Vampire Mine las-10

by Kerrelyn Sparks

  The horn blared as the truck zoomed past her. For a few endless seconds, all she could see was the silver side of the truck. She couldn’t see Connor, didn’t know if he had survived.

  The truck passed, but he was nowhere in sight. She gasped at the crumpled guardrail. In her desperation to keep him from getting hit, she’d used too much force.

  She’d blown him over the cliff.

  “Connor!” She ran to the shoulder and peered down into the dark precipice.

  Good heavens, had she killed him? How could he survive such a fall?

  She stepped over the railing. “Connor!” She worked her way down the incline, hanging on to bushes to keep from falling.

  She spotted some broken branches. He must have hit them on his way down. She used them as a trail, hoping it would lead her to him.

  “Connor, can you hear me?” She paused to listen, but heard nothing.

  Panic caused her heart to race and her hands to shake. It was so hard to see in the dark. Branches scratched at her arms and slapped at her face. A few times, her feet slipped out from underneath her and she fell back onto her rump, skidding a few feet before she managed to grab another limb.

  “Connor!” Her feet slipped again, and she cried out as a sharp rock jabbed her in the back.

  If only she had her wings! She could fly straight to him and take him somewhere for help.

  She gritted her teeth and kept going. Her feet skidded to a stop on level ground.

  She’d made it to the bottom.

  “Connor?” She squinted, trying to see. The moon was close to full, but there were too many trees obstructing the light.

  Was that him? She dashed toward a dark shape on the ground, but it was just a fallen log.

  She pivoted, breathing heavily. “Where are you?”

  She heard a moan and ran toward the sound.

  Tears filled her eyes when she saw him. “Thank God I found you.”

  He was lying in the dark shadow beneath a tree. Actually, she realized, he must have hit the tree after falling down the last of the incline.

  She knelt beside him. “Connor, I’m here.” She reached for him, then remembered how dirty her hands were, so she wiped them on her thighs.

  “Can you hear me?” She rolled him onto his back.

  He moaned. “Are ye safe, lass? The truck dinna . . .”

  “I’m fine.” A tear slipped down her cheek. How like Connor to worry more about her safety than his own.

  “Good.” His eyes flickered shut.

  “Connor?” Her heart lurched. Had he died? No, she would have sensed it. She was panicking, fearing the worst. Because she loved him so much.

  More tears escaped. She had to help him somehow. He’d saved her life, pushing her out of the way of the truck. Now she had to save him.

  If only she had her wings! Connor was unconscious, so he couldn’t teleport them. But other Vamps could teleport.

  She opened his sporran and dug around till she found his cell phone. “It’ll be all right, Connor. I’ll call your friends, and they’ll take you to Romatech and patch you up.”

  The phone lit up in her hand, and she frantically studied the odd pictures, trying to figure out how to call Roman.

  “How quickly you’re becoming human,” a voice said behind her.

  She spun around, dropping the phone and falling on her rump. A white light shimmered in the distance. White wings pulled in and vanished, leaving the form of a tall man. He wore a long white tunic over white pants, topped with a long, hooded white robe. He pushed the hood back, revealing a handsome face and blond wavy hair.

  “Bunny!” She scrambled to her feet and ran toward him.

  He grinned and enveloped her in his arms. Instantly, she felt all her scrapes and bruises disappear.

  He moved her back, grasping her by the shoulders while he searched her eyes. “Why did you seek a human solution? Why didn’t you call me?”

  She bowed her head with embarrassment. “I—I didn’t think of it. It seems like a long time that I’ve been cut off from you.”

  “I have always been close by.” Frowning, he smoothed a thumb over her damp cheek. “It seems like every time I check on you, you’re crying.”

  “It’s been hard.” She glanced over her shoulder at Connor. “Can you help him?”

  “Let me see.” Buniel accompanied her back and regarded Connor curiously. “This is the man who rescued you that first night.”

  “Yes.”

  “And he has been watching over you and protecting you.”

  “Yes.”

