“Rathe?”
“Mariah, you are at a crossroad. Have you considered where your choices could lead you?”
Clenching her fists, she said, “There no longer is a choice for me. Anya told me I need blood to heal my body. To be strong enough to face my enemy, I need to feed.”
His broad shoulders slumped. “Have you dropped your fangs yet?”
“No. When I feel … hungry, it’s as if there’s a barrier holding them in.”
“The spell is still strong and is suppressing the Change.”
“So, if I don’t feed I’m stuck living a half-life? Not a dhampir, not a vampire, but something abnormal?” Panic rose, frightening her at having to live like she was, always hungry, never able to feel whole again.
Closing the distance between them, Rathe slid his hands along her neck, cupping her face between his palms. “You can detox. Return to normal. As long as we do not exchange blood again.”
“Are you positive? Because I don’t feel human anymore. I can read people’s minds and manipulate them. Sunlight is painful. Can that be reversed?”
Pained, as if what he was about to say was terrible to him, “Possibly.”
Slipping her arms around his waist, she asked, “Would it be so bad if I became vampire?”
Pressing his forehead to hers, he closed his eyes briefly. “Mariah, I have never converted a human before. What you ask is against my code of honor as a Slayer. If you turned wrong, I will have to kill you. Your daughter would be an orphan. Can you live with that? I can’t.” He took her hands and removed them. Gently, he pushed her back. “I need to feed. Please, return to the house and lock the doors.”
“Rathe—” Before she could protest, he disappeared.
“Aw, crap.”
Kicking at a clump of dirt, no money or car, she was stuck. Without his blood, she couldn’t even try to break the spell on her!
“What was I thinking? Me, a vampire? Sheesh, I can be such an idiot sometimes. No, I am a dhampir. One who will detox and become full human again. Normal.”
What about tomorrow night, at the book signing? He would be there. Could she protect herself with her limited powers against the leader of the Damned?
“I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I meet him.”
Walking back to the mansion, she opened the door and let her dogs out. “Well, I’m not tired. You both look like you could use a walk. Let’s follow the trail I saw earlier.” The night was clear, and the moon was almost full. “We’ve plenty of light to see by.”
Entering the forest, she inhaled the cool, clean scent of the pine trees and ferns, letting the peacefulness of the forest ease her tension. The dogs raced ahead of her, exploring, returning to check on her before tearing off down the hard-packed trail. Hearing the gurgling of a creek, she aimed for it. When the trail came to an edge, she saw a small waterfall to her left. Below it, the waterfall fed a shimmering pool of dark-green water.
“Sweet!” The trail down to the pool was not steep.
Careful not to slip on the loose gravel and damp dirt, she made her way down to the edge of the pool. A fine mist from the waterfall was refreshing, but not enough to cool her off with the night uncomfortably warm. The opportunity to go for a swim was just too good to pass up. Confident her dogs would alert her if there were any danger; she shed her clothes and waded into the cool water. Bear and Salish jumped in. Swimming around her, they bolted out of the water, chasing each other around the trees and back into the water.
Lying back in the cool water, she floated. Releasing her pain, the worry, her fears, she closed her eyes and drifted away.
Chapter Eight
“Dammit.”
Not hungry anymore, Rathe sat on the beach, feeling miserable and dejected. How could he have left her? He wanted her, she wanted him. Simple.
No, not simple! She wanted him to turn her!
Why would she want to be vampire? What made her want to break the spell binding her? God, didn’t she fathom the repercussions if he did, for her? For him?
An unsettled feeling crawled up into his gut and flashes of water and splashing startled him. Reaching out to her, he found emptiness. Shoving to his feet, he pressed harder to reach her. Nothing.
“Mariah?”
When she didn’t answer him, fear took hold him. Flying back to the house, he ran inside. Empty. Where in the hell was she? Had the Damned taken her? Why did he leave her unprotected?
Sniffing the air, he didn’t catch scent of the Damned, but he did Mariah's and her dogs. Tracking their scent, he found footprints leading into the forest.
