“She’s called Mar ... Mariah Jordan.”
“Mariah,” he said softly and closed his eyes. Forcing his eyes open, the vertigo of her reappearance after all these long years left him with a thousand questions. “Where is she now?”
“She … she was with the Slayer.”
Bringing Murphy close, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “Did you kill her?”
Gurgles of blood were Murphy's response. Roaring his fury, he threw the lifeless body across the room, slamming into the wall hard enough to damage the drywall. Tissue and blood splattered across the pristine white paint in a beautiful macabre of death. Murphy slowly crumbled to the floor.
“Useless! Humans are completely useless beyond food.” Glaring at his muscle-bound bodyguards, ghouls, who could only die when he gave them permission to do so, he withdrew a neatly ironed, embroidered handkerchief out of his breast pocket and wiped his hands clean of Murphy's blood.
A knock on the door distracted him.
One of the bodyguards opened it for the tall, sophisticated vampire with golden-brown hair to enter. Alexander Walker was his second in command and trusted confidant — well closer than anyone he allowed anyway. Alexander kept his eyes on the floor as he neared him.
“What is it, Alexander?”
“My lord, it has been confirmed. Rathe Romulas died in the fire.”
“Excellent news, my friend. Spread the word we no longer need fear the Slayer. Issue a substantial reward for his family. Three million for the women, ten for his brothers. I want them alive. Yet, if they wish to die than be captured, then give them their wish.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He watched Alexander back out, his gaze centered on the carpet. “Alexander, hold a minute.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“I would like you to inquire about this Mariah Jordan Murphy told me about. Apparently, she was with Romulas.”
Alexander looked at him, surprising him by the uncharacteristic act. “Is she human or vampire?”
“Unknown. Murphy died before he could tell me. Head out to Mormon Lake. Speak to the sheriff. Use any means necessary to extract what he knows about her and her life. If she is alive, bring her to me.”
“Yes, my lord.” The doors closed behind Alexander.
Stretching out his mind, he searched for her. Nothing. Still, he knew deep inside him, she wasn’t dead. It could be wishful thinking on his part. Either way, he was confident Alexander would find her.
Desperate to see her again, he closed his eyes and pulled back the details what Murphy had shown him, drinking in the intoxicating sight of her beauty, cherishing every curve, until he saw her bruised neck. She had been bitten! Peering closer, he saw the savagery of the bite. By Mariah’s wane color, he realized Romulas must have nearly drained her.
Could it be that his nemesis was close to losing his precious soul? Had the Slayer exchanged blood with her?
“No, he would never break his precious laws, not even to save an innocent.” Years he had searched for her, and to find out she’d met his enemy first was like a stake through the heart. He should have been her first, not the son-of-a-bitch Romulas!
Fuming, he made to withdraw when he caught sight the medallion she wore. Surprise vanquished his anger. “Damn those meddling gypsies and their magic! That is why I could not locate you. Clever indeed. Who is the cleverest of the witches? Who hid you from me, Mariah? Who is strong enough to cast such a powerful protection spell against me?”
He directed to his bodyguards, “Gentlemen, I return to California. Wrap my paintings and prepare my car for the journey. Do have someone clean the mess I made of Mr. Murphy. Tidiness is close to ... well you know the rest.”
As he left the room, the familiar ache of loneliness hit him. To see her beautiful face after all these long years, to know she had survived that terrible night, he said a prayer before he caught himself.
Please be alive, Mariah. I love you. Don’t leave me again.
✝✝✝
Evil stalked her.
It’s hot, stagnate breath burned the back of her neck. She ran to stand beneath the beam of light, sighing as its warmth bathed her in its protection. Her relief was short lived. Circling her, he stayed just outside reach of the light, his face cast in darkness, red eyes fixed on her as he moved around her. Clutching her medallion in her hand, she fought the fear suffocating her.
“Mariah, why do you deny me? You and I are the same.”
“No! I am nothing like you.” A guttural laugh swirled around and around her, making her clutch her ears to muffle the awful sound out.
“Let me show you, my love.”