  “And yet for all the good he has done for you, he makes you cry.”

  She wiped her cheeks. “I’m in love with him.”

  Buniel tilted his head, watching her. “Should love be so painful?”

  “I have to leave him when I go back to heaven.” She winced. “If I can go back.”

  Buniel nodded. “I have put in many requests for leniency on your behalf.” He squatted down beside Connor. “We love all humanity from a distance. Is it not enough to love this man in the same manner?”

  “I—” She didn’t want to admit she wanted more. She knelt down. “Can you help him?”

  “He’s badly injured.” Bunny laid a hand on Connor’s brow. “Skull fracture, concussion, internal bleeding, cracked ribs, multiple contusions. But nothing I can’t fix.” He closed his eyes and prayed. A white glow surrounded his hand.

  “There, it’s done.” The glow disappeared, and he rose to his feet. “He will sleep for a short time.”

  Marielle took a deep breath. “Glory to God in the Highest.”

  Buniel smiled at her. “And on earth, peace, goodwill toward men.” He removed his thick white robe and laid it on top of Connor. “This will keep him warm till he awakens.”

  She stood. “Thank you.”

  “What’s going on?” a male voice asked sharply.

  She turned to see Zackriel striding toward them.

  “Marielle. I’m glad to see you’re surviving as a human.” He nodded at Buniel. “They could use you at the car accident.”

  “I’ll be there shortly,” Buniel replied.

  Zack regarded him suspiciously. “Two of my Deliverers were working the accident when they reported a time anomaly. Was it you?”

  “No.” Buniel motioned toward Connor. “I was healing this man.”

  Zack glanced down at Connor and scoffed. “That’s not a man. He’s a Cheater. Why would you heal a Cheater?”

  “I asked him to,” Marielle said quietly.

  Zack gave her a curious look. “You’re keeping company with Cheaters now?”

  “He’s one of the good Vamps,” she explained. “I’m going to help him and his friends defeat Casimir and his evil gang of Malcontents.”

  “Sounds dangerous,” Buniel murmured.

  “It will be worth it if we can be rid of the evil vampires and make the world a safer place for humans,” she continued. “And maybe . . . I can be forgiven.”

  “Ah.” Zack nodded. “The hidden agenda. You want back into heaven.”

  “She needs to go back,” Buniel insisted. “The human world is too dangerous for her.”

  “And the time anomaly?” Zack asked her. “What do you know about that?”

  “It was caused by Darafer,” she said quietly.

  Buniel stiffened. “The demon? What does he want with you?”

  She sighed. “He considers me a fallen angel.”

  “Maybe you are,” Zack whispered.

  Buniel raised a hand toward Zackriel, his eyes a fierce glowing blue. “She is not.”

  Zackriel stepped back, stunned. “Are you threatening me, Healer?”

  “Bunny, please.” She touched him. “I’m all right. Darafer tries to trick me into going to hell with him, but I always send him away.” She turned to Zackriel. “I know you don’t believe in me, but I will prove myself worthy.”

  Zack gave her a worried look, then frowned at Connor. “Watch your neck.” He van
ished.

  Buniel smiled at her and drew her into an embrace. “Be strong, Marielle. Be careful.”

  “You be careful.” She hugged him back. “I don’t want you to get in trouble for helping me.”

  With a chuckle, he stepped back. “I can take care of myself.” He glanced at Connor, then back at her. “You have a good heart. If you follow it, you will not regret it.” His wings unfurled, and he disappeared.

  “Bye,” she whispered, missing him already. Missing her own wings.

  She hurried back to Connor and knelt beside him. “How are you?” She rested a hand on his chest and felt it moving slowly and steadily as he breathed.

  She tucked Bunny’s thick white robe around his shoulders. “Don’t want you getting cold.”

  She smoothed his hair away from his brow. “Skull fracture and concussion. I guess your head’s not quite as thick as I thought.”

  She touched his cheek. “I’ll just say this while you’re asleep, so it won’t complicate matters. I love you, Connor Buchanan.”

