"I wouldn't advise it," Tremayne stated evenly.
"I didn't ask for your advice."
"You'll be a distraction and she needs to focus and learn restraint. The next few months are crucial. If she doesn't learn now, I can all but guarantee she will drain someone. Then you'll be forced to stake and dust her as you put it."
Derek ran a hand through his hair and glanced at Sloane. She looked so vulnerable standing there hugging her waist. Her hair had fallen loose from her ponytail and her eyes were red from crying, not because her vampire persona shone through. No the pigment was all so blue. She was Sloane, his Sloane and it was difficult to believe she would hurt anyone, but he had felt her bite and he knew she could easily lose control. What Tremayne claimed was the truth. She needed discipline and training.
If you truly care about her, you'll let her go," Tremayne said not without sympathy.
Sloane watched him, her eyes pleading for him to release her. He was the one holding her back and all she needed was for him to cut her loose. "How long?" His voice grew thick and unsteady and he cleared his throat. "How long?" he asked again, leveling his gaze on Tremayne.
"As long as it takes." Tremayne didn't exactly answer him. "Her whole way of living would have to change. Until she accepts it, she cannot truly live."
Dread filled Derek's soul, and a powerful rush of emotions made his throat ache, but he tried to hide is misery when he glanced at Sloane.
"Everyone is different," Tremayne said quietly. "We don't go around changing humans whenever we please. We do years of research and study the human's personality to make sure they can handle the transformation physically and emotionally. Not all humans are cut out to be a vampire." He shrugged. He wasn't trying to be smug about it. He was just stating facts, and let's face it Tremayne had been around centuries to know which humans could become a vampire with grace. "If you'd like to know, I believe she will do well." Tremayne sounded like a proud father. In a sense, he supposed the vampire was. He had sired her after all. "I won't lie to you, Derek."
"Yeah, I would hope not."
Tremayne nodded as if his response gave him permission to continue. "It would be better for Sloane if she mated an original. Being with a human would prove difficult for her no matter how her training goes."
This was not what he wanted to hear.
"But it's not impossible," Tremayne added and glanced at Cassandra, who had joined them. "Stranger unions have flourished."
"Wade called the PRB," Cassandra told them. "They'll send the cleaners." She focused her gaze on Tremayne. "We should probably hit the road. Daylight is approaching soon."
When Sloane's family returned, Tremayne would still have to glamour her family. As for the Wilkins family and their demise…the cleaners would have to do damage control with a story for the news—a home invasion gone wrong, jealous lover, or something of the sort. He glanced at the bodies discarded in the corner of the room. They would have to be identified, but someone from the PRB would run their fingerprints.
Death by preternatural hands was never pretty. If there were surviving family members, they wanted to have closure and the cleaners dealt with all that needed to be done to supply it. Derek never really followed the aftermath. He was a hunter and once his job was done, he went on to the next assignment.
Sloane closed the chasm separating them. He was never good with goodbyes. What was he supposed to say to her? Good luck. See you later. Have a nice life. None of it sounded right when he didn't want to let her go. It would be like she died and he would only have the fond memories of the last few days to keep him warm at night.
On instinct, he pulled Sloane close and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her shampoo. He couldn't endure pressing his lips to her in a goodbye kiss. It would prove too painful. "I wish you the best, Sloane." His voice choked and he could kick himself for sounding like such a pansy.
She gripped his arm. "I wish you the best, too." Her lips quivered, but she managed not to cry, but it was all there in her beautiful pain-stricken eyes. She didn't want to leave him, but knew she must, if only to keep him safe.
A throbbing ache settled behind his heart. He should say more, but really what was the point of declaring his love when it would change nothing?
* * * * *
Tremayne, Cassandra and Sloane left first. The cleaners pulled up in their van as Derek and Wade took to the road, walking toward their vehicle.
Wade stepped beside him as they strode through the forest. Leaves and branches crunched beneath the soles of their boots. There was no need to be quiet now that they took care of the threat.
