Panic bolted through her, followed by a whirlwind of dread. “You can help him, can’t you? You have to help him.”
“Actually, you’re the one who can help.” He leveled a stare at her. “If you’re interested.”
“What can I do?”
He glanced at the locked door. “You can start by letting me in. Talking loudly through all this glass isn’t the smartest thing. The last thing we need is for Sam to overhear what we’re up to.”
He was right. She knew that, but she hesitated anyway.
Duh. He was a vampire. A bloodsucker. A creature of the night.
While she trusted Jake not to hurt her, what did she know of the rest of his kind?
At the same time, this wasn’t just any vampire. This was Jake’s friend, and he needed her help.
She had a sudden vision of Jake lying somewhere, a stake through his heart, and she stepped forward. Throwing the dead bolt, she pulled open the door and Garret Sawyer walked into her shop.
“How can I help?” She shut the door behind him.
“First off, Jake needs to feed.”
“He fed last night.”
“It’s not enough.” Garret shook his head. “The more he feeds, the more powerful he is.” His gaze went to her neck. “Are you up for this?”
“Of course.” She touched a hand to the faint bruises that still remained. The tiny prick points had healed with remarkable speed. By tomorrow there would be no trace that Jake had ever touched her, much less drunk from her essence. A prickle of regret went through her, followed by renewed determination. “I’ll do everything I can.”
“I’ll take you to him, then, and you can feed him again.”
She nodded and turned to retrieve her purse. She’d just grabbed the leather strap when she felt his presence behind her. “I’m ready,” she said as she turned.
“So am I.” He stood right behind her, so close he almost touched her. But he didn’t.
Not with his hands.
But his eyes…They reached out, beckoning to her, pulling her in.
In a trembling moment Nikki realized that this was what Jake had been talking about when he’d said that vampires had the power to entrance humans. To mesmerize them until they were weak and willing and…
No!
She summoned her strength and steeled herself against the strange look in his gaze, but it was too late.
The floor trembled and her legs shook, and then she felt herself crumble. And then the darkness closed in.
18
“YOU DO LOVE HIM.”
The voice sounded in Nikki’s ears the moment she forced her eyes open. Her head throbbed and her back hurt. Her mouth tasted gritty, her tongue thick. She blinked, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness and the figure who loomed over her, blocking out what little bit of moonlight pushed into the deserted barn.
Scratchy rope wound around her ankles and pulled tight. But not too tight. She could still feel her toes. Rough fingers rasped against the bare skin of her feet as the shadow looped strands and fastened them together.
Seconds ticked by as she struggled to remember the past moments, but it was too dark and her head hurt too much.
“Try to keep your eyes open and the dizziness will fade.” The shadow spoke again, the voice faintly familiar.
In a rush, memories flooded her. Garret’s unexpected visit to her salon. Her invitation for him to come in. Their discussion about Jake and—
Garret.
“You’ve got it bad,” he added. “Otherwise you would still be out of it.” He finished the last knot, sat back on his haunches and tugged to test his handiwork.
“What did you do to me?” Her voice sounded gravelly at first, but with each word her lips started to feel like her own once again.
“It’s called a trance. And it usually has a lot more staying power. But since you’re hooked on Jake, you’re resistant to my charms.” He shrugged. “I thought that might be the case when I saw how broken up he was last night.” He tugged on the ropes again. “That’s what these are for.”
“I thought you were his friend.”
“I am.” A tortured light touched his eyes, as if he warred deep inside himself. Good versus evil. Enemies against friends. “But self-preservation comes first. I can’t let him show up for the turning. I won’t.”
“It’s you,” Nikki said as the full meaning of his words hit her. “You’re Sam Black.”
“I was. A long, long time ago.” He shook his head. “Then I was Sam Sawyer. Then Billy Black. And now I’m Garret Sawyer. It’s a vampire’s way. We have to protect our true nature and so we change. People die. Vampires change their names.”
“But you’re a hero.” It was stupid thing to say, but it was all that popped into her brain at that moment. She was still reeling from the truth. Garret was Sam Black. The Sam Black.
“I was no such thing.” He looked almost wistful when he spoke, the words laced with regret. “I was just a lucky kid defending my home. My people.” He shook his head and the tortured light returned. Pain laced his words. “I was lucky, all right. Then my luck ran out.” He stiffened as he seemed to realize that he’d said too much. “I’m no hero. I’m a vampire. Remember that.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“To keep Jake out of the way so I can do what I have to do. If he’s busy looking for you—and he will be because the two of you are linked now—then he won’t confront me. He’ll never know who I am.”
“He won’t give up his chance at humanity to look for me.” Even as she said the words, she knew she was wrong. He would come after her just as Garret predicted—and he would miss his chance at redemption.
“If he comes looking for me, I’ll tell him it’s you. He’ll go after you.”
“Then we’ll face off if…when the time comes. But not now.”
“Why not just kill me?” The words were out before she could stop them. Idiot, a voice whispered. Don’t go giving him ideas.
But she knew that killing her wasn’t a possibility he hadn’t already thought of. For whatever reason, he’d chosen not to act on it. She could see it in the firm but gentle way he checked the ropes on her ankles. He reached up and tested her hands.
