by Bianca D'Arc
“Guess I deserved that. I’m John, as you already know. You’re Master Abernathy, right? From Seattle?” John held out his hand for a shake.
Zak held his breath. He didn’t think the vampire would try anything, but now was a moment of truth, of sorts. Would the bloodletter turn on them now that he’d been fed?
Hiram took John’s hand and shook it. Zak breathed again. One hurdle overcome.
“Please call me Hiram,” the master replied. “I regret coming to you in such strange circumstances. I was trying to be stealthy, observing your settlement from the water for a bit before I made overtures.”
“I know. My bears saw your yacht out there, and I traced the registry to you. I figured you’d come in when you were ready.”
John wasn’t Alpha for nothing. Zak hadn’t known about the vampire’s surveillance, but John had others who were more suited to such tasks as watching boats out at sea and tracking down ships’ registries.
“I would have,” Hiram agreed easily. “But it seems fate had other ideas.” His face turned grim, even as his wounds finally stopped bleeding. “Sir, there is something out there in the deep. Something very evil.”
Tension filled the room until everyone heard the clanking of bottles near the bottom of the stairs leading to the upper level apartment. Tina.
Zak nodded to John as he headed behind the counter to the door that led to the staircase. He opened it and found Tina standing there, clutching three bottles of red wine to her chest. Her eyes were wide, and she looked adorably startled.
“Is it safe?” she whispered.
Zak considered. “Safe enough, I guess. If you want to come meet our guest, I think it’d be okay. And he can probably still use the wine.”
Zak took a couple of the bottles from her and waited while she scooped up a few more, and they headed out into the bakery together. Zak led her over to the table where Hiram was seated again. John had taken a seat at the table next to him, facing Hiram, and they were talking in low, urgent tones. Their conversation ceased as Tina entered the front part of the bakery.
“Honey, this is Hiram Abernathy,” Zak introduced them as he placed the first of the bottles on the small table in front of the vampire. Tina was right behind him. “Master Hiram, this is Tina Baker.”
She gasped when Zak stepped aside and she saw the rows and rows of bite marks that still showed on Hiram’s chest. They weren’t bleeding anymore, but they were still there, red and gruesome looking.
“I beg your pardon, lady,” Hiram said with old-world politeness. “I am sorry to darken your door in such a way and make such a mess.” He looked at the blood smears that made a path to the table and the considerable pool of seawater and blood beneath his chair. “Thank you for helping me. I will gladly reimburse you for your troubles. And, as they say, I owe you one. It is not something trivial to have a master vampire owe you a debt.” He winked at her, and Zak bristled.
“What happened to you?” Tina asked in a sympathetic whisper.
“Something in the ocean objected to my presence rather strongly,” Hiram replied with wry humor as he looked through the bottles they had brought. “Do you have a glass, a bowl and a small towel?” he asked Tina directly.
She nodded and bustled off to get the supplies he’d requested. Zak stood by the table and watched the vampire. He didn’t like the way the bloodletter was flirting with Tina. The bear inside him bristled again at the thought of it, and Zak heard a little growl hit the back of his throat.
Damn.
“Rest easy, young one,” Hiram held up a calming hand toward Zak. “She is not for me. I believe the Goddess may have already decided her fate. And yours. No?” Hiram looked up at Zak, a smile in his topaz eyes.
Zak was taken aback. Could he mean…? Could it be?
Tina returned with the items, and a cork screw, which Hiram hadn’t requested specifically, but Tina had apparently thought to add. Hiram smiled at her again, and Zak’s bear sat up, staring at the man from out of Zak’s eyes, sizing him up. The bear wasn’t sure what to make of Hiram, and neither was Zak’s human side.
Hiram opened two of the bottles, sloshing deep red wine into the glass from one and drinking it all down in one go. Helpful not to have to breathe, Zak thought, when chugalugging. But it didn’t do the rather good vintage he’d chosen any justice.
