“Yes, she seduced me.” He stared into her eyes. Would she understand why he did what he did? Why he became the man who even other vampires feared? “I did not leave willingly.”
“I’m sure every cheating asshole tells the same sob story.” She slipped her legs over his and onto the floor. Before she had a chance to rise from the bed, he reached out and snagged her wrist.
“Somebody betrayed you?”
“Not just me.” She kept her back to him as she added, “my worthless piece of shit of a father left us when I was a young girl. Since then, I seem to attract men just like him.”
“I will never hurt you, min dyrebare. Nor will I leave you.”
She spun around to face him. “How can I trust you? You cheated on your wife and left her. How do I know you won’t do that to me?”
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and rose to hold her. A man could get lost in those doe eyes. “I had no choice but to leave. The sex was more than intense, it became violent.” She tried to pull away from him, but he forced her to listen. He needed her to understand.
“She tore at my clothes, bruised my body, bit into my skin. I felt the sting as her fangs punctured my flesh and tried to push her away. Before I had time to comprehend what she was, I felt my body dying. When she slashed her wrist with her teeth and dripped her own blood into my mouth, I had no strength to fight her. I awoke onboard her boat, craving human blood.”
Evangeline’s eyes widened. “Tell me you didn’t kill your wife.”
He shook his head. “The woman tried to coerce me into it, but I refused. Once again, I was forced to make a choice. Kill my wife or leave the village forever. We set sail the same day.”
“How long did you stay with the vampire?”
“We parted company at the first port. She wanted a partner in crime. I wanted to make my death permanent. Neither of us would accept a compromise.”
She slipped her arms around him, her head resting on his chest, her body tantalizingly warm. “I’m glad you didn’t off yourself.”
“Off myself? Oh, you mean kill myself? Yes, I’m glad, too. Especially now.”
“What happened to make you change your mind?” Her heart fluttered against his rib cage. Was she concerned he may have found another woman?
“I found a reason for living. While I detested the idea of killing innocents, punishing evil doers soon became a source of nourishment, plus a calling for me. Humans came to think of me as Karma. Retribution for their sins. Neither are vampires immune to my swift justice. I am known to them as the enforcer as I am called upon to destroy those who still kill humans.”
“Don’t all vampires eat humans?” she breathed against his chest sending a wave of heat through his body.
“This type of behavior is no longer acceptable. Blood banks supply our nourishment. Some humans allow vampires to take small amounts of blood during intercourse.”
She lifted her head, pushing slightly away to look up into his eyes.
“Intercourse? Wow, Chris. Could you be any more proper?”
Was that a question or an insult? “What would you have me say?”
She waved off his question. “Never mind. I want to know more about this woman. Did you ever see her again?”
****
Christoff nodded his head. “After me, she went on to create many other vampires, both male and female. Some—like David, the man who this property belongs to—she left without proper instruction as to how to remain undetected. Her carelessness gained her notoriety and the council of vampires sent me to hunt and kill her.”
“I don’t understand,” Evangeline sat back down onto the edge of the bed, “I’ve watched enough vampire movies to know that, if you kill the sire, all the fledglings die. Why aren’t you and this David, dead?”
“Myths.” He told her, his naked body close, his burgeoning arousal inches from her face.
She turned her head. “For fuck’s sake. Will you put some pants on?”
His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“Very sure.” How could she concentrate on the story while her hands itched to touch him?
With a shrug, he turned his back and walked casually towards the dresser. She suspected that the sway of his tight behind was a deliberate attempt to seduce her. She closed her eyes and tried to think of other things. Unfortunately, the first thought that came to mind was his job. He said that he’d been tracking her for weeks. Was she to suffer the same fate as the female vampire? Was it his intention to punish her? By the time he’d dressed, her heart was beating a mile a minute and she could barely catch her breath.
“Listen, Chris. Whatever you plan on doing to me, please don’t punish my mother for my mistakes. She thinks I sell cosmetics door to door to help with the hospice bills. There isn’t a bad bone in her body.”
“Calm down.” He held her shoulders as he stared into her eyes. His expression puzzled her. Why did he look so concerned? “I have no intention of hurting you or your mother.”
Her heart wanted to believe him. Needed to believe him. Experience reminded her that you don’t always get what you want.
“But you tracked me, and you keep me captive on this property. What do you plan on doing with me?”
“I can think of many things,” his fingers lightly stroked the bare skin on her arms, “and none include hurting you.”
“Stop that.” She brushed his hands away, afraid that he’d stop her from asking the inevitable question. “Did the vampire council send you to kill me?”
He frowned his surprise. “No. Why would they? The council does not concern itself with human behavior.”
“But—”
“Dark forces drew me to this town. Your telekinesis directed me to you. I’ve dealt with an energy such as yours before. At first, I was curious as to how you deceived the homeowners and after watching you, I became aware of a force greater than your own. Someone or something is trying to connect with you. It was no accident finding the medallion. It called to you.”
She let out the breath she’d unknowingly held. “Dark forces? Am I that dark force?”