“It’s really tight.”
He didn’t look as if he believed her, but she made a big show of wincing and he worked at the knots. The ties loosened just a hair.
“Better?” His gaze found hers.
“Thank you.” She watched as he pushed to his feet and walked around the barn, checking windows to make sure the shutters were firmly in place. “Why don’t you just kill him? Then you wouldn’t spend the rest of eternity looking over your shoulder. You did it once.”
“I didn’t mean—” he started, but then he shook his head.
“You didn’t mean what? To kill him? You’re a vampire. That’s what you do.”
He paused, his hand on one shutter, and he stiffened. “Trying to talk me into it, are you? Maybe you don’t care for him as much as he thinks you do.”
But she did care about Jake.
And so did Garret.
“He’ll kill you,” she told him.
“I have no doubt. Why do you think I’m going to all this trouble?” He walked toward her. “I don’t want to kill Jake, but I don’t want him to kill me, either.” He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a roll of tape. Tearing off a piece, he leaned toward her.
“You don’t have to do—” The tape covered her mouth and all that came out was a squeal.
“The longer it takes him to find you, the better. The turning will be over and I’ll be gone by then.”
And if not?
Jake would kill him. She knew it. She felt it.
As much as she suddenly disliked Garret, she couldn’t let Jake do that. Not because she cared for the traitorous vampire. No, she cared for Jake. No way would he be able to live with himself if he killed Garret Sawyer.
Because Jake wasn’t a killer.
He
might be a vampire, but he wasn’t cold or ruthless or any of those things. He cared about people. He cared about her. And he cared about Garret.
She closed her eyes and called out to him.
SAM HAD NIKKI.
Jake knew it even before her desperate voice rushed through his head just an hour before midnight.
It was a ploy. A trick to lure him away from the square. He’d suspected Sam might use her ever since he’d had the first dream, and the voice now was proof.
She was okay. Last night, their connection increased tenfold. The bond was now solid. Unbreakable. He would have sensed pain. Rather, he felt her frenzy. Her anxiety. She was eager to get free, but she was unharmed.
Soon, he sent her the silent promise. I’ll come for you soon.
He fought the urge to go to her and blocked out her frantic calls. Time was a luxury now, and he had too much riding on the confrontation to risk being even a second late.
His future waited for him. A future filled with sunlight and Nikki.
He gripped the edge of the rocks and pulled his dripping body from the spring. In minutes he was dry and dressed and ready. He pulled the stake from his saddlebags and hooked it in the back waistband of his pants. He spared a glance at the empty bedroll nearby. Garret had promised to meet him in town. Jake had no doubt he was probably feeding, strengthening himself so that he could help with the confrontation. He needn’t bother. Jake wasn’t going to let Garret fight his battles. He was going to scope out the area and keep his eyes open. He wouldn’t be a sitting duck.
Climbing on the bike, he turned the key and kicked the starter. The engine caught, roaring to life in a puff of noise and smoke. Kicking the gear, Jake sent the bike roaring from the cave, headed straight for town.
It was time.
IT’S ME, DAMMIT. Nikki sent the thought out to Jake, but it was useless. She didn’t hear his deep, soothing voice in her head. Nothing since he’d sent her the first message. For whatever reason, he was tuning her out.
She fought down a wave of aggravation and struggled against the ropes. They pushed and pulled, but they didn’t give. She scooted to the left, searching for something—anything—to saw through the ropes. Other than a sprinkling of hay here and there, there was nothing. The barn had obviously been deserted for quite some time.
Struggling toward the door, she rocked flat on her back and pulled up her knees. She was just about to kick the door as hard as she could when something flashed in her peripheral vision.
She turned her head to the side in time to see Dillon Cash peer inside one of the windows. His gaze landed on her and relief swept through her.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m going to get you out of here.”
A few seconds later, she heard a dull thud on the outside of the door. Metal scraped and wood cracked and the door popped open.
“I think I love you,” she blurted when he pulled the tape from her mouth. When a blush darkened his face, she added, “I’m speaking figuratively, Dill. I’m just really glad to see you. What are you doing here?”
“I was working late and I saw your lights on in the salon.” He pushed the thick glasses back up onto the bridge of his nose and pulled a small knife from his pocket of tools. He started sawing at the ropes that bound her hands. “I figured I would drop your computer off so you’d have it for tomorrow morning. I was just about to leave my place when I saw you with that guy. You looked funny. Almost drugged. I got worried, so I followed you.”
“What time is it?”
“Almost eleven-thirty.”
“But we left the salon at barely nine o’clock. What took you so long?”
“I was following you, but then I lost you. He was driving that motorcycle really fast. Anyhow, I didn’t see him turn off until he was coming back toward town. Alone. I saw him turn onto the main road, so I backtracked down the farm road and retraced his steps.” His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose again and he pushed them back up. “I figured he’d dumped you in a ditch somewhere, so I drove really slow.” He finished cutting through her ropes and her hands broke free. He went to work on the ankle ropes next. “We should hurry in case he comes back.”