Sweeping a clawed hand before her eyes, she saw Murphy on the floor, a twisted heap of broken bones and mutilated, twitching flesh. Above him, blood and brain splattered the white wall. Blood pooled around his body.
Blood.
Hypnotized by the delicious sight, the heady smell of it caused a vicious hunger to rise inside her. Sharp and terrible, like a knife twisting in her gut. Wanting to lap up the blood, to sink her teeth into the quivering flesh and feed….
She threw the blankets off her and ran to the bathroom. Bent over the toilet, she tried to vomit. Dry heaves. Drinking water out of the faucet, hoping it would settle her stomach. Instead, it gave it fuel to puke. Once the projectile vomiting had eased, she rose shakily to her feet and splashed water on her face, cooling her feverish skin.
Bracing her hands on the counter, she looked at herself in the mirror. Dark circles under her eyes weren’t what alarmed her — it was her eyes. They had changed! Violet had lightened several shades, the color so vibrant and unnervingly bright in the bathroom light.
“Why?”
What Rathe told her last night sunk why he’d returned to her cabin. She ran back into the bedroom and threw open the drapes. Sunlight hit her. Instantly, her eyes watered and her skin started to hurt, turning red. She yanked the drapes closed. Crumbling to the floor, she drew her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth.
“I’m turning. Oh, God in Heaven, I’m becoming a vampire!” Should she call out to Rathe? Maybe he could stop it.
No, he said if I turned, he would have to kill me.
Frightened, she fought not to cry at the mess she was in. Salish whined and put her head on her arms, trying to comfort her. Bear lay down beside her, his brown eyes watching her.
Drawing in a deep breath, she let it out slowly. “No, I can beat this. Just gotta keep my emotions under control and eat human food, to slow down the-the virus. The longer I hold out, the stronger I will become. Just as long as I do not drink vampire blood or anyone else’s, I will return to normal.”
Salish lifted her head and calmness returned as she gazed into those loving, topaz-colored eyes. Stroking her soft fur, Mariah sighed. “I will forget about him, and everything will be fine.” Who was she kidding? Never in a million years would she be able to forget Rathe Romulas. Never.
Checking the time, she couldn’t believe she’d slept the day away again. Seven o’clock. Where did Rathe sleep? Ugh, why was she thinking about him again?
“Well, my babies, I need to shower. After that, we’ll plot our next move.”
After showering, she felt better until she had to put back on the wrinkled clothes she’d worn the day before. Slipping on her shoes, she grabbed the jacket and cautiously opened the door, surprised to see Rathe’s black SUV parked in the spot designated for her room.
Why had he returned?
Maybe he left the car for her to drive home. Checking to see if the keys were in the ignition, they were. Well, if he didn’t return by the time the sun had disappeared, she’d take the opportunity and drive the SUV home. Taking a seat on the cement curb next to the SUV, she finger-combed her hair, trying to work out the knots while she waited.
A small part of her hoped he came back for her, but she was a realist and dashed it. The dogs barking jerked her head to her left and she saw him walking straight for her. Jacket slung over
his right shoulder, she could see the ripple of his chest muscles as he walked. Garbed in the same clothes as before, he looked remarkably fresh and clean, which pissed her off because she looked like rumbled crap.
Lord, he was gorgeous!
He grinned, a wolfish one, and the heat in his dark eyes blazed. “You look sexy, too.”
“What?”
“You forget I can read your intriguing mind.”
Face burning, she felt like a teen caught ogling. “Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to read a person's mind without her permission?” He held out his hand to help her to her feet. Reluctant, she accepted and his fingers closed around her and he pulled her to her feet.
“And only last night you were demanding me to look inside your head. Fickle woman.”
“Not that I mind, why are you back here?”
“You cannot rent a car.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“You do not have a driver’s license.”
Damn, she’d forgotten about needing one to rent a car. Heck, she couldn’t fly either, not without identification. “So, what are you saying? You’re going to drive me home?”
“Yes, I am.” Rathe opened the car door for her. “Are you hungry? There’s a truck stop not far away.”
