Paranormal After Dark

by Rebecca Hamilton

I don’t know that I can do that.

  His gaze had been so powerful and commanding. He had taken control of me before I knew what was happening. I didn’t know if I would be able to match that intensity and control.

  I breathed slowly and steadily, trying to center myself. I needed to quiet my own yearning before I could gauge the emotions from Lysander. The lingering effects of his advance on me still took center stage in my mind. I couldn’t deny the ache, the desire to touch him.

  I wanted him. I wanted to share myself with him. I wanted to be close to him.

  I slid off the chair and onto his lap, on the floor. Our eyes met, and I again felt the warmth, the connection between us. I focused on his beautiful eyes, calling up any power I might have in myself.

  I want you, I want all of you.

  Willing Lysander to feel my need, I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. He didn’t reject me.

  I want you, Lysander.

  His lips parted and our tongues collided, dancing together, playfully licking against sharp teeth as we explored one another’s mouths. We locked in an embrace as new lovers on his dining room floor. I savored the feeling of his lips—so soft, like two silken pillows—pressing against my own.

  I willed my feelings on him, hoping they were strong enough for him to want me as I wanted him.

  Kissing wasn’t enough; I needed a taste. Thirst nagged at me, and I needed blood to satiate it. I broke from the kiss and ran my hands through his silky hair, gently pushing his head sideways, exposing his bare neck as I searched for the pulsing blue vein.

  He shuddered as my teeth broke through the soft flesh of his neck. His blood; the tingling ecstasy, the warm, sweet, honey liquid flooded my mouth, and a dizzying rush of energy washed through me.

  Instinctively, as if I had been doing it my whole life, I willed Lysander to share in this feeling.

  A low, rumbling groan of pleasure came from him.

  I drew his blood into me, slowly feeling my need for him increase. I wanted to have him, all of him. I willed that thought and feeling to Lysander and drank him in deeply.

  His arms surrounded me, tightening in an embrace, pulling me in close, silently telling me to take him. A hard knot formed in his pants. I felt it pressing against me as I sat in his lap.

  Warmth spread between my legs. I reveled in the feel as he embraced me against him.

  His heart beat in a slow, powerful rhythm, like a drum urging me to move and dance.

  I ground into his hardness, matching the beat of his calling heart. Lysander’s chest vibrated against me as he let out another rumbling groan of pleasure. His hands raked down my back. Pulling me in close, he forced my body to press harder and harder against him. His hands sank lower down my back. He squeezed and kneaded my ass as he guided the motion of my hips.

  My head swam with pleasure as I drank in my fill. My body flooded with energy. I ached with need for more. Erotic images played in my mind. I had not had the pleasure of a man in so long. I needed to feel him inside of me. I imagined him on top of me, taking me. I willed him to see that image and feel that desire.

  Oh, God. I need you Lysander.

  I released his neck. Lysander’s hand reached up, cradling the back of my head as his lips found mine. In one fluid motion he rolled us over, laying me gently on the ground below him.

  It was as if he had heard my thoughts. I flushed with excitement, looking up into his eyes.

  Flames of passion burned brightly in the swirling twilight.

  Lysander blinked a few times. His lusty gaze suddenly returned to a flat, emotionless expression as if someone had flicked on a light switch.

  I silently cried out, What happened?

  “That was a good try, Alyssa,” Lysander said, as he rolled backward and sat against the wall. “If you can do something like that to your victims, they will have no reason to fight you or call for help…” There was a pause as he caught his breath before speaking again. “…though there is really no need to take it that far.”

  Was that all just my doing? Didn’t he feel the same way? What the hell just happened?

  Blood and warmth rushed to my face. My heart pounded hard in my chest.

  “I... um... well…” I didn’t know what to say. The desire I felt was so real, I thought he must have felt it too. “Yeah. Right. I’ll keep that in mind.”

  I got up and bolted to the bathroom to throw myself into a shower.