  His mouth curled up.

  She sat back with a gasp. “You’re awake.”

  His eyes flickered open. “Now why would ye want to waste such words on a sleeping man?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  S he loved him.

  Connor’s heart filled with joy. It was not a feeling he’d felt very often in his four hundred and ninety-nine years of existence, so it came coupled with fear. Fear that it wouldn’t last. It couldn’t last. She would eventually return to heaven where she belonged. But for now, he would try to savor the moment.

  She loved him.

  He smiled, recalling the night they’d walked in the park and ridden the carousel. He’d bought her ice cream and gotten hard, watching her eat it. He needed to stop distancing himself from her. Instead, they should create more beautiful memories that he could cherish after she was gone.

  She loved him.

  He chuckled. Marielle looked so embarrassed. She should be embarrassed. A beautiful angel like her falling for a coldhearted old undead bastard like him. How could he be so fortunate? Better not question it, and just enjoy the moment. Here he was, lying beneath a tree with—

  His smile faded. Where the hell was he? He struggled to remember, but his thoughts were fuzzy.

  A memory flashed through his mind. A blaring horn and bright headlights. “The truck!” He sat up and winced at the tenderness in his ribs.

  “Careful.” She touched his shoulder. “You may still be a little sore.”

  Sore from what? He looked her over. “Ye dinna get hit?”

  “No, you saved me. And I know I should be grateful, but really, Connor, it makes me angry. You left yourself right in the path of the truck. You have to be more careful. It would have killed me if you’d been run down.”

  His mouth twitched. “Because ye love me?”

  “I’m serious. Don’t you dare put yourself in danger like that again.”

  “How did I get here?” He touched the thick white robe that had fallen into his lap. “And where did this come from?”

  “Bunny gave it to you.”

  His eyes widened in feigned horror as he examined the length of the robe. “That’s one hell of a big rabbit.”

  She laughed. “It’s from Buniel. My friend, the Healer.”

  “I figured that.” His jaw shifted as he imagined her perfect angelic boyfriend. “Why was he here? And why was he taking off his clothes?”

  “He healed you.” She gave him a wry look. “You can thank him later. You had a fractured skull, a concussion, cracked ribs, multiple contusions—”

  “I was injured?” He rubbed his rib cage. No wonder it seemed a bit tender. “I was hit by the truck?”

  “No. I managed to move you out of the way with a blast of air.”

  “Och, that’s good. Thank you.” He smiled. “All yer hard work and practice paid off.”

  “I suppose.” She ducked her head, still looking embarrassed.

  He felt his head. There was dried blood in his hair. A fractured skull? No wonder he couldn’t remember much. “How did I get injured then?”

  “You . . . uh . . .” She pointed up a rocky incline. “The road is up there. You . . . fell down here.”

  “I fell off a bloody cliff?” How could he have been so clumsy? Why hadn’t he simply teleported to safety?

  “I . . . it was my fault.” She hung her head. “I may have used a little too much force with the blast of air—”

  “Ye blew me off a cliff?” he shouted.

  She winced. “It’s not really a cliff. It’s more of a . . . slope.”

  He huffed. “Is that how ye treat the man ye love?”

  “Well, yes.” She lifted her chin. “I was desperate to save you. And when Darafer froze you—”

  “What?” Connor jumped to his feet. “Darafer was here?”

  “Up there.” She stood and pointed to the road. “He froze time. He froze you right in front of the truck.”

  Connor shook his head. This was too strange. “He froze time?”

  “Yes. Darafer froze everything except himself and . . . me.”

  Connor’s heart plummeted. She’d been in terrible danger, and he—he had been completely helpless. “I—” He stumbled back, knocking against the tree.

  “Careful.” She grabbed his arm. “You may be a little dizzy from the concussion.”

  “Nay.” He moved aside, breaking her grip.

  Bugger. Anger swelled inside him. She was trying to take care of him, trying to protect him.

  That was his job! He was supposed to protect her! And he’d failed her.