The second bottle, Hiram poured into the bowl, drenching the small towel with wine. Zak watched, surprised, as Hiram placed the wine-soaked towel directly over his wounds, sighing in what sounded like relief as the wine hit his savaged skin.
He drank more glasses of wine while he let the towel sit, emptying the bottle with speed before he opened a second bottle of the better vintage. He started drinking that, too, at a slightly slower pace.
“Normally,” Hiram paused in his drinking to speak, “I would share this excellent wine with you, but these are rather trying circumstances. Tonight, you learn one of the secrets of my kind. You are seeing for yourself that we can, indeed, drink wine and that not only can we drink it, but that it also heals us.”
Hiram removed the towel, returning it to the bowl to soak up more wine. Tina gasped when Hiram’s chest was revealed. Wherever the wine-soaked towel had touched, he was healed. Completely healed. Not even a small mark was left behind.
As Hiram drank down the second bottle, the rest of the marks on his body began to fade right before their eyes, as well.
Zak had seen quick healing. He was a shapeshifter, after all. But he’d never seen anything quite like this. He imagined few people ever did.
CHAPTER THREE
Tina was shocked clear out of her skin. That Hiram guy was getting better by the moment, and all indications were that he was some kind of vampire. An honest-to-goodness vampire, right here in the middle of her bakery. Holy cow!
She’d thought she was going to spend the last few minutes before closing flirting with Deputy Zak, but things had changed drastically in a short time. She was playing hostess to a vampire who was drinking the best bottles of their meager wine collection as if they were filled with water and he had been stuck in the desert for a week. The dude could pack it away, and he didn’t seem to get drunk at all.
In fact, if anything, the alcohol made him brighter. More with it. It healed him. The very idea defied logic.
And his eyes had gone from that horror-movie red to a glittering topaz brown that reminded her of a cat. He was really a very dashing fellow. Handsome and built. Just the way she liked ‘em.
But next to Zak… Yeah, ol’ Hiram paled next to sexy Zak Flambeau. Tina had been hot for the deputy for a week now, ever since he’d been ordered to make sure she was safe in the bakery at closing time. He’d been hanging around, and they’d been talking. She’d learned a bit about his past and his life, his hopes and dreams. And she’d shared the same with him. She’d thought they’d been making a connection.
Whether that would turn out to be a love connection, she wasn’t sure, but she had decided she really did want to jump his bones. He was too cute to not want to boink. At least that was Tina’s philosophy.
Her sisters might think she was a little wild, but Tina had always done what she liked. She’d done who she liked too, though honestly, there hadn’t been all that many men in her past. She was particular. And right now, she particularly liked Deputy Zak.
She just wasn’t sure if he was feeling it too, and she didn’t want to be embarrassed if she made a pass and got shut down. That would suck. And it would make her life difficult, since he’d been assigned to see to her safety every damn night. If she bombed out with him, she’d still have to see him. This was a very small town, after all. So she’d had to be cautious, which went against her impulsive nature.
“We’re going to have to report this through official human channels, unfortunately,” Hiram said, drawing her attention. “I had staff on the yacht. Not many, but their families will need to know what happened to them. There will need to be police reports for insurance claims and the like,
I imagine.”
It struck Tina as odd that a vampire would be talking about something as mundane as insurance. Then again, like the cove’s shapeshifters, vampires had to live in the modern world too. They’d have to deal with human laws and procedures from time to time, just to fit in.
“We can help you there,” Brody said. “You swam ashore, and Deputy Flambeau found you on the beach, then brought you over to Sven’s place. He’s the town doctor.”
Zak paced a few steps away, dialing his cell phone. Tina heard him talking to Sven, inviting him to join the party at the bakery.
About that time, Tom showed up. He was Tina’s newest in-law, mated to her sister, Ashley. He was also the town’s lawyer. Brody filled Tom in on the events of the evening while John talked quietly with Hiram. Tina followed Zak over toward the counter as he finished his call.
“You holding up all right?” Zak asked her in a quiet tone, concern clear in his expression.