  I was embarrassed, not knowing what to make of Lysander’s words or actions. He always remained hard and cold on the outside, but every so often, during the short time I had known him, a little glimmer of something could be seen below the surface.

  Chapter 12

  I TOOK A long time in the shower, letting the warm water wash over me. It was ecstasy against my cold skin. I stood under the spout, soaking it all up.

  I wanted to hide in the shower forever. I couldn’t believe how I had acted with Lysander. Our kiss had felt so real—the desire, the passion—but, in a matter of seconds his hard, cold exterior had returned as if nothing had ever happened.

  This isn’t me. Why did I kiss him? Why did he kiss back?

  His words echoed in my head. There is really no need to take it that far.

  I wondered if the feelings I had felt from him were real or just a good bit of hypnosis.

  I’m so dumb. I should have never kissed him. He was just teaching me a lesson. There were no real feelings there. Lysander doesn’t see me that way. He doesn’t have real emotions.

  I vowed not to speak of it to Lysander again.

  Once the warmth had run out, I knew I couldn’t hide in the bathroom any longer. Stepping out of the shower, I took a towel and wrapped it around myself.

  There was a hard knock at the front door. The sudden noise startled me, and I almost dropped my towel. I heard Lysander’s footsteps and the creak of the door as he answered it. A woman’s voice echoed from the foyer. My heart skipped a beat.

  Oh, no, it’s Kallisto, she’s found us! I pressed my ear hard to the door, attempting to catch a hint of what was happening.

  “…it’s been ages, Lysander,” the woman said.

  “Yes, much too long,” Lysander replied. “Please, come inside.”

  Thankfully, Lysander sounded friendly and relaxed. I took a calming breath. Even though I was unable to make out all of what was being said, I realized it was safe.

  I wonder if this new guest is a vampire, like us.

  I slipped into a pair of dark, boot-cut jeans.

  How much of the immortal world has been out there right under my nose all this time?

  I was so eager to meet this new guest, I almost ripped my teal Henley shirt as I thrust my hands through the armholes. I tossed my hair into a loose ponytail and hurried to make myself look presentable.

  By the time I’d finished dressing and made it out to the hallway, Lysander and this new woman were deep in conversation. They didn’t notice my entrance.

  “Yes, California was beautiful,” she said. “We picked up a new member, Damon. We’re hoping he and Jessie will get along well. She could use a mate to help calm down her wild streak.”

  “I don’t believe I’ve met this Jessie,” Lysander said.

  “No, you wouldn’t have. She joined us about three years ago.”

  “Be careful not to grow your family too large,” Lysander warned.

  I stood in the hallway listening and watching, trying to glean information about this woman in our home. The strange woman was short, perhaps no more than five feet tall. Even in her thick-heeled sandals, she only came up to Lysander’s shoulders. She wore a bohemian-style, multicolored wrap skirt and a black tank top. Her neck was adorned with silver chains with crystal pendants, and her arms were decorated with large, colorful bangle bracelets. She looked like a perfect gypsy, straight out of a renaissance festival.

  From what I could tell, she and Lysander were old friends. A loving smile stretched across his face as he and the strange woman talked. They spoke fre
ely with one another, a drastic contrast to the anger and attitude Lysander had displayed with Edmond. A small pang of jealousy nagged me as I watched them interact.

  “I understand you, too, have a new fledgling,” the strange woman said.

  Lysander looked up, finally acknowledging me. He waved for me to come over and join the conversation. “Here she is now…” He pointed as the woman turned to greet me.

  “This is Alyssa.”

  The woman was beautiful, a brunette with milky white skin. Her gorgeous blue-gray eyes sparkled at me as she gave me a small, delighted smile.

  “Pleasure to meet you, Alyssa.” Her voice was soft, carrying hints of a long-faded English accent. “My name is Rozaline.” She held a hand out to me in greeting.

  “Nice to meet you,” I said, a little too excitedly, while shaking her hand. It was so good to meet another friendly vampire after our previous encounter with Edmond.