  Just like he had failed to protect his wife and bairn. “How can ye love me? I was bloody useless!”

  She stiffened with surprise. “Don’t say that.”

  He paced away. “All this time, I’ve stayed by yer side in case that bastard showed up. And when he did, I did nothing.”

  “It’s not your fault. He has powers that are beyond both of us.”

  Connor rushed toward her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Did he hurt you? If that bastard harmed you, I’ll find a way into hell and—”

  “Don’t say that!” She pressed her hand over his mouth. “Don’t ever try to fight him. Please.”

  Connor took her hand in his. “What good am I to you if I canna protect you?”

  “You do protect me. You saved me from the truck. You saved me that first night.”

  He kissed her palm. “It breaks my heart that I couldna protect you from the demon.”

  “I’m fine. Darafer can’t take me to hell unless I agree, and I will never agree.” She rested her hands on his cheeks. “You have never failed me. You have been a blessing to me since the moment you found me.”

  “Och, lass.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. It made his ribs hurt, but he couldn’t complain. He would have her for only a short while.

  “Shall we go home?” he asked.

  “Yes.” She picked the white robe off the ground and shook it out. “We were lucky Bunny showed up.” She plucked Connor’s phone off the ground, and it instantly lit up. “I was going to call your friends for help, but I didn’t know how.”

  “I’ll show you later.” He dropped the phone into his sporran and pulled her back into his arms. “Let’s go.”

  Connor dropped his torn and tattered kilt on the bathroom floor. It was beyond repair. The T-shirt he’d worn was shredded, too. He examined his leather sporran. Scuffed up a bit, but it would still do.

  He took a quick look over his body. Apart from a little soreness, he appeared intact. Marielle’s angelic boyfriend had patched him up well. He didn’t know whether to be grateful or pissed. Just the thought that he’d been frozen and then later unconscious while demons and angels had dropped by to visit, it was too much.

  He stepped into the shower and lathered up his bloodied hair. He decided on being pissed. Aye, that suited him well. He was a vampire, dammit. A supernatural being with his
own set of awesome powers. He’d been able to control mortal minds for centuries. He’d been able to defeat any mortal or Malcontent in battle. He was top dog. Top of the food chain.

  Not anymore. He could be frozen and rendered helpless? Bloody hell! How could he defeat an enemy who could control him?

  How could Marielle trust him? He stood under the showerhead, letting the hot water pound on his head. That was the real problem. He was afraid of failing her. He’d failed before, and he’d lost his wife and baby daughter. And then, he’d lost his soul. He’d become a coldhearted bastard who fed on others to stay alive.

  But she still loves you.

  He closed his eyes and let the water run down his face. His angel loved him. She called him a blessing.

  With a sigh, he turned off the water. She would be with him only a short time.

  He dressed in a clean pair of plaid flannel pants and a T-shirt that either Phil or Howard had left behind. It was Howard’s cabin, actually. He and Phil used to come here on a full moon so they could shift and hunt. But now Phil was shifting with the other werewolf lads at the school, and Howard was joining them there. Connor smiled, imagining a big bear hunting with a pack of wolves.

  He peeked into the bedroom to make sure Marielle wasn’t there half dressed. Or undressed. The room was empty. Too bad.

  When they’d arrived back at the cabin, all covered with dirt and grime, he’d insisted she shower first. He’d needed a bottle of blood to regain his strength.

  He usually showered at his room in the basement at Romatech, but he couldn’t leave Marielle alone, so he’d showered here.

  He padded into the main room, still drying his wet hair with a towel. He spotted Marielle, lying on the couch with her head resting on the pillowed arm. As he approached, he noticed she was bundled up in Buniel’s white robe. The angel sun catcher was in her hands, and she was studying it, running her fingers over the crystal wings.

  He sat on the other end of the couch, next to her bare feet. “You miss heaven.”

  “Yes.” She sat up and drew her legs in to make more room for him. “It’s been my home since I was created.” She tugged the robe closed around her neck, then rubbed her chin against the soft white material.