“Oh. Good thing I’m leaving soon, because this cabin’s a rental.” She went to her suitcase and zipped it shut. “Sorry about the sparse furnishing. I wasn’t planning on having guests here.”
A wicked grin curved his sculptured lips as he sat on the bed, propping his back against the headboard. “Oh, I don't know. You do have the most important piece of furniture required. Come, sit beside me.” With a sexy, half-smile, he patted the empty space beside him. Her lower region went wet and throbbing at the open invitation in those dark, sultry eyes of his.
Steeling herself against the compulsion to do as he bid, and the demands of her traitorous body wanting to touch him, she managed to shake her head. “Uh-uh. There’s been no one around for you to feed on, and I gave you quite enough blood last time.”
“Mariah, sit beside me,” the powerful influence of his deep, sensual voice almost had her walking toward him.
“No, I’m good here.”
“Come here.” Determination in those darks eyes slammed her will to resist him.
Seeing he was determined to win, she compromised by sitting at the foot of the bed. “Fine. Happy now?”
Amusement brightened his dark eyes. “Strong-minded little wench, aren’t you?” He tilted his head slightly as he stared at her. “Violet. I should have known a redhead would have such pretty eyes.”
Blushing, she stuttered, “Th-thank you.”
He stretched out his long legs, brushing her bare ones. Fire shot through her at the innocent contact. She wondered if he had felt it, too.
“Yes, I feel what you feel. We are one.”
Jumping off the bed, she faced him. “Whoa! How did you do that?”
“When we exchanged blood, it gives us a telepathic link.”
“But I heard you before we met.”
Frowning, he leaned forward. “You heard me before we exchanged blood?”
“Yes. You had said ‘Forgive me’. What did you need to be forgiven for?”
“Are you able to hear others?”
Dropping her gaze to her bare feet, she shrugged. “Not words exactly. I-I can feel when someone is lying, or sense their emotions. It’s like I can read their body language, but nothing like reading their thoughts. Not like I heard you last night.”
He leaned back. “You are sensitive.”
“Like in the Shining?”
Chuckling, he gave her a nod. “Sort of. It’s a talent that helps writers create some of the best stories.”
“How did you know I was a writer?”
He tipped his head toward the table. “I hope you don’t mind, but I read the page open on your laptop.”
“Oh.” Cheeks hot, she went to her laptop and unplugged it, putting it and the charger into the leather computer satchel she used to carry it in. Setting it beside her suitcase, she could feel his eyes following her.
She faced him. “Why were you in the woods?”
“I was leading the hunters away from my family, giving them the opportunity to escape.”
“Did they escape?”
“Yes.”
“Umm, you aren’t wanted by the law, are you?”
“No. Why?
“I had visitors earlier. A Sheriff Willard and an FBI agent named Murphy.”
“Son-of-a-bitch!” He pushed off the bed and stood before her. “Did they ask questions about me?”
“They were searching for an escaped prisoner. Murphy made a big deal about my neck. Really creepy guy. Smelt weird, too.”
“Gather up your things. I’ve got to get you out of here.”
“Why?” Grabbing her computer satchel, she slipped the strap over her shoulder and put on her shoes. “Will Murphy be coming back here?” she asked when he went to the window and looked outside.
“Yes, and he won’t be alone. He’ll bring the hunters with him.”
“What the hell does an FBI agent want with you?”
“He’s not an agent. Murphy’s a ghoul.”
“A ghoul?” She emptied her dogs’ water bowls and collected their food dishes, stuffing them into the plastic tub she kept their food in.
“A day guardian for the Damned. Ghouls live a half-life. Not vampires, but aren’t human either. They give off a distinct foul odor and have dead eyes, yet they can still withstand daylight.”
“Yeah, you just described Murphy all right.” Remembering how odd he acted, she asked, “If ghouls can withstand sunlight, why was Murphy sweating so badly when he was here?”
“Don’t look at me, I was asleep.” His eyes narrowed when he approached her. “Did you want him gone?”