Stunned he would jeopardize his life for her, she was relieved, too. She had to get home, preferably in one piece! “Yes, starving.” Actually, the thought of eating greasy food made her want to vomit, but she was going to force food down her throat, even if it killed her! No way was she gonna turn into a vampire, not without a fight.
He was putting the dogs in the car when she smelt it — the awful smell of decaying flesh. “Rathe, do you smell it?”
“You can smell the Damned?”
“Yes, and it’s not the first time. Just before the nightmare man appears, I can smell decomposing bodies. Last night, in the woods, I smelt it, too.”
Searching the dark sky, he ordered, “Get in the car.”
When he was in the car with her, she asked, “Won’t they find us?”
He shook his head. “No, I’ve hidden us. The Damned would have to be right on us for us to be discovered.” Putting the car in reverse, he turned and drove back onto the highway. “Mariah, I think it’s a demon vamp the spell is hiding you from.”
“Demon vamp?”
“A vampire who lost his soul. Hence the term ‘Damned’.
“Oh. God, what do I do now?”
“My advice is simple — do not break the spell hiding you. If it does, you will be exposed to him, and he can easily find you.”
“Don’t break the spell. Sure, sounds like a viable plan,” she said sarcastically. “Rathe, why does this vampire want with me? What did I do to make him determined to kill me?”
“It’s not you personally. When a demon vamp — the Damned — becomes fixated on its prey, they won’t stop until they kill it. The vamp searching for you is obsessed and wants only to end his game when he kills you.”
The man in her nightmares was real! A demon vamp. One of the Damned. How could she fight such a monster if he did find her?
“Where do you go at dawn?”
“To the earth, where we rejuvenate and sleep.”
“Does the Damned sleep in the ground, too?”
“No, they usually sleep in coffins.” He explained, “Once a vampire loses their souls, they can no longer withstand the purity of earth and cannot return to it.”
“Oh.”
Back on the road, he stopped at a supermarket. Told to stay in the car, she watched him enter the store. When he came back, he had a sack of dog food in one arm and several plastics sacks in his other hand. Giving her the sacks, he tossed the dog food in the back of the SUV. Opening the bags he’d given her, she found a toothbrush, toothpaste, couple of bottles of water, and a brush for her hair. For the dogs, bowls for food and water. While he fed her dogs, she brushed her teeth, taking a sip of water and spit it out on the ground.
Tackling her hair with the brush when he got in, they drove back onto the highway. Several miles later, a truck stop came into view. There were a dozen semis parked in the paved lot, their windows dark. Rathe drove past them and the cars parked at the restaurant, heading toward the empty space beyond.
“Uh, you passed the restaurant.” He parked beside a lone lamppost, and turned off the engine. “Why did you park way out here?”
“Less conspicuous for me while I catch a bite to eat.” He grinned, chuckling when she rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. “I’ll meet you inside the restaurant after I feed.”
“Sure.” Getting out of the car, the smell of deep fried food hit her nostrils and nearly made her puke. “I think I’ll walk the dogs before I eat. Please, go ahead and find a blood donor. We'll be fine.”
Letting the dogs out, she saw him walk around the rear of the SUV and opened the tailgate. He reached in and seemed to be searching for something. When he had what he sought, he returned to her.
“Don’t walk too far. Keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of place, or unusual. Call out if you smell the Damned.”
“I will.” A gust of wind tossed her hair about her, and he was gone.
While the dogs played, she thought she heard someone whispering. High-pitched giggling broke the quiet. The gagging, sickening sweet odor of rotting flesh hit her.
She yelled at her dogs, “Salish, Bear, back in the car!” Shutting the door behind them, she felt the rush of wind behind her.
Whipping around, she came face to face with a short, heavyset man, whose bloated features were gray-tinged in the florescent lamplight. Wearing baggy jeans and a plaid shirt, sleeves removed, he looked like a normal truck driver. He shifted his dirty baseball cap back on his head, exposing a thatch of muddy-brown hair.
Holy crap did he smell!