What was she doing in there?
To cover ground faster, he shifted. Course black hair sprung out of his skin as his body merged with the wolf. When he stood on four legs, he lunged forward, racing down the trail. Her scent suddenly ended when the trail curved around a bend. Peering down the hill, he saw her swimming in the green pool. She was naked!
Shrugging his glossy-black furred shoulders, he shifted back into his human form. Mesmerized, he watched her as she kicked and splashed water at her dogs. Her long limbs caressed in the moonlight. His hot gaze swept over her perfect breasts, down to her narrow waist, and rounded hips. As she floated in the water, her long, auburn hair flowed out and around her, creating a dark fan.
God, she was beautiful.
The wolf lifted her long muzzle in the air. Issuing a low growl, Salish warned Mariah that they were not alone. Searching the direction Salish was looking, Mariah saw him. The welcoming smile froze on her lips. Shedding his clothes, Rathe leaped off the edge of the embankment, diving under the water’s glassy surface. Kicking upward, he erupted out of the water, snatching her to him. She clung to him, her breasts felt heavenly pressed into his skin. He kissed her hard, tasting her, ravishing her as she clung to him, using him as an anchor in the sensual storm he created. Sweeping her along the maelstrom, his mouth left hers, gliding down the soft muscles of her throat. She shivered as he licked the wildly beating pulse beneath her right ear, scraping her sensitive skin with his teeth. He threaded his fingers through her hair and forced her to look at him.
Their gazes locked.
Mariah’s eyes gleamed, intense and fierce. Vampire.
And she was his.
Darin swept her into his arms and strode out of the water, laying her upon the carpet of moss growing not far the pool. A slow, wicked grin pulled her lush mouth to the side as she caressed his throat, travelling her fingers lightly down his chest to his stomach. Running her tongue along the strained lines of his neck, teasing him, he felt her other hand grasp him, stroking him into a harder state. Closing his eyes at the sweet torture, he knew if he didn’t stop her, their first time would end too quickly.
Determined to make their first time special, he shifted to his side, breaking her hold on him. Laying his hand on her flat stomach, he felt the muscles under her smooth skin tremble. Resting his head in his other hand, he allowed his gaze to sweep down her lovely curves and realized he was glad he’d broken his vow to stay away from her. Tracing his fingertips around her breast, he leaned down and flicked his tongue around the ripe, taunt bud, drawing it into his mouth, suckling her. He caressed her ribs, gliding down to her hip and thigh. Scraping her tender skin with his teeth, he felt his fangs lengthen as he envisioned tasting her blood.
Not wanting to rush the moment, he focused on his hand as he slipped it between her open legs, through the nest of soft, dark curls. Lifting his mouth to attend to her other breast, Rathe smiled when she grasped his head, her fingers clutching him in her need. Parting her sensitive folds, he stroked her, teasing the tiny pearl. She gasped, moving her hips restlessly in rhythm to his manipulations. Soft little moans escaped her as he pressed kisses along her stomach, building the tension in her. Using his broad shoulders to spread her legs further apart, he rendered her defenseless as he dipped his tongue inside her, licking and tasting her. Inhaling her musky scent, it made him harder. He held her hips captive as he lengthened hi
s tongue, making love to her, he sought her sweet spot. A strangled moan issued out of Mariah, and he knew he’d found it.
He played, tormented her until she cried out, “Rathe!”
Curling her fingers in his hair, she held him as she writhed in his grip as he drank of her release. Easing above her, she wrapped her long legs around his hips as he settled between her thighs. Trembling from the tremendous effort not to thrust inside her, he gritted his teeth as he held back. She grabbed his ass as she lifted her hips to take him inside her. Arching his head back, Rathe thrust inside her at the same time he sank his teeth deep into the tender flesh of her throat.
✝✝✝
Heaven.
Closing her eyes in the ecstasy of him holding her prisoner as he flexed, driving himself deeper into her. She should have felt pain as he fed on her, but it was pleasure driving her on. Crying out as she climaxed, she barely felt herself return to earth. In the midst of her euphoria, she realized he hadn’t found his release yet, and he hadn’t stopped drinking her blood. Struggling to get free, he held her tighter. She grew afraid.