  “Rozaline is a member of the Peregrinus clan, and a longtime friend of mine.”

  “The Peregrinus?” I asked. “Who are they?”

  “Travelers,” said Rozaline. “Nomads, to put it simply. We’re a family of wanderers.”

  Lysander ushered us to the dining room table, continuing his chat with Rozaline as if I weren’t there.

  It bothered me a little, watching Lysander pay attention to Rozaline. His focus was solely on her. He hung on her every word. There was respect there, a reverence of some kind. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but there was definitely a connection between these two. Jealousy threatened to flare up inside of me. I fought against the wicked sensation. The kiss still lingered in my mind. I needed to shut it out so I could pay attention to what was being said.

  She told Lysander of her own encounters with Kallisto’s coven and her recent travels. I sat listening quietly, enthralled by the tales Rozaline told of her travels. We learned that Kallisto had only just arrived here, having moved from California a few months ago and set up her home in the newly built high-rise towers near the north end of the Strip. Her coven had grown to almost fifty, and she was busy sending her messengers all over the city to seek out local vampires and gain their allegiance.

  “She can’t be serious. In this day and age … trying to control an entire city!” Lysander said.

  “She is one of the oldest among us,” Rozaline replied.

  “Yes, old,” Lysander snapped. “But not very smart if she thinks she can bully a city into following her.”

  “She commands a large coven. Her strength is in her numbers, and I’m sure no one in this city wants to challenge her. Alone, she might be weak; but as it stands, she has too many backing her. And many lone vampires would rather join ranks with a coven of her caliber anyway.”

  “Large covens don’t work, and taking over a city—that’s just ludicrous.” Lysander’s voice rose sharply. “We are not meant to be a communal people to that degree. The more we try to organize our kind, the more problems we create.”

  He stood up, shaking his head, and paced around the table. “Look at what has happened every time a group has tried to control a city or grown too strong in ranks. Rome, Paris, London—none of these cities could ever support our kind in such large numbers. If we aren’t fighting amongst ourselves, we’re drawing too much attention from the human population.”

  I remembered Lysander’s story, and how his coven had split so many times due to internal conflicts.

  He slammed his fist down on the table, causing me to jump in my seat. “And what of the Acta Sanctorum? An amassing of immortals like this in one place has to have alerted them!”

  Rozaline sat stiffly in her seat. Lysander’s frustration, it seemed, put us all on edge. “The last I heard, they were recalled to Rome. The Saints haven’t been noticeably active lately. In fact, we haven’t heard news of any hunts at all this year.”

  Lysander grimaced. He spoke through clenched teeth. “That only means they are planning their next attack.” He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They have never been inactive for long without good reason, and I can guarantee, when they do finally attack, it will be big.”

  “Let’s hope for your sake that Kallisto hasn’t brought too much attention to herself or this city,” said Rozaline. “You might be forced to move again.”

  I eagerly listened to the back-and-forth between these two immortals, a little confused about the connection between Kallisto and the Acta Sanctorum.

  “My apologies, Alyssa,” Rozaline said, halting her conversation with Lysander. “You’re young. You probably have no idea what we’re talking about. Do you know of the Saints?”

  “Not really.” I shook my head. “Lysander’s only mentioned them briefly.”

  “Well, to start,” Rozaline said, “they are a secret order of the Roman Catholic Church. They seek out and destroy anything that is deemed Unnatural. Their Church, as do most organized religions, feel we are all evil. They are ruthless and use any method possible to locate and destroy us.”

  I shuddered. Her revelation was abrupt and shocking. Despite all of our strength, there was a group of humans out there that could destroy us. Lysander had made it sound like we were relatively safe from humans.

