, you’re as sweet as a gumdrop.”

  “You’d be sour too if you were a prisoner.”

  Ian’s hand tightened around the glass so forcefully it shattered within his grasp making her jump in her seat. Her gaze flew to the blood dripping from his hand before shooting up to his face. He didn’t feel the bite of the glass in his flesh as he focused on her.

  “You’re not a prisoner,” he grated. “You’re not behind bars, you’ve only lost a bit of your freedom for a very short time, and as soon as everything is sorted out, you will be set free.”

  He grabbed a towel from behind the bar and pulled out the pieces of glass embedded in his palm. Placing them on the bar, he hastily wiped his blood away and wrapped the towel around his hand. He could feel the stretching of his flesh and a tingling in the tissue knitting back together as the gashes repaired themselves. Picking up the trashcan, he tossed the pieces of glass into it. When he was done, he grabbed two new glasses, poured each of them a drink and walked over to hand hers to her.

  Paige glanced at the towel wrapped around his hand. Specks of blood marred it, but she couldn’t tell the extent of the damage he’d done to himself. Maybe she should be frightened by what had happened, this was the first time she’d seen him show any sign of frustration or annoyance, and she was alone with him, but for some reason she didn’t think he would hurt her. It made absolutely no sense to her, she knew what he was. However, she couldn’t shake the feeling. When he handed her the glass, he was in complete control again.

  “Thank you,” she murmured as he walked back over to the bar. Pulling the bloody towel from his hand, he wi
ped away the last of his blood and threw it in the trashcan. “Is your hand ok?”

  He held the cleaned and healed palm up for her to see. “Fine.”

  Her mouth fell open before she could stop it. She’d known vampires healed fast, but holy cow that was insane! Trying to distract herself from the disconcerting healing properties of the living dead, she decided on a change of topic. “For all you know, a gumdrop could be sour. It’s not like human food is your thing.”

  Ian grinned as he leaned on the bar, relieved to see she’d regained her antagonistic demeanor after the shock of seeing his hand. “I may have been born a vampire, but I have tried a gumdrop before in my time.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “Why not? Just as I suppose you’re curious about some vampire things, I was also curious about human things. I’ve tried most human foods and often ate at college in order to keep up appearances.”

  She’d never really considered that he would have to do human things in order to fit in, but he’d successfully pulled off the charade his whole life. “What did you think of it?”

  “Not bad. Not something that satisfies me, or appeals to me more than blood does, but I did enjoy fudge.”

  “Fudge?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Preferably peanut butter.”

  She laughed as she shook her head and stared into the liquid in her glass. “You’re so strange.”

  “So I’ve been told, mostly by my siblings.”

  “I don’t have any siblings.”

  “What of your parents?”

  “Dead.” Not entirely a lie, but she wasn’t about to get into her screwed up family history with him. She swallowed the rest of her Scotch, made a face, and handed the glass out to him. “Another please.”

  He took the glass from her. “I’m sorry to hear that. Do you mind if I asked what happened?”

  Her eyes darkened. “My mom died four years ago.”

  “And your father?”

  Paige turned to look at the flames leaping in the fireplace as memories danced through her mind. She didn’t shy away from them, they’d haunted her every day of the last four years; there was nowhere for her to hide from them. No, she met them head on and let them fuel her in every thing she did. They drove her through every action of her life. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward Ian.

  “I’m not sure when he died.” Again, not entirely a lie, but it was all she was going to say on the matter.

  Ian paused in the act of refilling her drink and lifted his head to look at her. Her eyes unwaveringly held his, but the haunted look in her gaze made him realize there was more to that statement. “Did you know him well?”

  “No, but far more than I would have liked.” A muscle twitched in her cheek. Her full lips pressed so firmly together they became a thin line. Ian walked over and handed her the glass. She clasped it between both of her hands and downed more than half of it in one swallow. “It’s been months since I drank,” she murmured.

  “It doesn’t hurt to relax every once in a while.”

  She chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t know the meaning of the word.”

  “No, you don’t seem to.”

  “All you do is relax. You were always having fun at the bar.”

  Ian stared at her, tempted to push her further about her father, but a smile was actually playing at the corners of her mouth. He couldn’t bring himself to upset her again, something the subject of her father obviously did. “I have my moments of seriousness,” he assured her.

  “I doubt that.”

  “We all have our crosses to bear.”

  “And what is yours?”

  “That’s a boring story dear Paige.” She thrust out her empty glass again. “I’m going to assume you do get drunk, probably rather easily judging by the size of you.”

  “I can handle myself,” she assured him and waved the glass at him.

  “I’m not holding your hair back if you puke,” he told her when he took the glass again.

  She threw her shoulders back and thrust out her chin. “I, sir, do not puke.”