The demon had him!
Unable to fight, unable to free herself, her vision blurred. Her heart fluttered as it struggled to keep beating as she neared losing consciousness. Cold and body numb, she barely felt Rathe’s teeth leave her flesh.
“Mariah, open your eyes.”
When she could focus on him, she saw he watched her with a mixture of sadness and fierce determination on his handsome face. “Listen to me, Mariah. I have brought you to Death’s door.”
“Why?” she whispered past dry lips.
“To be reborn, you must die.”
Shocked at his words, replaying the near same thing the man in her nightmares had said. Lifting his hand, she watched as his fingernail changed into a claw and he drew it across his heart. Blood beaded out of the wound. Rathe placed his hand under her head and lifted her.
“Mariah, drink and be one with me.”
Inhaling the rich, coppery scent of blood — his blood, she leaned forward and ran the tip of her tongue along the cut. Swallowing, she found she needed more, much more! Fastening her lips to his wound, she suckled it, drinking in the ambrosia. Warm liquid flowed down her throat, warming her cold body as life reignited in her, like a jumpstart from a battery. As his blood merged with hers, the medallion began to heat up. Screaming when it burned into her flesh, she shoved Rathe away.
“Mariah, focus on me!” He took her face in his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Take control of the Change and bend it to your will. Control the rage!”
“It’s not rage, dammit! It’s my medallion! It’s burning me!”
Pulling it off her skin, she watched in amazement as it turned white-hot, nearly blinding her. Rathe jerked back, startled as she was at the reaction the medallion had to her drinking his blood. Slowly, the silver cooled and the medallion no longer looked tarnished with age, but had the appearance as if it were brand new! Stranger yet, the wolves were black as the cross, bold and deadly.
“Damn,” Rathe said with awe, “never in my life have I seen anything like that before!” Careful, he took the medallion and examined it. “I’ve seen these wolves before. But I cannot place where.”
“Maybe it’s a coat of arms?” Where did that come from?
“Yes, they seem to belong to a coat of arms. Whose?”
“The one who had the spell cast on me. It’s his medallion. His house.” Sinking to the ground, she was breathing hard, feeling stronger than she had in the last few days. Yet, she didn’t feel different.
Slinging an arm across her eyes, she burst into tears. “The spell isn’t broken. God, this nightmare will never end!”
He pulled her against his chest, stroking her hair. “Honey, don’t cry. I’ll protect you. I promise.”
Pushing him away, she sat up. “Protect me? You cannot stay with me forever. You have your family to protect. Not to forget the Elders. If they catch wind you tried to turn me on purpose, you’ll be hunted by them and put to death because of me. Just like I’ll be hunted by the Damned and turned into a freaking demon vamp!”
“Mariah, I’ll see you safe.” In his eyes, she knew he would not abandon her. Not for honor or family, not even death would deter him his vow to protect her. How could she allow him to sacrifice so much for her?
“Besides, woman, you are not exactly helpless.”
“Huh?”
“The way you manipulated the cop, forcing your will on him, was pretty impressive for a novice.”
Blushing, she shrugged. “I-I just did it. Don’t know how I knew how to do it, I just did it.”
“Instinct, maybe. Whatever it is, you are strong. Incredibly strong. Have you worked on entering people’s minds directly yet?”
Surprised he asked that, she shook her head. “No, not deliberately. Just you.”
“Later, I will show you how.” Lying on his back, he placed his hands under his head and stared at the sky.
Although the night was warm, she felt cold. Lying down beside him, she curled against him as she rested her head in the curve of his shoulder. Amazing a vampire could feel warm. Heck, he wasn’t warm … hot was more accurate. He put his arm around her and held her closer to him.