“He’s not coming back,” she told him as he freed her ankles. She rubbed the feeling back into her hands and tried to stand.
Dill reached out to help her up. “Can you walk?”
“Don’t worry about me.” She was already moving toward the doorway. “We have to get back to town.”
“I’ll take you straight to the police station.”
“No.”
“The hospital?”
She shook her head. “The square.” She followed him out to his truck and climbed into the passenger seat. Her gaze fell to the clock on the dash and a wave of panic swept through her. “Fast!”
“GO HOME,” SHE TOLD Dill once they’d reached Main Street. He idled near the curb several yards away from the entrance to the square.
“But we have to report this guy—”
“No. Listen, there’s something else going on. You can’t call the police. You can’t call anyone. Just go home and I’ll call you tomorrow.” When he looked hesitant, she added, “I really appreciate what you did. Please, Dill. Trust me. Just go.” He finally nodded and shifted his truck into drive.
Nikki slammed the door and started for the square at a full run.
She was just a few yards shy of the entrance when someone grabbed her from behind.
JAKE STOOD IN THE shadow of the courthouse and stared across the square. The shadows seemed to come from out of nowhere. A man and a woman. A struggle.
“You’re not supposed to be here.” Garret’s voice carried the distance and slid into Jake’s ears.
Garret?
Denial rushed through Jake as he watched the man pick up the woman and move effortlessly toward the shadows.
Jake knew it was Nikki even before he heard her frantic “Let go!” He felt the sudden change from panic to full-blown fear. “I won’t let you hurt him,” she cried.
The truth crystallized as Jake’s gaze skittered to the small portable cooler that sat nearby. Even before he popped open the top, he knew the contents. Bags from the blood bank back in Houston. Blood to quench the wild thirst during the turning. His stare riveted on the struggling couple and he knew.
He reached them in a split second. He slammed into Garret from behind and sent him flying. Nikki fell to the ground and scrambled backward. Jake glanced at her, his gaze roving over from head to toe for a fast, furious heartbeat before he turned.
Garret had struggled upright, but he hadn’t recovered enough to launch a counterattack.
Jake quickly understood why.
Garret’s neck arched, the muscles stretched taut as his head fell back. His body strained and a growl vibrated through the dark night. He stumbled backward, lost in the throes of the turning as the hunger gripped him, turning him from a man to a monster.
Jake lunged, slamming into Garret’s body. He fell backward and Jake straddled him. The pain of betrayal ripped through him, making his hands shake as he reached for the stake. He held it high, ready to plunge it deep into the vampire’s chest.
“Don’t.” The word was barely audible. A gasp that crackled with both pain and ecstasy. The fierce red eyes cooled in the next instant as Garret stared up at Jake. “I—I’m sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
But it did.
Images rushed at him, and he saw Garret leaning over him, offering his own blood to help ease Jake’s hunger until his sanity returned and he could teach him how to feed without losing himself. Garret had saved Jake and taught him how to survive.
Because he’d condemned him in the first place.
The truth raged inside Jake, urging him to push the stake deep, to end Garret’s miserable existence.
“You did this to me,” Jake snarled, baring his fangs. A growl shook his vocal cords. “You took my soul.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Garret g
round out, closing his eyes, his face clenched tight against the hunger that gripped his body and fought for control. “I couldn’t help it. I was just like you…fighting who I was…what I was…I resisted, but then it turned the tables on me and kicked my ass. I was crazed and hungry and…” He gritted his teeth as a convulsion gripped his body. His head fell back and he arched his neck. Veins bulged and a hiss slid past his lips. “I…” Another hiss and he shook his head. “I—I couldn’t stop myself. When the hunger passed, you were dead. It was either leave you that way or turn you, so I let you drink from me.” His eyes opened then and he stared up at Jake. “I took your life from you. I had to give it back.”
“You didn’t give me my life back. You gave me hell. Hell.”
Even as he said the words, he wasn’t so sure he believed them. Not when the past few days with Nikki had felt more like heaven. When they were together, he felt happy. Content. Hopeful.
He’d thought for so long that killing was the only means to save himself. When all along all he’d had to do was fall in love.
“Jake.” Her pleading voice filled his ears. “Don’t. Don’t do something you’ll regret. You’re not like him.”
But that’s where she was wrong. He craved the blood just as fiercely. He always would.
“He’s your friend.” He felt her hand on his, urging the stake away. “You don’t want to do this.”
He didn’t.
Garret Sawyer was his best friend. The older vampire might have turned him out of guilt and he might even have taken Jake under his wing because of that same guilt. But over the years they’d developed a bond. Friendship. Trust.
Hope warred with the truth—that Jake couldn’t bring himself to hurt Garret. No matter how the vampire had hurt him.
“Don’t ever lie to me again,” he growled before he eased Garret down to the ground. “The cooler,” he told Nikki. “Grab the cooler. He needs to feed. Now. Before the hunger overwhelms him and he loses it—”
“Don’t touch her.”
Jake turned to find himself staring at the pointy end of the tiniest Phillips screwdriver he’d ever seen.
Love at First Bite Bundle Page 18