Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1)

by Petzler, W. M.

  “Is the Damned the reason why you have a gun with silver bullets in your car?”

  Relieved she changed the subject, he nodded. “Bullets slow them down. The sword kills the demon vampire.”

  She stared at his sword. “Does it have silver inlay?”

  “Down the blood gutter and in the hilt, so the demon can’t lay hand on our weapons.”

  “Why are the Damned so allergic to silver? Why the crosses?”

  “We, the Borne, revere the Holy Church and use all implements adhering to purity to destroy the Damned. Silver, crosses, Holy water. When a vampire chooses to lose his soul, all he once considered sacred and pure becomes his destruction.”

  She frowned at him as she stood. “Holy water? Is that what you used on the vampires you killed?”

  “Yes, it destroys their bodies.”

  She indicated his right hand. “I noticed your brothers’ wear rings similar to yours. What’s the meaning behind it?”

  Taking his hand out, he looked at the ring he wore. When she reached out and touched it, he struggled to repress a shiver as she caressed the ring, his finger. “It’s a Slayer’s ring. We’re given it when we take our oath to hunt the Damned and uphold the laws of the Borne.”

  “Rathe, why did you call Garret ‘undead’? I thought he was one of the Damned.”

  “We call those who were once human turned vampire the Undead. A Borne who loses their soul are Damned.”

  “So the ghoul is the bottom of the vampire totem pole, above them is the Undead, then the Damned?” He nodded. “Vampire racism, huh?”

  “Not exactly. Levels of evil, to be precise.”

  “Oh.” Her shoulders slumped as she faced the ocean. “Why does the leader of the Damned want with me? What he did to Murphy, he is one sadistic bastard. He enjoyed making him scream.”

  “What else have you seen in your dreams?” When she hesitated, Rathe took her by the shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “What have you kept silent about?”

  “Well you already know I’ve dreamt about a vampire named Aidan and the woman he was in love with. I had another one, this time it centered on her and what happened to her after she fled the villagers.” She frowned at him. “You knew Aidan, didn’t you?”

  Dropping his hands to his sides, he sighed. “Yes. He was a close friend of mine.”

  “Was he judged by the Slayers because he was involved with a human?”

  “What?”

  “When the other vampire arrived and rescued her, he said the Slayers killed couples who were mixed races, so to speak.” Her look was accusing.

  God, how much had she seen in her dreams? Who was feeding these memories to her … or was she connecting with him?

  “Rathe?”

  Brought back to her question, he answered honestly, “Forbidden are we to consort with the humans beyond blood. The Elders had the Slayers enforce it when there was an infraction.”

  “They did more than that, Rathe. They killed the women because they were carrying a half-breed.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “The child lived. Aidan’s child survived.”

  “It did?”

  “A girl was born. Shortly after her birth, her mother and grandfather were murdered by vampire hunters. The vampire, who had saved her mother from the mob, took the child to safety.”

  Reeling at what she told him, he asked, “Do you know how long ago this was?”

  “No, but the way the people were dressed, it wasn’t long ago. Maybe twenty-thirty years ago.”

  “Were you able to learn the name of the vampire who had saved the child?”

  “No, but he had a German accent and golden-brown hair, green eyes. He had a covenant with Ivan, the girl’s father, or rather their Gypsy clan. He was sworn to protect them, and they were sworn to serve him. It was a bond of love and respect, not one of fear.”

  “I need to speak with Faeroes and my mother about what you’ve seen.”

  “Rathe, do you think a child who is half vampire, half human, could survive?”

  “Depends.”

  “On what?”

  “For starters, a half-breed is called a dhampir. In the old days, before the Law was created, they were best at hunting the Damned. They had our strengths and none of our weaknesses. They are also immune to silver and can handle crosses, Holy water. When some began hunting the Borne, the Elders declared them a threat to our kind and ordered them killed, making the law so none could be produced.”

  “Is that why the human hunters were at the hospital? To take the baby?”

  “Probably. A dhampir is highly prized amongst the vampire hunters.”

  “Can a dhampir live without blood?”

  “Yes and no. If they drink blood, even if it is only once a week, they can retain their vampire strength. However, if they choose to, they can become human.”

  “Can a dhampir heal quickly, like a vampire?”

  “Yes, they can. Why?”

  She turned away, seeming to ponder what he told her. “We need to head back to the mansion.”

  She stopped him. “Rathe, how will my daughter and I survive, if the leader of the Damned is searching for me?”

  “Give me a couple of days, and he’ll never threaten you again.”

  “Won’t killing the leader of the Damned be like a declaration of war?”

  “Let’s head back to the mansion.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I want you. Every time I’m near you I want to kiss you, make love to you. I want to feed on you.” Stunned by his own admission, he picked up his coat and shook off the sand before putting it on. “You and I cannot do any of those I mentioned. You will return to your world, and I will to mine, while we still can!”

  Grabbing his sword, he swept her into his arms and flew back to his house. When he set her down on her feet, she shoved him away and went inside the mansion.

  He let her go.