Listening to the secret sounds of the forest, sensing the wild creatures as never before, the world around her was alive in ways she never thought possible. No longer was she afraid of the dark. Tonight, she embraced it. Growing up in the Jordan family, they had always included her, but she always felt like an outsider looking in. Around other people, she felt unbalanced and awkward. Here in the forest, naked with a vampire, an extremely sexy and virile one at that, she felt whole. It couldn’t last. To protect him and his family, she had to leave and never look back.
Rathe sat up and pressed a kiss on her shoulder. Slowly, he forced her back until he lay partially on top of her. He shifted, kissing her long and slow. Seductive electricity arced between them as fire ignited wherever their skin touched. Her world spun, caught in the erotic web he spun around her. God, she wanted him again!
Running her hands down his hips, the taunt curves of his chiseled ass, he closed his eyes as she touched him. She felt his tongue lap her nipple, sending pleasure to spark in her nether region. Raking his sharp teeth across her sensitive skin, he suckled and played until she arched into him. He captured her other breast in his hand, lavishing the same care upon it, making her ache with the tenderness of which he made love to her. He captured her hands in his and drew them over her head, making it impossible for her to move, squirm, or make him take her. Holding them with one hand, he used his other to slide down her throat, across her stomach, down between her thighs. Idly playing with her, he stroked her, building the pressure with such expertise that she wanted to scream, but in a good way this time.
His silky hair brushed against her skin as he pressed small kisses along her ribs, nibbling her skin. Frustrated beyond rational thought, she tried to buck her hips to convey her desperation. Thrumming with need, impatient to have him inside her, he rose above her and reached between them and placed the rounded his tip to her wet opening. He leaned forward, inching inside her. Tracing his tongue along her lips, he flexed his hips and the action brought him deeper inside her. She opened her mouth to kiss him, but he drew back, flicking his tongue lightly to hers. Moving inside her just enough to excite her, but not enough to scratch the unbearable itch she had.
Damn, there was no way at all to reverse the tables! She was his to do with, whatever he wanted, and she had to wait upon his pleasure. Head spinning, she bit her lip when he leaned forward, bringing him further inside her. He grinned at her, his fangs long. Rearing his head back, he thrust as he brought his teeth down and into the tender skin of her breast. Crying out in joy at his invasion, she watched him suckle her as he thrust slow and hard inside her. She could feel the tension coil in her. Unprepared for it, the tension snapped, and she gasped, clutching her inner muscles, gripping him as she r
ode the waves of her release. He arched his head back as he buried himself deep in her. Blood dripped down the corner of his mouth. He released her hands, and she pulled him down and licked it off, kissing him, tasting her blood on his tongue.
Rathe withdrew and rolled off her to sit beside her. “We’d best head back. The others will worry where we are.”
“Rathe, who is the leader of the Damned?”
“You don’t need to know.”
“Why?”
His clothes flew to him and he jerked them on. Rathe made to leave, stopping when she leapt in front of him. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Baring his teeth, he took her by the shoulders, forcing her to see the desperation — the fear in his eyes. “Mariah, do not ask questions about him. The less you know the safer you are.”
Unsure how much she should share with him, she told him, “He knows I’m changing.”
“How does he know?”
Trying not to cringe at coldness in his voice, she cleared her throat. “He and I can speak to each other outside the nightmares now. He can’t get a fix on my location yet. It’s like I have a force field around me. The transmitter,” she tapped her head, “is on, but he can’t track me. Not yet. Once the runes on my medallion are completely gone, I’ll be exposed to him.”
“When did your nightmares change to conversations? Why didn’t you tell me before we exchanged blood?” He released her, angrier than she had ever seen him before.
“He’s says he and I are family. Why would he say that to me?”
Rathe drew back, as if she had slapped him. His eyes went wide, and he actually paled. “Did you say family?”
“Yes. He says your kind destroyed our family. All we have suffered is because of you, the Borne, and the Slayers.”
Scowling, Rathe said, “The bastard lays blame on others and never takes responsibility for his own actions.” He sighed and pulled her into his arms. “Ignore him. Block him out of your mind. Once he is dead, you will be safe.”
Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) Page 12