“Of course I did. Why?”
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. In a few days, my blood will be out of your system, and you’ll return to normal.”
“Wait! Are you saying I caused him pain because I drank your blood?”
Rathe brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You were only defending yourself. You didn’t cause him permanent harm.”
She held her breath, praying he would kiss her again. His nearness sent yearning and anticipation rippling through her. Unexpectedly, the dogs jumped to their feet and growled at the door.
“Shit!” He pushed her to the floor when bullets sprayed the cabin. Shattered glass and broken wood showered her and him. Rathe jumped on top of her, protecting her with his body. A bullet hit the lamp, casting the cabin into total darkness.
He shouted to the dogs, “Lie down!” They obeyed.
The shooting stopped. “Hey, vampire, get yer ass out here and die like a man, or whatever you used to be.” The man laughed at his own joke. Others laughed with him.
A young man demanded, “What about the woman? I didn't sign on to murder innocent people. I only kill vampires!”
Murphy replied, “I've seen Miss Jordan and witnessed the bite marks on her neck. Her soul can only be saved now by killing her.”
“Sir, you want me to torch it?” She heard an audible click of a gun readied.
Rathe snarled, “They’ve got a damn rocket launcher!”
“What?”
“Do you trust me?”
“Trust you? Why? What are you going to do?” Gazing into his eyes, she watched them change from blackest of black to white-hot.
“Hold on to me.”
✝✝✝
Concentrating, he summoned the storm. Brilliant white flashed outside the cabin, an ear-splitting crack of thunder shook the ground beneath them. Almost smiling when he heard the humans shouting as he sent the rain dumping down on the pricks.
Murphy screamed wildly, “Shoot the damn thing! Burn the cabin down and those bloodsuckers with it!”
A high-pitched whistle screeched as the rocket came through the broken window. Rathe shielded her as it hit the far wall, destroying it. A way for them to escape, he jumped to his feet and pulled Mariah into his arms, running, her dogs on his heels. Hearing another click, the hiss of its launching, he made for the trees. Behind them, the entire cabin exploded. The blast wave sent him hurtling forward onto his knees. Quick back onto his feet, he kept running. Mariah buried her face into his neck and her arms tightened around his neck in a death-grip, nearly choking him while the rain made it hard to keep his footing.
Another ‘boom’ shattered the air. Sliding to a stop, he turned to see her car sailing through the air in a fiery ball of twisting metal and shattering glass.
“My car!” she exclaimed, “They blew up my brand new car!” Swiping water and her wet hair out of her way, glaring at him, she charged, “This is your fault!”
“You have insurance, yes?”
“Oh, sure, can’t wait to tell the insurance adjuster, ‘sorry some psychos hunting down a vampire mistook me as one and used a freakin rocket launcher to destroy the cabin I’d rented and my new car’!”
Grimacing at her sarcastic tone, he heard her teeth chattering, concerned when she started shaking. He set her down on her feet. Shrugging out of his coat, he started to slip it around her shoulders and stopped, c
aptivated how her t-shirt clung to her breasts, nipples hard and erect from the cold. She glanced down at where he stared.
“Freakin unbelievable.” Stomping away, she yanked his coat on, the sleeves falling past her hands, the hem to her knees. When he tried to lift her into his arms, she shoved him away.
“Are you mad at me?”
Her dogs, wet and scared, leaned against her bare legs. “I'm not mad — I'm pissed! Since I've met you, I've been bitten, drained of my blood, had to drink yours because you took too much, and what happens next? My cabin and my brand new car are blown up by vampire hunters using a freakin rocket launcher, that’s what!” Her bottom lip quivered as she struggled not to cry. “I worked very hard to buy my car.”
Unsure how to comfort her, he drew her into his arms and held her close. Slowly, her arms crept around his waist. When she stilled, he saw she had her ear pressed to his heart, intent concentration on her lovely face.
“Mariah?”
Eyes wide, she wore an expression of awe. “You're alive!”