  He chuckled as he topped off her drink and handed it back to her. Color flushed her cheeks, her eyes were already taking on a glassy shine that the firelight illuminated. “I’m going to hold you to that in a couple of hours.”

  She tapped her finger against the glass while she watched him. “Are you playing with me? Do you plan to kill me?”

  “You’d be dead if I planned to kill you.”

  “Maybe this is a game to you.”

  “The only games I play are recreational. I’m not one for mind games or playing with people. In fact, I try very hard not to hurt people.”

  She tilted her head as she stared at him. “How do you feed without hurting them?”

  He ran a hand through his hair before settling on the other end of the couch. “Do you really want the answer to that?”

  “I want the answer to anything you’re willing to tell me. It would definitely help to put me at ease, and make you a little more trustworthy.”

  He stared at the fire before looking at her again. He didn’t know what to make of this woman who was as prickly as a cactus most of the time, yet he sensed something warmer and far more vulnerable beneath her surface. He felt the irresistible urge to touch her in order to help put her at ease. His touch would probably be the last thing she’d welcome or that would help her to relax. He’d do anything to make her like him a little more, trust him just the tiniest bit, but if he told her how he fed, the answer would irritate her, and may push her further away.

  He’d never been one to beat around the bush or lie; he wasn’t about to start now. She’d asked, and he would give her what she wanted. “I feed from the women who go home with me.”

  The flare of her nostrils was the only reaction she exhibited to his words. “All of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “And they don’t know about it?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t you feel bad doing that without their knowledge?”

  “No. You may think it’s wrong, but I do it to survive. I never take enough to impair them; they don’t know what’s really happening, and they leave in the morning more satisfied than they’ve ever been.”

  Paige didn’t know how to respond to that. It repulsed her to think of someone doing that to another human being. However, when he’d said they left the next day more satisfied than they’d ever been the next day, a jolt had gone through her. She felt a tightening in her belly, excitement fluttered through her at the image his words conjured within her. She glanced accusingly at her drink, but she knew the yearning she felt had nothing to do with the alcohol and everything to do with the man himself.

  Her heart rate increased, her palms felt sweaty and despite her every intention not to, she found herself looking at his full mouth. She could well imagine how satisfied those women had been. A shiver ran through her; her hand began to sweat on the glass. The liquid was warm enough without her added body heat, but she didn’t think she’d ever cool down again.

  “That seems like a violation,” she finally murmured.

  His sky colored eyes didn’t flicker as they held hers. “They come to my bed willingly.”

  “Do you think they would if they knew you were going to drink their blood?”

  “Probably not.” She had to give him credit, he didn’t try to avoid her questions, and he really didn’t seem to be a liar. “But the women I take back with me aren’t drunk, they’re aware of everything happening to them, other than my feeding from them. They think it’s nothing more than a hickey. You don’t approve, but I’m not ashamed of what I am, or what I have to do to survive. This is how I do it.”

  “But…”

  “You asked me a question, I answered it. I understand your feelings on it, but I didn’t ask for your opinion or your judgement. I’ve never judged anything you’ve done, even if I don’t agree with it.”

  She bit back her words. “Fair enough. How will you
feed while we’re up here?” It took all she had to keep her hand from fluttering up to the scars on her neck. She’d been fed from before; she could clearly recall the pain, the violation and helplessness she’d experienced from it. She’d been certain she was going to die, but she’d survived, twice now.

  “You’re safe with me.” The terrified look in her eyes caused him to utter those words. “The animals in the woods will satisfy me.” He held up a hand to ward off her next question. “No, I don’t kill them, I set them all free.”

  “When I was attacked, it hurt, a lot,” she murmured. “How do those women not know what you’re doing?”

  “It doesn’t hurt if you don’t fight it, it’s actually extremely enjoyable, especially during sex.”

  Was she having hot flashes? She had to fight the urge to fan herself, excitement fluttered in her belly at his words. His eyes held hers over the top of his glass as he took a sip of his drink. He knew the effect he had on her, she was certain of it.

  “Oh,” she muttered and focused on her drink.

  He opened his mouth to continue to tease her, but her hand fluttered up to her neck, and the color faded from her face. The firelight flickering over her illuminated the horror shining in her eyes. His amusement faded as unexpected anger swirled within him. “Was it random, or did you know the vampire who attacked you?” he asked.

  A bitter laugh escaped her, she swirled the liquid in her glass. “Depends on your definition of know? Do I know who he was? Yes. Do I know him? No.”

  He frowned over her words and leaned against the corner of the bar. “Who was it?”

  “That’s not something I wish to discuss.” Ian decided not to push her further. She’d only shut down on him again and stop talking. Paige fiddled with her hands before glancing at him from under her lashes. “He’ll find me you know. He’ll come for me here.”

  Ian shook his head. “No one followed us here; I made sure of it.”