  ✝✝✝

  House empty, she ran upstairs and went into her bedroom, locking the door behind her. Crawling under the comforter, she knew deep in her heart the truth of who the baby is. Especially when Rathe confirmed dhampirs could physically heal quickly, like she had. Her eyes had permanently changed, too.

  Her eyes!

  The man who had raised her, his eyes were brown. Her mother’s eyes were, too. They were Gypsies. They were the green-eyed vampire’s people!

  Was she imagining all of this? A delusional fantasy and she was in the middle of having a nervous breakdown. Was she truly the product of a human and a vampire’s forbidden love?

  Then the nightmare man spoke to her. “Mariah, why are you so sad? Do not fear me. I need you. Speak to me, my love. Show me where you are. Where are you?”

  How was he able to speak to her when she was awake? Was he Aidan? Had Aidan survived the mob and had lost his soul, becoming the monster haunting her nightmares?

  “Tell me, my love. Please? Where are you?” His voice was elegant, refined, intermingled was the strong compulsion enticing her to respond to him.

  “Where are you?” The pleading request shifted to commanding, and the incredible force of his power threw her head back, as if she had been physically struck.

  Survival instinct kicked in, and she closed her mind to him. He retaliated. She screamed, clutching her head when his fury exploded in her mind, feeling as if her skull would crack from the terrible pressure he applied.

  Rathe pounded on the door, shouting, “Mariah, let me in!”

  As quick as the pain began, it stopped. Close to puking, she rolled off the bed and forced no expression on her face as she opened the door. “I'm fine.”

  “He made contact with you, didn’t he?”

  Instead of answering, she urged her dogs inside her room. “I'm fine.” She shut the door and locked it.

  Resting her forehead against the door, she listened to his footsteps fade as he walked away. Head pounding, as if a sledgehammer had been taken to it, she went back to the
bed, joined by Salish and Bear. Holding them, she closed her eyes.

  Sleep, however, came with a heavy price.

  Out of the dark, the pale-haired vampire strode forth. Instead of welcoming him, she whimpered in terror. He snarled and lunged at her. Running, she found herself in a small room that had two, full-length mirrors in it. In the right one, she saw Aidan, kind and beautiful. Laugh lines crinkled around his striking eyes as he smiled at her. The other mirror held the same man, except his eyes were red and evil burned in those awful depths. Bitterness pulled his mouth in a flat, hard line. There was such hatred — such condemnation, as if he blamed her for something, but she didn’t know for what.

  As she viewed them, they extended their right leg in unison and stepped out of the mirrors. Facing each other, they held out their hands and touched. Walking into each other, they blended into one man. When he looked at her, he grinned, exposing white fangs.

  “I can tell you everything. Who you are — what you are.”

  “Who am I?”

  “Meet me in San Francisco.”

  “Are you Aidan?”

  “Meet me, and you shall learn the truth.”

  “How can you speak to me?”

  “Blood, my darling, blood is the key. Blood, Mariah, is our bond.” His grin widened as he reached into the darkness and pulled a girl out for her to see.

  He took hold of the girl’s long, red hair and jerked her head back, sinking his teeth into her throat, ripping into the soft flesh, and fed on the blood gushing out of the ragged wound. When the girl seized her struggles, he lifted his head and grinned. Blood smeared his beautiful face, dripped off his chin.

  “Almost there, my love. Blood is the key. You need blood to complete the Change. You shall be one of us, back with your real family where you truly belong.”

  Hypnotized by the sight of so much blood, hunger pounded at her, made her weak and nauseous from it. His words snapped her out of the trance. “Family? There is no way we are family!”

  “I am your only family, Mariah.”

  “No!” Screaming her denial, she ran away, somehow returning to him.

  He refused to let her go. Something snapped inside her and she faced him. Snarling, she could actually feel her fangs descend. The pain was terrible, like a razor blade cutting through her gums.

  She was vampire!

  He giggled insanely. “Not yet, my love. My blood will complete you. Join me and I will give you the life you were always meant to have.”

  “How can you give me back what was taken from me? They’re dead, my family murdered!”

  “How are we connected?”

  “Meet me in San Francisco. If you do not, then I will come to you.” Shifting his fingers into claws, he raised and struck the girl’s throat, tearing it out.

  Screaming, she fought the comforter, as if it were clinging hands. Daylight streamed through the windows. Comforted by the warmth, she had not long to cherish it when sunlight caressed her face. She cried out and threw her hand up to shield her eyes. Jumping out of bed, she stumbled to the bathroom and flipped on the light.

  Shaky, sick to her stomach, the migraine began to make her teeth hurt. She started the shower, hoping it would wash away the lingering nightmare and ease her pain. Striping off her clothes, she stepped into the tub. Resting her head against the shower wall, she closed her eyes, relaxing in the stream of hot water. Feeling the familiar weight of the medallion, she took it in her hand and held it, comforted by its coolness against her heated flesh. Weak and depleted, emotionally and physically, she was lost on how to fix both her problems.

  Since hiding in the shower wouldn’t solve anything, she shut the water off and dried off. When she looked into the mirror, she gasped, alarmed by the dark circles under her eyes and her cheeks were sunken in. Forcing her lethargic muscles to move, she brushed her teeth and changed into the same denim shorts she'd worn for several days now. Slipping on her bra, the sweater she’d bought, she realized her dogs were missing. Reaching for the door, she found it unlocked. Rushing downstairs and opened the front door, she found Lydia outside, playing with them.