“You thought I was dead?”
“I always thought vampires were living corpses. No pulse. No heartbeat. Stories, movies, they’re all wrong?”
Swearing under his breath, he took advantage of her distraction and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to his black SUV. “Most of the legends are true where the Damned are concerned. For my kind, the Borne, it doesn’t apply. Would it make you feel better if I told you I was born like any human child, except my parents are vampire?”
“Honestly? No, it doesn’t.”
Smiling at her, he opened the passenger door and set her on the bench seat, before slipping off her computer bag and put it on the rear floorboard. He’d left the keys in the ignition and started the engine. Switching the heat on high, he reached for the blanket in the backseat and covered her with it. He called to the dogs and opened the back passenger door for them to jump inside. Shutting the doors, he went to the driver’s side and got in, driving back onto the road. He glanced in the rearview mirror, seeing the flames engulfing her cabin and car reaching for the sky.
He glanced at Mariah, who stared out her window, looking lost. Unsure what to say to her, saved when his mother’s voice, gentle and melodic, reached out to him.
“Rathe, where are you?”
“Mother, is everyone all right?”
“We’re fine, but what about you? Why were we unable to speak to you?”
“I had to block you out so he could not locate you.”
“Was he there?”
“Briefly. He sent his hunters after me.”
“Were you injured?”
“No, I wasn’t hurt.”
“Rathe, it is not wise to lie to your mother.”
“I will explain when we arrive.”
“We?” She sounded amused.
Why did he say ‘we’? Changing the subject, he asked, “Was the house in reasonable condition?”
“It did not take us long to clean it. Will we be safe here?”
“The house is under an alias and cannot be traced back to me. Are my brothers patrolling?”
“Yes, they are. Be careful, my son. My heart could not bear losing you, too. I love you.” Then she vanished from his mind.
Heading for town, he realized if he took Mariah to the sheriff’s office, Murphy would know they had survived and would send the hunters hot on his trail. He couldn’t reunite with his family. Hell, they would hunt Mariah, too.
What course could he take to keep them both from getting killed?
“Rathe, where are you planning on dropping me off?”
“I had planned to take you into town, but I—”
“But what? The hunters think we’re dead, so they won’t be looking for us. Right?”
“If Murphy learns you and I didn’t die in the fire, he’ll alert every hunter and the Damned in the area to hunt us down and we won’t survive them.”
“I can’t stay with you! I’ve got to get home.”
“Do you think I want you here with me? Travelling with you places me in danger from my own people. We, the Borne, are not to associate with humans beyond taking their blood. Having you in the same car with me puts me in danger of being judged and executed by my own kind!”
“Okay, if the hunters are watching and waiting to see if we survived, then we can’t go to Flagstaff either. How about Phoenix? I can call my agent and arrange to get home. That way you won’t be connected to me, and I can slip away unnoticed.”
Her plan had merit. “Phoenix is nearly a three hour drive, giving us some distance between us and Mormon Lake. The hunters won’t begin searching that far, not yet anyways.” He nodded. “Yes, it would be the best course to take. Might as well get comfortable, we’ll be on the road a while.”
“Sure. Let me just relax here, especially after what just happened to us,” she replied sarcastically. “Rathe, why are the Damned after you?”
“It’s complicated.” He shifted in his seat. “The one who sent the hunters after me … we are in embroiled in a feud.”
“Was it because of a woman?”
“No. Not as simple as a woman.” His hands tightened around the steering wheel. “I judged him.”
“Judged him?”
“Yes, I declared him Damned and would have slayed him, except he escaped. He wants revenge, trying to kill me, anyone who loves me, and everyone whom I hold dear.”
✝✝✝
Opening her mouth to ask what happened, Rathe hunched his shoulders. He was finished talking. Cold, her wet clothes made it hard to get comfortable, although the heater was helping to dry her out. She drew his coat closer around her, inhaling the expensive cologne mingled with leather.
