She heard sucking noises and then a familiar warmth began to spread through her body and down to her sex. She felt herself become wet with desire. Wow, this guy’s really getting to me, she thought as her hands automatically went to his penis. She couldn’t believe it. It throbbed and jumped in her hand, getting even bigger than before. She didn’t know if she’d be able to take it all in, but what the hell, it’d be fun trying.
She closed her eyes and began to kiss and lick his ear, trying to ease him away from her neck before he gave her a hickey.
When he began to growl and grunt and his grip on her breast grew tight enough to hurt, she opened her eyes, about to protest.
Instead, her mouth opened and she started to whimper in fear. His face was melting and changing into something from a nightmare and his teeth . . . his teeth were becoming fangs!
He rolled on top of her, spreading her legs with his knees and leaned over her, both hands on her breasts, red drool dripping from his fangs, his red-rimmed eyes staring into her soul.
Marie shook her head from side to side, not believing what she was seeing. She whimpered and moaned and said, “No . . . no . . . please don’t.”
Feral lips pulled back, exposing more sharp teeth and Morpheus growled, “Oh yes, Marie, oh yes.”
He positioned himself over her and rammed his engorged penis into her sex, ripping it open with a wet, sucking sound.
Marie opened her mouth wide to scream, but then the lust hit her and she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down on her, moaning as she pumped back and matched him movement for movement. “Yes, yes,” she whispered, somehow ignoring the pain that coursed through her body as her lust built and built until she thought she was going to explode. She’d never had an orgasm with a John before, but she had several now in quick succession, grunting like a racehorse.
When he leaned down and sank his teeth into her breast, almost taking the nipple off, she groaned and pushed it further into his mouth as waves of orgasms swept through her bloodstream and made her buck and jump with the most intense pleasure she’d ever felt.
Morpheus continued to pump and grind and bite and suck her until he howled in release, exploding inside her with months of built-up passion.
As he came, he moved his mouth from her breast to her neck and began to rip and tear and drink her life as fast as he could, still pumping his semen into her body.
Her moans grew quiet and her pupils dilated as she moved down a long dark tunnel and finally went into the light.
When it was over, he flopped to the side, exhausted and satiated, blood covering his face and groin.
Marie’s sightless eyes stared at the ceiling, her tortured soul at rest at last as her body cooled.
Thirteen
To my great surprise, I found myself enjoying the train journey across the northern Rocky Mountains of British Columbia more than I had enjoyed anything in many, many years. The scenery was drop-dead gorgeous and the people on the train were in a festive mood as they met in the observation car at the beginning of each day’s trip through the mountain passes.
For the first time in my memory, I was able to let down my guard and enjoy the companionship of strangers, without having to worry that the Hunger would intrude on the relationship.
I was moderately surprised at the number of Asian tourists I’d seen, both in Vancouver and on the train itself. My room steward, Leroy, explained that the weakness of the Canadian dollar against the yen was the reason so many Asians preferred to tour in Canada as opposed to the United States.
I slept well on my first night aboard the train, even though I’d not expected to. Though the bed was rather small and barely accommodated my six-foot body, the rocking motion of the car and the rhythmic clackity-clack of the wheels on the tracks seemed to lull me into a deep, restful sleep.
After I awoke and used the communal shower at the end of the car, I dressed casually—train travel does not accommodate itself to formal attire. I left my jacket with my cell phone ringer turned off in the pocket hanging on the door to my bathroom and headed for the dining car, hoping the food was better than that served on airlines.
I ate a surprisingly good breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and enjoyed several cups of a strong but flavorful coffee. This trip was indeed turning out to be full of surprises, and I wished I’d taken the time to sample rail travel back when it was in its heyday in the forties.
Following the meal, I made my way through corridors barely wide enough for one person toward the observation car at the end of the train. As the train sped from Vancouver toward the Jasper National Park, I soon found myself sitting across the aisle from a husband and wife who were on vacation.