Wade broke the silence. "I'm sorry about Sloane."
"It wasn't meant to be," he said, but the words tasted foul on his tongue. He had hoped saying it out loud would make her leaving hurt less. He was wrong.
"No, it wasn't meant to be," Wade agreed.
He gave his brother a sidelong glance. "What are you going to do about Cassandra and Tremayne?" Tremayne was good with his sister. Every touch, every smile they exchanged only proved the two loved each other.
Wade let out a long tired sigh. "Let's just say, I don't want to be around when Mom and Dad find out."
"Tremayne should be more worried about Axel." This remark made Wade chuckle. Axel had always been overprotective when it came to Cassandra. He had threatened the last guy who vied for their sister's affections with possible bodily harm if the guy so much as touched her, and that suitor had been human.
"You might be right about that."
Derek turned to glance at his brother. "Our way of life isn't the ideal job if you're looking for a relationship. Telling a woman, you lop off heads for a living, would have her calling the cops. Until I met Sloane, I didn't realize how messed up our life truly is."
They reached the van and Wade fished out the keys from his pocket. He opened the door before he spoke, "I'm fine with my life, Derek. If I'm looking to hook up, I have plenty of women willing to make that happen. Then again, I'm not looking for happily-ever-after. Maybe you need to re-evaluate what you want. Because frankly, you're a liability, and not only to yourself, but to your team. You can't second-guess if a preternatural being should be terminated or not. You go in and do the job. That's it."
Wade was right, but it didn't mean he wanted to hear it voiced. He slid into the passenger's seat and waited for Wade to shut his door. "Wade?
"Hmm?"
"Let's not tell Axel or our parents what truly went down this week."
"More secrets." His brows lifted and he shook his head. "It's a good thing I can keep them. I have a feeling there's going to be plenty in the years to come." He put the key in the ignition and revved the engine.
Chapter Thirty-One
Six Months Later…
Derek took his position on the rooftop, while Wade and Axel were on the ground. The industrial buildings were well lit. Most likely to cut down on vandals going crazy with the spray paint and doing a little artwork after hours. He removed his night goggles. He wouldn't need them to hit his target.
They were hunting a demon tonight, a nasty fellow who preyed on teenage girls in hopes of impregnating them with its spawn.
Why couldn't demons look like horned fiends depicted in paintings? It would make his job a whole lot easier, but this demon could glamour his way out of a bad face day. To the teens, he looked like a pop star with his thick hair and boyish charm. It was no wonder so many had been fooled.
The demon had slipped from their grasp at the high school pep-rally, but he'd been desperate for an escape and had left an easy trail for them to follow. This particular warehouse had a 'For Lease' sign in the window. It would make a perfect lair for the demon's topside visit.
"I'm in position." Wade's voice came through his earpiece.
"I am, too," Axel said next.
Derek readied his bow. "Let's do it then."
Wade shot the day blaster through a window that stood adjacent to the front door. Glass shattered and a blinding ligh
t burst within the dwelling. A screech from inside told them the demon was indeed at home. Unfortunately, light did not harm demons, but it played havoc with their retinas. They were prone to wear dark shades even if they were indoors.
The demon stormed out of the warehouse, his hands covering his eyes.
Derek took aim, but before he could release his arrow, another flew through the air and nabbed the demon in the chest. The demon screeched in pain, grabbing at the arrow in a desperate attempt to dislodge it, but the weapon had hit its mark. The demon stilled, his bellows silencing as death froze him in place. He fell back onto the ground, his glamour fading away and revealing his true hideous self before sizzling and dissolving into a black tarlike goo.
Derek's gaze riveted to the ground below him, searching for the person who had taken the shot because he damn well knew this person wasn't part of his team.
He spotted the culprit to the left of the building and froze. There was no mistaking who he saw. Her determined stance…her curves... She was dressed in dark clothing, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, allowing the onyx colored length to cascade down her back. In the next moment, she glanced his way.