Tina hugged herself. “I’m okay. This is just a little unexpected, you know? I was just getting used to the idea of shapeshifters. I’d heard there might be vampires too, but I never even dreamed of actually meeting one, much less having one walk into the bakery in such a state.”
Zak surprised her by taking her into his arms, but she went willingly. His hug felt so good. Warm and cuddly. Protective and strong. He made her feel secure, which was something she needed, especially after the shock of the evening and her unexpected guest.
“I guess Tom and Brody made my sisters stay away, huh?” she asked in a small voice. Before they’d come to Grizzly Cove, her sisters had been her comforters and protectors. She’d never been left all on her own to deal with it difficult situation like this before.
“No doubt,” Zak agreed. “But it’s okay. I’m here. Lean on me, honey. I’ve got you.”
She liked the surety and strength in his soft words. And she liked the way he held her, the gentle touches on her back and the slight sway of their bodies as he offered her comfort, asking nothing in return. He was a really sweet guy.
Brody came over with Tom, a few moments later. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and she blushed, realizing she’d been totally sidetracked by Zak’s warm embrace. She jumped a little, but he wasn’t letting her go so easily. Rather than struggle, she just turned her head to look at her two new brothers-in-law.
“Tom can run you over to his place,” Brody said quietly. “Pick up Nell on the way, and you three can shelter with him for a bit while we get this sorted out, okay?” Mutely, she nodded agreement. She couldn’t wait to tell her sisters about everything that had happened. She also couldn’t wait to be surrounded by their comforting presence…although, Zak was a top notch substitute.
“Zak,” Brody went on, “I need you to come down to the office with me. We’re going to have to dust off the official forms and get on the computer. This has to be done by the human book, unfortunately, and you’re way better at that than I am. Plus, you found the guy. It was on your watch.” Brody sounded almost gleeful over that little fact, since it probably meant that Zak would have to do the majority of the paperwork.
“Roger that,” Zak replied, throwing Brody a casual salute. “Give me five to help Tina pack an overnight bag and lock up.”
Brody seemed startled by Zak’s words, narrowing his gaze on his deputy, then turning that suspicious look on Tina. She fled. She was in no mood to answer nosy questions—or even questioning looks—from her new brother-in-law.
She hadn’t quite gotten used to having brothers-in-law yet, for that matter. The fact that her two sisters were now happily mated to two guys her sisters swore hung the moon and lit the stars still hadn’t quite sunken in completely. It was all so new. Only a few weeks old.
Tina ran upstairs, hearing Zak following behind her. She ran up. He took the stairs more sedately, but when she reached the small kitchen, he was only a step or two behind her. Maybe he’d taken them two at a time? And he wasn’t even breathing a little faster.
The dude was in shape. But she knew that from the time she’d spent over the past week, ogling his bod. Zak was fit with a capital F, I, and T. And the way he filled out his uniform golf shirt ought to be illegal. He might not be quite as tall as Brody or Tom, but he was a lot taller than she was, and his shoulders were massive, his muscles ripped.
Was it warm up here?
“How long do you think I will have to stay at Tom’s?” she asked, looking for something to say.
“Probably just overnight,” Zak replied. “Just a precaution, until Big John and the master figure out what’s what.”
“Are you sure this Master Hiram guy is who he claims to be?” She frowned, trying to puzzle through their reasoning.
“I think he is, but that’s one of the reasons we’re taking precautions. John will check out his bona fides—or have me do it while I’m knee deep in computer databases. Vampires don’t usually leave a lot of tracks, but I’m pretty good at ferreting out the stuff they can’t get around. Plus, we can call the Lords and see what they know, but that’ll probably have to wait until morning, just out of courtesy. If Hiram continues to be a good boy, all will be well.” Zak moved closer to her, the width of the kitchen table between them as he held her gaze. “If things go south, we can protect you better if you’re all together. Don’t worry, Tina. You’ll be safe at Tom’s with your sisters.”