I learned the man was named Ed Slonaker. He was six feet tall, broad and stocky as a bear, and he sported a nicely trimmed beard. His wife’s name was Kim; she was a pretty woman with long, brown hair and a vivacious manner. Both seemed as excited and as appreciative of the beautiful landscape as I was, though from their accents they seemed to be Canadian citizens rather than foreign tourists.
I couldn’t help overhearing their excited chatter as they poured over a guidebook and put names on the largest of the mountain peaks as they passed.
After a while, Kim turned to me and exclaimed, “The mountains are beautiful, ay?”
Surprised at her friendliness, I forced aside my natural reticence and smiled back at the woman. “Yes, they are quite impressive.”
Kim raised her eyebrows. “Oh, you’re an American, ay?” she asked.
“Is it that obvious?” I asked, grinning at her accent and at the way she seemed to end most every sentence with the inquisitive ay.
She waved a hand. “The accent is a dead giveaway.”
Ed leaned forward to glance around his wife at me. “Yeah, and the fact that you didn’t end your sentence with the word ay like all good Canadians do was another clue.”
Kim elbowed her husband in the ribs. “We do not!” she said firmly. “That’s just a myth, ay.”
Both Ed and I laughed at her joke, and Ed stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Ed Slonaker and this Canadian wench is my wife, Kim.”
I shook his hand, and it was like shaking hands with a grizzly bear it was so large. “Hello. I’m Elijah Pike,” I said, feeling a little strange as the words left my mouth. It’d been more than one hundred fifty years since I used the name I was born with and I was still having trouble getting used to it.
“I’m an American, too,” Ed said, smiling ruefully. “At least I was, until this wild woman from the backwoods stole my heart and made me move up here to this godforsaken wilderness some years ago.”
Kim pushed Ed back and took over the conversation. “Don’t let his bluster fool you, Elijah, Ed loves this country. In fact, he loves it so much he’s now a member of the RCMP.”
I frowned. The acronym was unfamiliar to me. “RCMP?”
“Royal Canadian Mounted Police,” Kim finished. “You know, those chaps who wear the red coats and ride around on horses chasing poachers out in the national parks.”
My heart pounded and I felt a momentary flash of fear, my usual reaction to a cop of any kind. After a few seconds, I relaxed. There was no need to fear the authorities any longer, now that I was on the straight and narrow and traveling under a name I’d never used before.
I forced a grin. “You mean like Gary Cooper?”
Both Kim and Ed laughed. “Yeah,” Ed said, patting his ample stomach, “only four inches shorter and just a bit wider.”
“Hey,” Kim said, pushing Ed back into his seat again, “we’re missing all the scenery.” She glanced over at me, “Elijah, why don’t you join us for lunch and we’ll continue our talk then?”
“Delighted,” I said and I was surprised to find that I really meant it. It would be nice to meet someone to talk to on the trip, especially since on most of my travels in the past I’d been strictly a loner. I sat back in my seat and stared out of the window at a frozen lake we were passing, thinking it
was much like I used to be: cold and foreboding and all alone in a wilderness.
As the mountains passed, I began to work on the cover story I’d devised to explain my moving from America to Canada. If the Mounties were as good as their press and as naturally inquisitive as their counterparts in the states, I knew it would have to be a good one to fool Ed.
* * *
Just after noon, Leroy made his way through the observation deck to tell everyone lunch was being served. I followed Ed and Kim down the steps and through the narrow corridors to the dining car several cars forward.
“So, how did you come to be up here in Canada, Elijah?” Kim asked after the waiter had brought their food.
When I took a bite of my grilled salmon in lemon-butter sauce, I almost moaned it was so good. “I’m up here to do some medical research,” I said. “I’ve rented a cabin just outside the national park over in Banff, and I’ll be taking some blood samples from the local citizens and wildlife and coordinating with a doctor at McGill University in Toronto.”