"Sloane," he murmured her name, but she must have heard him for her lips curved. What was she doing here? In the next second he was about to find out. She flitted. He whirled around as she made her appearance on the rooftop. She looked more beautiful than he remembered, more alluring than his dreams about her—and his dreams were pretty darn vivid.
"Hello, Derek." Her smooth cultured voice sent desire spiraling down to one particular spot. Even after all these months, he still yearned for her touch.
Then it dawned on him why she was here. "You are the one who called in the tip, aren't you?" He spoke the obvious, but wanted to hear it from her.
"We've been tracking the demon for some time, but the slimy bastard kept eluding us." She placed her crossbow and quiver down beside her. "He left two teens pregnant back in Boston and three more in Jersey," she told him. "I guess he thought California girls were more his style and headed out here. Tremayne had his cousin Sheerin fix a concoction for the girls to drink and miscarry. Red eyed, horned babies would cause the end-of-world fanatics to go crazy—well, crazier than usual." She shrugged.
"He didn't manage to knock up anyone here," he told her though she probably already had that information. Then he recalled what else Sloane had said: We've been tracking the demon. "Who else is with you?"
"Tremayne and Cassandra of course."
Derek glanced below and spotted his sister heading toward Wade and Axel. He had no doubt Tremayne stood nearby in the shadows. "My brothers… Axel won't understand." Wade would tolerate Tremayne and Sloane being here, but it didn't mean his brother wouldn't stand by Axel's decision to take them out no matter their allegiance.
"I was careful. Your brothers didn't see me and besides Cassandra will give me a second to say hello to an old friend."
Maybe that was true, but it wouldn't be long before his brothers wondered why he hadn't come down from the rooftop. He figured he had maybe a minute or two while Cassandra distracted Wade and Axel. "So I'm an old friend, am I?" He tilted his head as he gazed at her.
"Would you rather I called you an old lover?" She lifted a brow.
"I'm not old."
This made her chuckle. Her gaze slid over him and her eyes blazed a brighter blue. "I suppose you're right."
"So…you're a hunter now." He changed the subject before it became too heated. They had minutes not hours to allow something more intimate to take place.
"I'm training to be one. This was my second gig." She met his gaze.
Why hadn't she called him then if she was out and about dusting the bad guys? If she was working with his sister, she obviously could walk among the humans without draining them dry. Funny, Cassandra never mentioned Sloane's new occupation when he spoke to her last week. His conversation came back to him, annoying him all over again.
Derek stared at his phone, trying to decide if he wanted to call Cassandra or not.
He'd dreamt about Sloane for the up-teenth time. It seemed cold showers were beginning to be his thing. Wade tried to set him up with a woman he met at a bar he frequented in Los Angeles. Matchmaker, Wade was not. He liked sex as much as the next guy, but since he'd been with Sloane he couldn't think of being with anyone else.
He made the call.
"Hello, Derek," Cassandra greeted him.
Did he detect a note of annoyance in those two words? Possibly, but who gave a flying—
"Are you there?" Cassandra's voice snapped him out of his stupor.
"I'm here. I was calling to see—"
"I know why you're calling." Annoyance dripped off her words and he had a hunch she'd like to reach through the phone and smack him on the back of the head. "You need to stop," she warned. Yep, his hunch rang true.
He closed his eyes and gripped the phone tighter. "I miss her." There he said it. "Throw me a bone, will ya?"
"She's moved on. Is that what you want to hear?"
Hell no, that wasn't what he wanted to hear. "I thought Tremayne said she wouldn't be able to have a relationship for at least the first year."
"Then why are you calling me?"
His brows furrowed. So did that mean she wasn't seeing anyone? "Can you at least tell me if she's all right?"
His sister sighed heavily on the other end. "She's a good student. Determined."
Good to know. "Can you let her know I'm taking care of Lad?" His hand brushed over the lab's head and his tail wagged, recognizing his name.
"I'll let her know."
"I don't understand why you get to see her, but I can't."
