Vampire Betrayed
Book Three
Vampires Destined Series
Rachel Carrington
Copyright 2012 Rachel Carrington
Cover illustration copyright 2012 Elaina Lee
ISBN Not Assigned
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web-without permission in writing from the publisher.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
Chapter One
Charleston, South Carolina
February 2011
“Look who’s awake,” Joaquin whispered in her ear, a sound which sent tingles down Ariana’s spine.
Does he even know what he does to me? She turned in his arms to touch his face. “We slept the day away.” Could any man be more handsome? Dark eyes, a smile that could turn night into day, and dark hair that brushed his shoulders. Absolutely beautiful.
“It’s nothing unusual for me. I’ve always been more attuned to the night.” Joaquin winked and pulled her even closer, if that was possible.
Yes, she’d known that about him since they’d first met. He’d quickly informed her he was a night owl. She hadn’t thought he’d meant it literally.
Had it really only been three months since he’d walked into her life? It seemed like forever had passed.
Joaquin’s hands began roaming down her spine, and heat enveloped her lower core. “You can’t possibly have the energy to go for round two after the day we had.” A long, sunny afternoon spent in each other’s arms. Tasting. Feeling. Experiencing. She shivered a little at the reminder.
“It would be round three actually.” He nuzzled her neck, and delightful little shivers danced down her spine. “And I have energy enough for ten men.”
That she didn’t doubt. “Eventually, I have to work.”
Growling, he dipped his head between her breasts, stroking the globes with his velvety tongue. “Eventually isn’t right this moment.”
From the moment Joaquin had first touched her with his tongue, she’d known he was a master with that particular tool. And he knew just how to wear down her defenses. But, at this rate, she was going to be out of job. Common sense returned albeit regretfully. Somehow, she managed to push him away. “No. We can’t get started again. I haven’t worked in three days, and if I don’t get busy, I won’t make my deadline.”
“Busy?” He propped himself up on his elbows. “I thought that’s what we were doing together.”
“You know what I mean.” She scrambled from the bed before he could convince her to forget all about writing the article she had due in less than two days. Reaching for the robe, she gathered it close to her body before turning back to face him.
“I have to work—you know, the thing that puts food on the table.” She yawned. No matter how much sleep she got, she never felt rested enough. A small smile played at her lips, at least, not as long as she shared her bed with Joaquin. The man was insatiable between the sheets.
He patted the empty spot on the bed beside him, allowing the sheet to drop to his waist. “But you have all evening, ‘ma chérie’.”
The French words made her toes curl, and the sight of his hard, muscular chest made her seriously consider his offer. But sex wouldn’t put more money in her bank account. “I really can’t. I have to get this done.” Turning her back to distract herself from the mouth-watering picture he presented, she shoved her arms into the silky robe.
“Very well. I shall just lie here and contemplate the things we can do once you are finished with your article.”
Ariana huffed out a breath. “That might take a while.”
“I’m a patient man.”
She knew that for a fact.
The first time she’d walked into his embrace, she’d learned the many facets of his patience. He took his sweet time learning every inch of her body and committing it to memory.
“Well, okay, but you might get bored.” The hint couldn’t be any plainer. She needed him to leave, to give her some breathing room. Otherwise, she’d never sit down in front of her computer. All the man thought about was sex. Extraordinary, mind-blowing sex, so she wasn’t really complaining, but her editor would be if she didn’t finish that damned article on time.
Joaquin chuckled. “I do not think I shall get bored, my love.”
The robe suddenly felt constricting. “Why not?”
“Because I’ll be watching you.”
With a shiver, she tightened the sash around her robe and crossed the room to her desk. After turning her computer on, she seated herself in the swivel chair, all the while feeling Joaquin’s eyes watching her every move.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
“It’s hard for me to take my eyes off such beauty.”
Oh, the man was good, and it hadn’t taken her long to discover just how good. Only two days after they’d met, she’d been the one to initiate sex. All he’d had to do was talk to her in that smooth, velvety voice. Or whisper in her ear. Or touch her.
With a sigh of pure pleasure, she logged onto the Internet to check her e-mails. The first one caught her attention, riveting her eyes to the screen. The subject line was Joaquin Shepherd and inside the message, the words were simple yet powerful:
The man you’re with isn’t who you think he is.
She scrolled down, but the sender offered no further information. But then, that didn’t surprise her. This was one of many e-mails she’d been receiving over the past few days. The messages were never the same.
He isn’t human.
What do you know about the man you’re sleeping with?
Ask him why he hates the daylight.
You are his prey.
The last one she’d received only the day before, and it had stuck with her as much as she’d tried to shake it off. The messages had to be pranks, maybe from a bitter ex-girlfriend.