  How did Lydia get the dogs out of my locked bedroom? Probably picked the lock, she thought as she leaned down to hug Salish as her wolf wiggled around her, nuzzling her face in greeting.

  “Morning,” Lydia said, smiling at her.

  Smiling back at the girl, who had cleaned up to be quite pretty, she asked her, “Are you hungry?”

  “I was hoping you'd ask. I couldn't find a single thing to munch on in the kitchen. You'd think they'd keep something on hand, at least for appearance's sake,” Lydia complained as they walked to the car.

  “What Rathe told me about the Borne not associating with humans, I figured it would probably be pretty much zilch on the food section for us.” Mariah searched for car keys in the SUV, unable to find them. “Great. No keys. Now what do we do?”

  Lydia giggled and produced them out of her cutoff jean’s pocket, tossing them to her. “Simon's brothers were concerned we would wander off, so they hid them. Apparently, they didn't listen to you when you told them I could read minds. It was easy finding out where they hid the keys.”

  “I knew you were a clever creature. I believe the Romulas family has been distant from humans too long to realize how resourceful we are.”

  “Yeah, it’s kinda obvious.”

  Taking the bag of dog food and dishes Rathe had purchased out of the SUV, she returned to the mansion. Her dogs jumped and barked as they followed her inside. In the kitchen, she filled two bowls with the dog food and the other two with water.

  Patting them as they ate, she said to them, “Be good. We won’t be gone long.”

  Leaving them, she hurried out the front door and closed it. She steeled herself when they started barking, unhappy about being left behind. Lydia was already in the car, waiting. Getting in, she started the engine, heading down the dirt road.

  Sunset.

  Entering the busy town, she found a parking spot at the restaurant Lydia had heard was great for seafood. Once there, she found she couldn’t eat anything. Sticking to drinking a soda, the sugary carbonation settled her upset stomach.

  Vampire.

  She really was changing. Perhaps it was best. What better way to protect yourself against a vampire, if you were a vampire?

  If Lydia noticed her inability to eat, she didn’t say anything, and she was glad. After paying the check, Lydia told her she needed to stop at the convenience mart. Getting a cherry coke Slurpee, Mariah was sipping on it when she glanced at the local news airing on the television above the clerk and choked.

  “Mariah, what’s wrong?” Lydia asked, concerned.

  “Holy crap, I'm dead!”

  Chapter Seven

  “In an apparent hostage versus escaped prisoner, Mariah Jordan is presumed dead when her cabin exploded, destroying it and her car. We will keep you updated as we receive additional information concerning the situation.”

  Oh my God, if the world thinks me dead, so does my daughter!

  “Where’s a payphone?” she asked the clerk, who pointed outside.

  Shoving the glass door open, she searched for the payphone and found it at the corner of the store. Grabbing the phone off its cradle, she dialed an operator. Giving him her adopted brother, Joe’s home number, she waited to be connected. The phone rang and rang. She almost gave up when Joe finally answered, accepting the charges.

  “Mariah? Is it really you? Thank God! Just an hour ago, the police were here, telling us you were dead. Kai went ballistic, shouting you weren't and locked herself in the spare bedroom, refusing to come out until you called.”

  “I'm so sorry! I didn’t think they’d…. Can I speak with—”

  Her daughter nearly shouted, “Mom, I knew you weren't dead!”

  “Forgive me. I should have called you sooner.” Wanting to cry, her selfishness in trying to learn the truth about her past had caused her daughter anguish.

  “I know,
Mom, why you didn’t call. I totally understand.” She knew her daughter did know. Kai’s gift went beyond hunches … she could read minds. Just like she was beginning to be able to do!

  “Mom, Sheriff Willard told us he had to declare you dead when you hadn’t responded to television pleas to call in.”

  “Crap! I, uh, hadn’t listened to the radio or watched television since the cabin was destroyed. A man helped me escape and he’s been helping me to get home. Sweetie, I’m beginning to remember my past.”

  “The medallion you wear, it’s the key to who you are, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. Since the cabin, I’m … changing and it might take a while for me to return to normal.”

  “Wow. You’re okay, right?”

  “Yes, sweetie, I’m fine.” Sorta.

  “Someone really blew up the cabin you’d rented?”

  “Yep. They used a rocket launcher to do it.”

  “Damn! The guy with you, is he the escaped prisoner?”

  “Honey, I’m catching the first flight I find out of here and will be home soon.”

  “Mom, people think you’re dead. You've got to set the story straight, and you need to call your agent! Where are you calling from? Where’s your cell phone?”

  “My cell phone was inside the cabin. Using a payphone right now. I’ll call Maggie later.”

  “You’d better call her right away. You have a signing in San Francisco tomorrow, and everything’s been arranged for your next signing, here, in Coeur d' Alene. I'll call Aunt Rona right now and tell her you are on your way home. You are coming home, right, Mom?” Kai asked, her adult-like actions reverting to the child.