Outside the car’s windshield, the inky night stretched out beyond the headlight’s yellow beams. Her eyelids grew heavy and it became too much to keep them open. She leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes.
Long, flaxen-blond hair flowed about his lean body. Sadness darkened his hypnotic, amethyst-colored eyes. He held his hand out to her, silently beseeching her to take it. She saw he wore a ring similar to Rathe’s, except his was on his right, fourth finger. When she placed her hand in his, he smiled and made her feel as if she was the luckiest, happiest woman in the world.
Together, they gazed down at a night-shrouded valley from where they stood. Wild and breathtaking in its savage beauty, she drank in the intoxicating sight of the land and the handsome man beside her. His hand tightened around hers, and he lifted it to press his warm lips to it. Her heart fluttered as he stared down at her with love and fierce pride.
Fear invaded her joy.
Men wielding torches and weapons ran at them. Smoke burned her eyes and throat, lungs. They surrounded them. The pale-haired man transformed. Eyes glowing, he snarled at the screaming mob, his fangs long. Fog rolled in. He yelled at her to run. She wouldn’t leave him. To be without him, to never have him in her arms, not kiss his lips, she would rather face death by his side than live without him.
Hands grabbed her, pulling her away from him. She lost hold her lover’s grip and fought the hands restraining her from returning to him. He looked resigned, sadness in his eyes as the villagers attacked him.
No!
She gasped, clawing at her throat for air. Out of the darkness, she heard Rathe calling to her, “Mariah? Wake up!”
With effort, she opened her eyes. Rathe was leaning close to her, worried. Seeing the car parked at the side of the road, she threw her arms around his neck and clung to him. Slowly, his arms crept around her and he held her.
“What were you dreaming about?”
“Dream? Yes, it must have been a dream. It-it felt real though.” Tears wetted her cheeks.
He offered her his handkerchief. “Want to tell me about it?”
When she told him about the vampire, Rathe jerked back, as if she’d slapped him. “Light-colored hair?”
“Yes, and he had eyes the color of amethyst. He had a ring like
yours. Do you know him?” When he didn’t respond, she asked, “Rathe, do you know him?”
“No, I don’t.” He was lying right through his perfect teeth, she was certain of it.
✝✝✝
The blood exchange. It had to be it. There was no way she could know about him otherwise.
Staring into her wide eyes, he felt himself drowning in those beautiful orbs. Dropping his gaze to her soft lips, parted so invitingly, he was mesmerized, wanting to feel them beneath his again. Yearning rivaling pure fire and storm charged through his body. When seductive images conjuring in her mind entered his, lust ignited full throttle. He could hear her blood flowing beneath her satiny skin, his fangs lengthened as he thought about tasting her blood.
A horn blared.
Cars whipped past them, jerking him out of the seductive trance she cast upon him. Shaken at how close he’d come to sinking his teeth into her flesh, he bounced back to his side of the car. Shifting the gear into drive, he stomped on the gas, sending the car fishtailing back onto the highway. Breathing hard, hot, raw desire left him throbbing, pissed and frustrated. It held him in an unbearably hard state and no way to ease his situation, not without endangering them both.
What in the hell did I get myself involved in?
He risked a look at her. She pressed into her side of the car. In her hand, she held the medallion, rubbing it between her fingers, like a worry stone.
“Mariah, why do you wear a medallion with a protection spell on it?”
“Is that what these runes are?” She switched on the overhead light. “How do you know?”
“I’ve seen gypsies wear similar ones. Why do you wear it, if you did not know what the runes are?”
“It was given to me. So, it’s merely a replica.” She seemed disappointed.
“It’s no tourist trinket. In the world of gypsies, there are powerful witches and they create those for different needs. The runes on your medallion create a barrier, like a cloaking devise. Kind of.”
“I wonder if it hides me from him,” she mumbled.
“Him?”
She scrunched down in his coat, as if she were afraid. “I-I have nightmares about a man calling to me, wanting me to come to him.”
Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) Page 3