“’Ma chérie’, what is wrong?” Joaquin now stood behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders. She hadn’t even heard him get dressed, but he was fully clothed. His speed had always unnerved her. One minute he would be leaving to pick up something from the store, and the next, he’d be back, milk in hand.
“Just someone with too much time on their hands.” Ariana quickly clicked out of the e-mail just as Joaquin leaned down to massage her neck.
“You’re tense.” He pressed his cheek against hers. “Tell me about this someone.”
Along with the magic of his fingers, his warm breath intoxicated her.
“Every so often I get these ridiculous e-mails.”
“What information do they provide that disturbs you so?”
She gave a little laugh. “It’s always just a short note like the man you’re with isn’t human.” Her shoulders lifted in a shrug before she peeked up at his face. “I told you they were ridiculous.” She switched off the computer screen and stood, massaging the back of her neck.
Joaquin backed away to give her space, but his black eyes followed her. “Are you not going to work on your article? I thought you needed to get it finished.”
He hadn’t responded to her statement, but she tried to shake off the cold chill that chased its way down her spine. “I just don’t fe
el like writing, that’s all.”
“Ariana, look at me. What else has this person told you about me?”
She shrugged. “Nothing much. Most of it is very cryptic.”
“Do they worry you?”
The uneasiness intensified. Why hadn’t he just laughed? The serious tone of his voice nearly destroyed her determination to ignore the e-mails. “Of course not.”
He ran one hand down her arm. “You’re shaking.”
“No, I’m not. I’m fine. In fact, I think I’m going to go for a walk.” She needed space, time to clear her head and figure out why doubts were crowding into her mind like a packed subway train.
Joaquin was at the door before she could take a step. “You cannot go out into the dark by yourself. It isn’t safe.”
“You go out at night all the time.” Actually, that was the only time he stepped outside the house. Long after the sun had dipped low in the sky.
Ask him why he hates daylight.
Just as suddenly as she repeated the e-mail to herself, Ariana began sorting through their time together. All the nights she’d spent with Joaquin and the days they spent indoors. Never outside until the sun went down. The unlimited supply of money he had, but yet, he never went to work. His exhaustion during the afternoons and disappearance shortly after dark without telling her where he was going.
She folded her arms across her chest, wariness making her bite her lower lip. “And now that I mention that, I have to ask you a question.” The reporter in her forced her to make the inquiry.
He swept one hand into the air as if granting permission. “Ask me anything, my darling. You know I have no secrets from you.”
Ariana hoped that was true. “Why do you not go out during the day?”
One eyebrow arched. “I told you I’m more attuned with the night. I don’t care for the sun.”
“But we can’t even go to the grocery store during the day, and come to think of it, you don’t eat a lot, either.” Now, her antenna went up. Maybe there was something to those e-mails, after all. But could an ex know something about Joaquin that she didn’t? Were they trying to warn her before she got into some kind of trouble with him?
“Why do you look so pale?” His voice caressed her, like a piece of satin sliding down her arm.
She gave herself a mental shake. Sorting out who sent the e-mails wasn’t the imminent problem. Figuring out the truth was. Her trust of Joaquin
Joaquin approached her slowly. “You’re starting to question or those e-mails are making you question?”
“What difference does it make?” The snap in her voice shocked her. She’d always been the low-key person in her family, rarely losing her temper and maintaining her cool under the most trying of circumstances. Not this time apparently.
“What are you wanting to know, ‘chérie’?” Joaquin’s eyes glittered, and for the first time since they’d met on a little side street in downtown Charleston, Ariana was a little afraid.
With a curse, she stumbled back against the bed. “Where do you go each night when you leave me? You’ve never told me that.” Her heart thumped rapidly against her ribcage. When had his pupils become so small? He looked dangerous, almost lethal. Her mouth went dry.
“Am I supposed to tell you everything, Ariana? We’ve only been together three months. Surely a man is allowed to have some secrets at this stage in the relationship.”
“You’re avoiding the question.”
He took another step forward, and Ariana held up one hand which brought him to a stop. “Those e-mails have scared you, haven’t they?”
Maybe it was her rising panic, but his voice sounded sinister. Her gaze flicked towards the door, and it wasn’t her imagination that Joaquin moved to stand completely in front of her.
“I’ve already told you no.” She tried to inject a lighter note into her voice. “Let’s just forget about it. It was nothing.”
He captured her arm and drew her closer. “I don’t want to forget about it, Ariana. You question me as if you do not trust me. That concerns me.”
The scent of his skin, its usual comforting combination of spice and leather, didn’t soothe her. “Look, you’re standing right here in front of me. I think I would know if you were some kind of alien. I’ll admit the e-mails do freak me out a little. I mean, it sounds like they know you.”
As she spoke, she felt the urgent need to convince herself, to prove the sender a liar, but one look in Joaquin’s eyes told her she wasn’t going to hear what she wanted to hear.