Wanting to pinch her nose off from the awful odor, her eyes watered from the stench. Drooling, the man grinned, exposing rows of sharp, jagged teeth. She backed up, bumping into the car.
No way to escape!
“Such are a pretty little thing. Ain't she, Stan?”
A scrawny vampire materialized beside the obese one. “Yes siree, Carl. She sure is sweet-looking,”
Two? Aw, crap. Figures. First time meeting the Damned and they’re redneck vamps hunting at a truck stop. Great, just how my luck’s running lately.
Carl reached out a claw-like hand to caress her cheek, cackling when she flinched. “What's wrong, honey? I bet you’ve never met a vampire before?”
Her dogs were barking, clawing at the window to get out of the car and help her. With her back against the door, she had no room to open it. Reaching out to Rathe, she found herself looking through his eyes and saw the big, burly truck driver he was feeding on. Rathe released the man, searching around him.
“What the hell? How are you—?”
“I'm in big trouble here.” She showed him the vampires through her eyes.
“Stay calm and do not take your eyes off either of them. I'm on my way to you.”
“Yeah, right, I'm about to become a snack, and you tell me to keep calm? Sure, why not.”
Silence.
“See, Stan, she's gots the hots fer ya. Go on and make yer acquaintances,” Carl urged his friend.
Giggling, Stan sidled next to her. “C’mere, darling, I’ll make it real nice.” His voice changed, deepened as his eyes turned red, “For me.” He grinned, exposing rows upon rows of needle-sharp teeth. Saliva dripped down his chin as he flicked his tongue at her.
“Sorry, you’re not my type,” she managed to say, trying to buy time for him to return.
“And what type are we?” Carl asked, his eyes narrowing.
“You’re Damned, aren’t you?”
“Well, shi-it, Stan. She knows about us. Well, lady, lucky for you, me and Stan are the only vampires hunting here.”
“Here, as in Phoenix?”
“No, here at the truck stop, sweetness. We don’t like Phoenix. Its hunting ground
for some seriously twisted vamps. It’s safer for us out here.” Sniffing her, he jerked upright. “You’re different. A vampire’s tasted you before. Hell, you’ve got vamp blood in you. Why didn’t you turn?” Pursing his lips, he stated bluntly, “A Borne fed on you. Took a little too much, didn’t he?”
“Carl,” Stan sounded worried, “we should just let the little bitch go. Messing with a Borne is bad. Real bad.”
“Ah, don’t get a wedgy in yer tighty-widies, Stan. Bornes are forbidden to turn humans, remember? Whoever gave her blood ditched her and split before any of his kind can find out what he’d done. Don’t want to be executed for breaking their precious laws.” He grabbed a fistful of her hair, making her wince. “Since you’re almost turned, let’s finish it. Wanna be a vamp? We’ll make it real special for ya, we promise.” He exchanged a big grin with his friend.
“Well, sorry to break it to you, but he didn’t abandon me.”
“Huh?”
“He’s behind you.”
They turned around when Rathe said, “Gentlemen.” Resting on his shoulder, he held a broadsword. “Introductions are not necessary, are they?”
Hysterical, she thought, Where in the hell did Rathe get a sword?
“Slayer, your elders disbanded you and forbade you hunting our kind! We’re protec—” The blade flashed blue fire as Rathe swung his sword with both hands. Carl’s head flew, bouncing when it hit the pavement. His body slowly crumpled to the ground. Green, nasty-smelling blood oozed out of the severed neck,
Stan grabbed her, using her as a shield. “You’re him, aren’t you?”
“Let her go and I might consider allowing you to live.” Rathe advanced, his eyes locked on Stan.
“Bullshit. Rathe Romulas never lets a vamp live. I’ll tell ya what, I’ll just take this here little morsel with me, insurance so you’s not—” She rammed her elbow into his stomach, winning her freedom, and dropped to her knees just as Rathe swung, chopping off Stan’s head. Beside her, Stan’s body crumpled, and green blood squirted everywhere.
Rathe pulled her to her feet. “Did they bite you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer, checking her neck.
Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) Page 5