“I will not lie to you,” he took her hands in his. Bile rose in her throat. This can’t be good. “I do sense evil inside you. Not in your deeds or thoughts, but in your DNA.”
“How could you possibly know what’s in my DNA?”
He lowered his chin, looked up at her from under his lashes and licked his lips.
For a moment, she wondered what he meant, then, the penny dropped. A flood of blood rushed to her crotch as she remembered the intense pleasure when he sank his fangs into her arousal. She bit her bottom lip as her cheeks flushed with heat.
“Never mind.” So, somewhere in her gene pool, was an evil doer. But who? Was it her fate to become a serial killer or something equally evil? Could she do anything to prevent it? A thought crossed her mind. Maybe the thief had done her a favor after all. “The medallion is gone. That means it won’t affect me, right?”
“I am concerned.” He scratched the back of his head and looked down at the floor. “You said that you opened the locket. Normally, talismans are sealed by magic. If it was easy for you to open—”
“You had me worried for a minute.” She sighed with relief. “It wasn’t easy to open. There was no catch. I had to pry it open with a knife.” She held out her hand. “Look. The damned point went through my palm. I bled like a pig.”
He closed his eyes, shaking his head as he asked, “Did you bleed onto the locket?”
“Aha. I bled everywhere. When I dropped it to grab paper towels, the locket broke open and a little piece of metal fell out.”
His grip on her arms tightened. “You must give me the scroll. Do not open it under any circumstances, do you hear me? Bring it to me, now.”
“All right, already.” She rose to her feet and shot him her best resting bitch face look before heading towards the door. Geez, talk about being melodramatic. She’d been on her wa
y to collect it earlier. It was his fault she didn’t bring it to him already. Maybe I should take my time getting back? She turned her head to look back. If he’d been a cartoon character, there’d be steam coming out of his ears. On second thought, maybe I should hurry.
****
When she reached the van, she closed her eyes. Please let this be a bad dream. Please wake up. But when she opened them, the door to her caravan still hung off its hinges.
“No.” She screamed aloud as she leapt the steps into her home. Drawers lay broken on the ground, the contents spilled everywhere. Cabinet doors didn’t fare any better than the front door, all torn from their hinges. Who would do this? The curtain dividing her bedroom from the living area had been pulled away from the rod, giving her clear view into her wardrobe where the safe door lay open.
Her breath caught when she gazed into the empty safe. She fell to the floor, sobbing until the smell of burning flesh forced her to raise her head.
“The scroll?”
She watched in horror and then surprise as Christoff’s blistered skin healed before her eyes as he sheltered in the darkest corner of her room. His face and hands turned from red to a deep pink.
“Gone.” She grabbed fistfuls of her hair and tugged. Please wake up. It didn’t work. “Everything’s gone. The scroll, the money for Mom, my phone. Everything.”
“We can’t stay here.”
His statement puzzled her. “Why not? Do you think they’re still here?” She scanned the room. “Will they come back?”
He gnashed his teeth. “All of those things are possible, but my concern is that I won’t be in a position to protect you if I combust.” He reached for the quilt and snatched it off her bed. “May I borrow this?”
Before she had a chance to agree, he’d thrown the covering over his head and cocooned himself inside.
“Come on,” she snagged his arm and dragged him to the entrance of the van, “you look like a taco and smell like Southern fried chicken. Suddenly I’m hungry.”
When they entered his darkened cottage, he threw off the covering. “Seriously, you have an appetite after seeing your home ransacked?”
“I’m a stress eater.” She told him as she flopped down onto his couch. “Things like having my life savings stolen and my stuff destroyed have that effect on me.”
The tension in the room was palpable. What would he do to her? Would he blame her for the theft of the scroll? As her stomach twisted in knots, he paced the kitchen, pulling at his hair and muttering to himself before suddenly turning his attention back to her.
“I think it’s best you live with me. At least until your van is repaired.”
Well, that was unexpected. “Thanks.” What choice did she have? All her savings were in that safe and, along with that, her only hope of making enough money to help her mother.
He dropped to one knee in front of her and took both her hands in his. “Don’t worry about the money. Your mother will receive all the help she needs. I personally guarantee it.”
Something akin to joy set her heart to flutter. “Really? Do you mean it?”
He placed his hand to his heart. “My word is my bond.”
As she threw herself into his arms, he toppled backwards, taking her down with him while she rained kisses on his cheeks. “I’m going to thank you so hard you’ll be begging me for mercy.”
A grin curled his mouth at the corners, but he held her at arms’ length. “I very much look forward to that, but first, I need to make a few calls.”
“Huh.” She sat back, positioning herself over his crotch as she crossed her arms and pouted. “What’s more important than my gratitude?”
He pulled her down for a kiss that left her weak at the knees and desperate for more. When he eased her off his lap and rose, lifting her with him, his words made her love him even more.
“I have contacts in Europe. The type of specialists you mentioned might be able to help your mother. I want to call them and start the ball rolling.”
Chapter Six
Evangeline yawned and stretched out her arms above her head. “I feel like I’ve slept for a week. What time is it?”
“It’s after 4:00 PM.”