“I see the fear in your eyes.”
There he went avoiding her question again. “It’s not fear you see. It’s irritation.” Her bravado lasted the space of a second until Joaquin leaned forward and flashed a smile.
She blinked. Was it just her imagination, or had she seen pointed teeth—long, pointed teeth? Her heart dropped to her toes, and she couldn’t find her voice.
“Ariana, you must have known that I am not what I appear to be.” His hand stroked her face. “But we are good together, yes? Why change things simply because I am not the man you thought I was?”
Pulling her arm free, she shrank away from his touch. “If you’re not the man I thought you were, then who are you?” More importantly, what was he.
No, she didn’t need an answer. Though the very idea was ludicrous, she already knew what he was. No matter how impossible it sounded, the pieces of the puzzle fit together too neatly to be denied.
The black depths of Joaquin’s eyes seared her, and she barely managed to force the next words past her throat. “You’re not answering me.”
“Do you really want me to answer the questions, ’ma chérie’?” He sounded so calm, so unaffected.
“I want you to stop lying to me.” The words came out in a staccato fashion.
He turned his hand over to brush his knuckles down her cheek. “I am whatever you want me to be. I can be all things if you will only close your mind to the fear.”
“What are you saying?” Her chest burned, but her feet remained rooted to the floor. She couldn’t move, could barely control the shaking of her limbs.
“Have you ever been with a man who made you feel as alive as I do?” His thumb worried her lower lip.
Heat splashed her cheeks, and she shoved against his chest, hoping to take him by surprise, but it was like pushing against a brick wall. “This isn’t about sex, Joaquin!” She practically screamed the words. “What aren’t you telling me?” Dragging her hands through her hair, she practically pled with him to reassure her, to laugh the e-mails off and tell her they were fake. Then he could take her in his arms, and they could forget any of this had happened.
Instead, Joaquin tipped his head to one side and studied her a long time before replying. “Would my response make a difference in how I make you feel?”
“Of course it will! If you’ve been lying to me all along —”
“That is the second time you have accused me of that particular sin, but I do not lie.”
The abruptness of his tone shook her, made her take a step back so suddenly, her back bumped the wall. “A lie by omission is still a lie, Joaquin, and if you’re not going to be honest with me, you should leave.” She didn’t want him to leave. The idea kicked her in the stomach, but what other option did she have? If Joaquin was hiding a part of himself from her, she would never be able to trust him.
“You don’t really want me to leave.” His pupils seemed to shrink even further. “Do I not make you feel like a woman when I touch you? Do I not hold you as a man would? Have I not shown you in every way possible how much you mean to me? Do you truly wish to turn your back on that?”
Was it her imagination or had his voice changed, taken on a lethal edge? His hand reached out to touch her hair, and she couldn’t stop him. Didn’t want to stop him.
Shivers skated down her spine as Joaquin pivoted sl
owly to face the door. “We will talk again later, perhaps when you have had time to think about the time we’ve spent together, how we make each other feel.”
This time, she couldn’t swallow. “We don’t have anything else to talk about.”
“So this is where it ends, then?”
The tight set of his jaw revealed his displeasure, but Ariana faced him bravely. “Unless you tell me the truth right now, yes.”
“I am a vampire. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
The words sent a shard of fear straight to her heart, and for a brief moment, Ariana thought she would faint. This couldn’t be happening. Vampires didn’t exist. Without thinking, she put one hand to her throat.
“Don’t play games, Joaquin.”
“You wanted the truth, and I just gave it to you. Do you now disbelieve me?”
“I don’t think you know the truth.” Hands clenched into fists, she glared at him. “If this is your idea of a joke, I’m not laughing. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I know I don’t want to be a part of it.”
“Do you not believe in vampires?”
Hysterical laughter bubbled up in her throat. “Do you know any sane person that does?”
Joaquin strolled towards the bedroom door. “Those I have converted are now believers.”
Her knees buckling, Ariana sank down onto the edge of the bed. “If that’s true, then why haven’t you converted me? I was an easy target.”
“You still are.” The sultry words splashed ice through her veins. “I did not because I fell in love with you the moment I saw you.”
A sob broke free, but before she could respond, she heard the door open then close just as quickly.
“Damn you, Joaquin. Damn you!” As she shouted at the ceiling, tears tracked down her cheeks.
* * * *
Inwood Hill Park
Manhattan
The night embraced him. Joaquin welcomed the darkness, needing the silence to confront his demons. Images haunted him, forever stamped in his mind.
The lights of Paris glittering over Ariana’s silky blonde hair. Slumberous violet eyes looking up at him as he lay atop her. Travelling the world, covering it from corner to corner, in just a short amount of time. Making love in every city. Every country.
Vampire Betrayed (Vampires Destined) Page 1