“Oh, you’re going to live in Banff, ay?” Kim said. “That means we’ll be neighbors. Ed and I live near the city, too.”
“So, you’re a doctor, huh?” Ed asked, chewing on a piece of baked rainbow trout that smelled every bit as good as my salmon.
“Yes. My specialty is hematology, diseases of the blood,” I answered.
Kim shivered. “I hate having my blood drawn,” she said. “Half the time I faint dead away.”
I smiled. “That’s not too uncommon.”
“What kind of wildlife will you be taking samples from?” Ed asked.
“Elk and moose, primarily. It seems there’s a liver fluke endemic in the elk up here and it’s killing a lot of the moose. The doctor with whom I’m coordinating my research in Toronto is making a study to see if the fluke is also present in the human population, though if it is, it doesn’t seem to be causing humans any problems.”
Ed grinned. “Now, taking a blood sample from a bull elk, that is something I’d like to see.”
I had to laugh at the mental picture Ed’s comment evoked. “Well, actually the park rangers and the local veterinarians will be doing most of the sampling of the animals. I’ll just be looking at the slides they provide.”
To get the subject off myself, I asked, “How did you two meet? One of you take a vacation to the other’s country?”
Kim blushed. “No, as a matter of fact, we met over the Internet.”
“Wow,” I said. “I’ve heard of Internet romances, but I don’t think I’ve ever met any that worked.”
Ed shrugged, a slight flush on his face. “It’s not all that uncommon. After we met on-line and talked back and forth for a few months, Kim took a chance and flew down to Corpus Christi to meet me. I was working security at a government facility down there.”
Kim smiled and patted his hand. “It was love at first sight,” she said. “I’ve always loved the bears in Canada, so when I saw Ed I figured I’d have a chance to have one of my own.”
I laughed at this story, which was obviously oft repeated. “But, how did you get to be a Mountie? I thought they were all native Canadians.”
“Most are,” Ed replied, “but with my history of security work, and my expertise with computers, they welcomed me with open arms.”
“The RCMP are just getting up to speed on computers,” Kim explained, “and they needed someone to help get their network up and running. Ed is a real computer genius,” she finished proudly.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Ed said, actually blushing at the compliment. “It’s just that most of the other Mounties are of the old school and anyone who knew how to set up networks was welcome. And it didn’t hurt that I’d married a native, either,” he said, smiling down at Kim.
The rest of the meal was spent in exchanging pleasantries, with me telling Ed how the states had changed in the years since he’d lived there, and with Kim telling me the best places to eat in the Banff area.
By the time I finished my meal and excused myself, saying I was going to my compartment to freshen up, I was exhausted. It had been a very long time since I had spent so much time in the company of strangers, and the effort to be convivial had worn me out.
I went directly to my room and washed my face in the sink. I could smell the stink of nervous sweat on me and hoped it hadn’t been noticeable to Ed and Kim. As I wiped my face with a towel, I moved my jacket from the hanger on the door to the bathroom and heard the beeping of my cell phone in the pocket.
I felt an emptiness in the pit of my stomach at the sound. In my experience, phone messages invariably meant trouble, since I had no friends who would call just to say hello.
I took out the phone and flipped it open, punching the appropriate buttons and listening as the message was played back. When I heard TJ O’Reilly ask me to call her back because of “some new developments,” I knew I wasn’t going to like what she had to say. Since I’d left her in New Orleans, she had been constantly on my mind, but I wasn’t egotistical enough to think she felt the same way about me, even though the bond between one of us and our mate is not easily broken. No, I knew this was not going to be good news.
Taking a seat in the easy chair facing the window, I stared out at the passing scenery without really seeing it as I thought about what I should do.
I’d taken extraordinary care to keep my new location secret. I knew the work I was planning to do with Professor Wingate on a cure for vampyrism was controversial among my fellow vampyres, and I wanted to do as much as I could before letting my location be known.