“But what about you?” she whispered, unaware until the words were out of her mouth that she was going to speak them.
Zak’s expression changed. His head tilted to one side as he smiled slowly, but thankfully, he wasn’t laughing at her. Instead, he seemed sort of…touched…by her concern.
“I’ll be okay, baby. Trust me.” The silence dragged while their gazes stayed locked, unspoken words of concern and reassurance passing between them. Zak finally broke the moment by clearing his throat. “You’d better pack that bag. They’re waiting for us.”
“How do you know?” she asked, already heading toward her room.
“I can hear them,” Zak said, following right behind.
She wasn’t sure if she really wanted him to see the state of her bedroom, but it was too late. She grabbed for a lacy red bra she’d accidentally left splayed over her pink bedspread, but she definitely heard Zak chuckle as heat flushed her cheeks.
“That shifter hearing thing is pretty cool,” she said, just for something to say while she busied herself finding a small bag and throwing things into it somewhat haphazardly.
She turned abruptly when she heard her bedroom door click softly closed behind him. He had his back to the door and an intense expression on his chiseled features.
“Even shifter hearing has its limits though,” he said softly, letting go of the doorknob behind him and walking slowly—predatorily—toward her. He was stalking her, and oddly enough, she wasn’t scared. Just…excited.
“Really?” She couldn’t think of anything more coherent to say. Not with the way he held her gaze as he prowled steadily closer, coming right for her.
“For example, right now, as long as we keep it low, they won’t have a clue what we do up here.”
“Is that a fact?” Her mouth was suddenly dry as he stopped right in front of her.
CHAPTER FOUR
Without words, Zak simply held out his arms, and Tina seemed to fall into them, like a magnet clinging to its opposite polarity. His strong arms came around her, and she breathed deep of his masculine scent, burying her face in the hollow of his neck. They were a perfect fit, as far as she was concerned. He was just the right height for her to feel safe and secure without being overwhelmed. As the shortest of her sisters, that was something very important to her.
“I lost about ten years off my life when that vamp walked in,” Zak admitted. “I was so afraid he was going to go for you.” His arms squeezed her close, and she heard the emotion in his voice.
Wonder filled her at his response. It sounded as if he…cared…for her. Her heart leapt in her chest. She li
ked that idea. A lot.
“Would he really have bitten me if I hadn’t gotten the wine?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Honey, the wine was dessert. He had me for dinner,” he revealed. “Shifter blood is a delicacy to them, and it gave him more energy than your mortal blood would have.”
“You let him bite you?” She pulled back, looking up to meet his gaze. Then she checked his neck for bite marks, but he chuckled.
“He took it from my wrist,” Zak told her. “And we were damn lucky the guy was a gentleman. He’s a master, which means he’s an old son of a gun. Powerful. Probably stronger than anyone in this little town. We’re lucky he asked politely, because he probably could have just taken whatever he wanted. Including you.” He tucked her head into his shoulder and hugged her again. “In the state he was in, he would have killed you. And I would have died too.”
That sounded serious. She pulled back to meet his gaze, noting the slight tremble in his hold.
“Why?”
He let some of his emotion show in his gaze and she caught her breath. “I would give my life for you, any day, any way. I would have tried to protect you. Give you a shot at running.”
She clutched his shoulders. He was saying something important here, but it still wasn’t clear to her. Would he do that for any weak human stuck in that sort of situation? He was the town deputy, after all. He had some kind of duty to protect. Or was it more personal?
Lord, how she hoped it was personal!
“Thank you,” she said calmly, her mind racing. “But I wouldn’t run. I wouldn’t want you to die for me. I’d probably have tried to fight him with you.”
“Then we both would have died, and I couldn’t do this…”
Zak’s head dipped low, his lips catching hers in a gentle kiss that soon turned molten.
Oh, yeah. This is something she’d wanted for a while now. Zak. Kissing her. Making her toes curl in her shoes. Dayum.