"Because, dimwad, I don't want to sleep with her."
He rolled his eyes. "You can't keep her away from me forever." Though he supposed they could. Sloane had forever.
"I know you and her had a thing in high school—"
"Wait, she told you?"
"You're missing the point I'm trying to make." She paused for a moment, obviously waiting to see if he was going to interrupt again. When he didn't she continued, "The heart wants what it wants. If you two are meant to be, you'll find each other again.
Well, here she was in the flesh and looking gorgeous and dangerous all rolled into one. He had wondered if he chanced upon Sloane if he would still feel the attraction or if it had only been a good case of lust and nothing more. He had his answer. He wanted to be with her, but did she feel the same?
* * * * *
Sloane learned with her training that every human had a distinct scent and a signature heartbeat only blood drinkers could pick up. She often wondered if she would recognize Derek in a crowd. Now she had her answer. She knew Derek was close the moment she'd entered the parking lot. His scent hit her first, then she picked up on his steady heartbeat next.
She tried to forget about him, Tremayne all but glamoured her into doing so. He warned her that it wouldn't be wise for her to be with a human so early on in her transformation from human to vampire, and especially not with a human she'd tasted.
His blood called to her, but she forced down the urge to sample. She'd been fortunate that she had a good teacher. Tremayne was patient. God how he was patient with her. He never lost his temper when she'd tried to do things her way and not listen to his instructions. Becoming a hunter took hard work and discipline. Things she needed, not just for hunting but for being out with the populace. Control was the key to her finding Derek again. She'd grown strong, but still she shouldn't be this close to Derek, but God how could she not see him?
He was here. He was really here!
Cassandra told her Derek had moved on, but if that was the case, why did he look at her as if he'd like to take her to bed? Heck, the rooftop would do just fine. She didn't need a bed. She inhaled sharply, realizing where her thoughts had wandered. Down girl, she told herself. "Are you seeing anyone?" she blurted out before she could bite her tongue. No matter what he said, she had to be
a big girl about it.
His dark brows lifted in surprise. "That's rich coming from you."
She frowned, but he was right. Where did she get off asking him such a question? "I'm sorry." She shook her head. "I—"
His next words spoke over her apology. "I'm not seeing anyone." Silence hung between them for a heartbeat of time.
"And Lad? How is he?" she asked.
His kissable lips curved and she couldn't seem to take her eyes off his mouth as he spoke. "Your big lovable dog is just fine. Though he has no manners. I bought him a plush doggie-bed, but he thinks my king size bed is better."
She chuckled. "You've spoiled him." Though she liked that he had bonded with her dog. It was sweet.
"My turn," he said, and his gaze held her captive.
Heat rushed to her cheeks, burning them as if she'd drank blood from a vein. She really hated that she still blushed.
"Why did you want to know if I was seeing anyone?" he asked.
She shook her head and backed away. "This was a mistake." She would have flitted, but he was upon her before the thought fully crossed her mind. He gripped her shoulders. His gaze latched onto hers, searching her face for the answers. Then his eyes lingered on her lips. She growled, but it didn't seem to bother him as he drew her into his embrace and kissed her. She should push him away, but instead her arms went around his neck, drawing him closer.
When her training had overwhelmed her and she had wanted to give up, all she had to do was think about Derek. She would then push herself harder to survive and adjust to her new life. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she also wanted it for herself, too. She wanted to take back her life and live again. She deepened the kiss and this time it was Derek who growled.
"I'd hate to break up the happy reunion." Tremayne's deep timbered voice made Sloane and Derek jump apart.
"I was just…coming to find you," she stammered.
Tremayne stood there with his arms crossed over his wide chest, eyeing both of them in turn. "It looks like you were detained." He leveled his gaze on Derek, giving him the scary-eyed look meant to make an enemy cower, but Derek didn't budge. If anything he stood taller and met her maker's eyes head on.
Flowers and Fangs (Stake and Dust series, Book II) Page 18