“You’re shitting me. I rarely nap in the afternoon.” Her left eye winked suggestively. “You must have worn me out.” She ran her fingers through the masses of unruly curls and yawned again. “Who was that on the phone?”
“Nothing to worry about, go back to sleep.” He reached down to tuck her in, but she stopped him with a slap to his hand.
“You’ve always been brutally honest with me. Don’t start lying to me now.”
He plonked down onto the bed beside her. “That was Palmer. While you slept, he swept your home for fingerprints.”
She sat up in bed, a hopeful expression on her face. “Do they have any leads?”
He shook his head, wondering how much he should tell her.
“Whoever broke in wore gloves.” That was the truth. Omitting to tell her that Anna had a vision wasn’t exactly a lie. Or was it?
Her downcast expression troubled him. If that news upset her, how could he tell her about the earlier phone conversation?
“What is it you’re not telling me?” Her voice rose in pitch. “Is it about the scroll? Have you changed your mind about loaning me the money?”
“The money would have been a gift, not a loan.” A heaviness weighed down on his chest. A sensation he had long forgotten. It pained him to know the grief his words would cause her.
“Would have? You’re not going to give me the money?” she sat up in the bed, her breasts heaving under the thin fabric of the shirt he’d earlier discarded to the floor. “Look, Chris. I’m sorry that I didn’t hide the scroll well enough to fool the thieves. Please, I need that money. My mother –”
“The money will not help your mother now.”
Her beautiful dark eyes widened, and she continued to shake her head while he told her what he feared would break her heart.
“I called the hospice earlier to make the necessary arrangements for your mother’s care. They’d been trying to call you.”
“No.” she sobbed, holding her hands over her ears. “I won’t listen to this. I don’t want to hear this.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “She’s getting better. We’re going to find a cure.”
He leaned towards her and she collapsed into his arms. Her tears soaked his shirt as he held her tight to his chest. “The doctor said she died peacefully in her sleep.”
“I don’t believe you.” Her wails reverberated through his chest cavity. “They wouldn’t give you that information.”
“I told them I was your husband.” He felt her body stiffen in his arms. “There was nothing to be done for her.” He’d already called every blood specialist in the world. Evangeline’s doctor had emailed him the case files. No one had seen anything like her disease. No amount of money would have changed that.
He lifted her chin with his index finger, so he could be sure she heard his words. “There is no easy way to tell you this, min dyrebare. Your mother’s blood had been tainted with demon blood.”
“Demon blood?” Lines creased her forehead as she wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “How would she have Demon blood in her veins and, why do you keep calling me a bear? Don’t you think that’s a shitty thing to say considering what you just told me? Don’t you even have a heart?” Her cheeks flushed with color and despite her snarl, she sniffed back a sob.
Try as he might, he couldn’t contain his smile. “I would sooner cut out my tongue than call you anything derogative. The English translation for min dyrebare, is my precious. You have made me your Gollum. I cannot part with you, no matter what it costs me.”
Her back stiffened. “How the fuck do you expect me to respond to that?”
Her words surprised him. Was she not happy to hear that he loved her?
“I don’t understand your anger. Is it because you are grieving for your mother?” That must be it. He
’d confessed his love too soon.
She scooted out of bed, shaking her head. “You tell me I’m precious and insult me in the same breath. I’ve seen the movie, I know that the ring is evil and must be destroyed. Where do you get off saying that you can’t part with me, no matter what it costs you? Who says I want to be with you anyway?”
The color in her cheeks deepened to a shade of mulberry and her body began to shake violently as she stood by the bed. He expected her to rant or, at the very least, use her power to throw something at him. When she opened her mouth to speak, he braced himself for a verbal attack. Her actions took him by surprise.
A high-pitched scream tore from her lips as her face twisted into a mask of pain. She fell to the floor, convulsing. Heat radiated from her skin, blisters formed on her flesh. The borrowed shirt, now saturated in sweat, clung to her body. Wide eyes stared up at him, begging him to do something to stop the pain. He reached down and, ignoring the heat that scorched his own body, carried her to the bathtub. Gently, he lay her down, supporting her head as he turned the cold water to full capacity. Steam rose from her body. The water bubbled as the heat from her skin brought it to a boil. Her scream warned him to remove her from the bath, so he carried her back to the bed, desperately trying to think of another plan.
Rushing to the refrigerator, he poured ice cubes into a clean, wet tea towel and returned to place it on her skin. Within seconds, the ice melted, and the cloth became hot to touch. Helplessly, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched as her lips first became parched then began to crack and swell. The whites of her eyes deepened to pale pink and, when the irises rolled back, his heart physically ached.
“Hold on, my love. Fight this. Don’t leave me.”
She closed her eyes for a few minutes and, when she opened them, the tinge of blood had begun to fade. Her breathing steadied and she rewarded him with a weak smile.
“I think. Its. Going. Away,” she sighed as her body relaxed.
He took her hand and kissed it. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Me, too.” She struggled to a sitting position as he placed pillows behind her shoulders. “I guess what they say about ‘only the good die young’ must be right.”
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