Before leaving the states, I’d managed to make quite a few enemies among my own kind when I attacked members of the vampyre councils in both Houston and New Orleans, and I didn’t want to have to spend my time looking over my shoulder or worrying about one of them coming after me with vengeance in mind.
On the other hand, I realized I had only a very few friends in the world, and Samantha, Matt, and Shooter, not to mention my former lover and almost mate TJ, were among the best. I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let them down when they needed me.
I sighed and flipped my cell phone open and dialed the number TJ had left on my voice mail. After all, what could it hurt to listen to what she had to say? I asked myself naively, not realizing what I was letting myself in for.
But then, perhaps my caution was overruled by the chance to once again talk with TJ—for that, I would gladly walk through fire.
Fourteen
Matt’s eyes blinked open and he came slowly awake, disoriented for a moment when he found himself in a strange bedroom. He was lying on his side with his right arm crossed over Sam, his right hand cupping her breast. Not a bad way to wake up, he thought, closing his eyes with the intention of grabbing a few more Zs.
A sound from the other room brought him fully awake, his heart pounding. Had Morpheus somehow found their hiding place?
He scrambled out of bed, looking for something he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing even remotely suitable in the hotel room, unless the Gideon Bible in the nightstand could ward off the vampyre.
Matt leaned over the bed and shook Sam awake, holding a finger to his lips to keep her quiet. He slipped his pants on, clenched his fists, and slowly opened the door to the adjoining room, holding his breath.
He relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief to find Shooter and TJ sitting on the couch, a rolling table in front of them with several room service breakfasts on it.
Shooter glanced over his shoulder, grinning as he spread butter on a piece of toast. “’Bout time you guys got up,” he said. “You’d better hurry, though, or TJ is gonna eat up all your food.”
TJ smiled at Matt as she shoveled a heaping forkful of scrambled eggs into her mouth. She is in a much better mood this morning, Matt thought.
“Okay, hold your horses,” he said. “We’ll be out in a minute, as soon as Sam gets dressed.”
“Oh, tell her she doesn’t have to do that,�
� Shooter said with a leer. “I won’t look.”
TJ punched him in the arm. “That’ll be the day, you lech,” she said, continuing to eat voraciously.
* * *
A little later, as they all sat around the table eating breakfast, Matt said, “I guess we’d better make some plans about what we’re going to do about this Morpheus character. As much as I enjoy it, we can’t just sit around this hotel forever waiting for him to either find us or to be caught by the cops.”
“I thought I’d call Damon this morning and check in,” Shooter said. “See if he’s had any leads to the man who attacked the girl in the park.”
“Yeah, and I need to call Shelly and make some arrangements for coverage in the lab and to let him know what’s going on,” Sam added.
Shooter took a final swig of coffee and moved to the couch and picked up the hotel phone. While the others finished their meal, he called Chief Damon Clark.
“Clark here,” Damon said when the operator rang his office phone.
“Hey, Chief, it’s Shooter.”
“Where the hell are you?” Damon asked, his voice edged with tension.
“We’re holed up in a hotel downtown,” Shooter said. “I’ve got us listed under fake names. Any leads on the assault the other night?”
He heard Damon sigh into the phone. “No, and that’s not the worst of it. We had a murder last night. A local prostitute named Marie Marshal was killed and her body was dumped near some apartments.”
Shooter couldn’t understand why Damon was so upset about a prostitute’s murder. After all, it wasn’t all that unusual an occurrence in Houston. “I guess you’re telling me this ’cause you think it might be related to the assault in the park?” Shooter asked.
“Well, Marshal’s throat was ripped out, all of the blood was drained from her body, and her body was found in front of the apartments that Sam and TJ live in. What do you think?” Damon said.
“Jesus,” Shooter exclaimed, his face paling. “Morpheus is sending us a message,” he whispered under his breath.
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