  Rozaline leaned in close, crossing her legs under the table. “We think they started sometime around the 14th or 15th century. Rome’s Church started a crusade against the Unnatural, as they called us, and began forming groups to hunt us down. They quickly learned of our weakness to sunlight and fire, using those methods to destroy us. Our homes came under attack in the daylight. They set them ablaze in an effort to get rid of us. Eventually, they learned that fire alone wouldn’t kill us if we were able to put it out before it engulfed us. They began dismembering the remains of any bodies left over from the fires they set. They studied us to learn all they could about our kind.”

  I cringed.

  “Remember, we are considered monsters to them,” Lysander added as he sat back down. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back into the chair.

  “And that’s not the end of it.” Rozaline’s voice became low and serious. “Rome realized long ago that in order to successfully fight a vampire, one must be a vampire. Our weaknesses are few and hard to exploit. Most mortals lack the strength and ability to subdue us. Those that manage to attack us do so with great skill, meticulously planning their strategies. But simply attacking our homes during the day isn’t always enough to get rid of us. Rome recognized quite a few centuries ago that to eradicate us, they needed to fight us on the same level.”

  “But wait,” I held up a hand to stop her. “If immortal creatures are condemned by the church, how could they use them to fight us?”

  “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” Rozaline scoffed. “Rome makes its own rules. I’m sure those willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good are told they will be guaranteed pardons in heaven. So long as they do the Church’s bidding.”

  “So there are vampires hunting vampires,” I said, shocked by the revelation.

  “A few. Rome wouldn’t be stupid enough to have more than they could handle,” said Rozaline.

  “But we kill to survive. The church couldn’t condone that,” I said.

  “No doubt they starve themselves on the blood of animals until they catch one of us.” She pointed to herself. “We are their rewards for a job well done. They feast on immortal blood.”

  The room fell silent. I bit my lip, almost piercing it with my fang. I realized that anyone could be my enemy; between vampire covens and Saints, I wasn’t sure who, if anyone, I should trust.

  “Remember this, Alyssa,” Rozaline cautioned, breaking the silence. “If they don’t know you’re here, they won’t hunt you. Keep your profile low, and they will have no reason to attack.”

  “If there were no covens, we would have less to worry about,” Lysander added. “It’s much harder to track down and destroy an individual immortal than it is a whole group of them, parading themselves around p
ublicly like Kallisto’s group is doing. ”

  “Speaking of groups, Lysander.” Rozaline spoke again with a hint of anxiety in her voice. “As I mentioned when I called earlier this week, the Peregrinus will only be in town for a short while, and we need shelter for a few days. Is it possible for us to stay with you?”

  Her timing was terrible. All of this talk of not giving away your home location and keeping a low profile; now she’s asking to bring her whole group to stay with us?

  “Of course,” Lysander said, without giving it a second thought. “I have two other bedrooms—although they are unfurnished—that are at your clan’s disposal.”

  What? No. What if the Acta guys are following them?

  I shot Lysander a worried look, but he paid me no attention. I couldn’t understand how he could just let some strange group of vampires stay here after the conversation we’d just had.

  “What of the windows? Are they covered? Is there some form of light protection in there?”

  Who cares about windows? What about the coven, Kallisto, and the Saints?

  Lysander got up from the table. With a wave of his hand, he suggested we follow him to the hallway.

  “Yes, all of my windows have UV tinting film on them and blackout curtains. You will be well protected from the sun’s light. Come and have a look.”

  Rozaline followed, remaining close to him. I chose not to go with them as they disappeared into the spare bedrooms.

  I didn’t like the idea of strangers in this house, and this woman was preparing to bring her whole clan here.

  “This is a bad idea,” I said under my breath.

  When they returned from their short tour of the house, Rozaline left us to gather her clan. “I’ll return with them before dawn.”

  “Wonderful. That will give us time to hunt.” Lysander waved goodbye to Rozaline.

  I saw this as a perfect opportunity to have some alone time for myself. “Why don’t I go out tonight… by myself? You can fix up the house for the clan’s arrival while I’m gone.” I was still a bit embarrassed about what happened earlier and didn’t want to be alone with Lysander.