Mischa stroked his arm. “About what?”
He lay back down and took her with him, tucking her head on his shoulder. “The night I silenced the demon within to be a man again.”
She kissed his chest. “Tell me about it.”
“Why do you want to hear this?”
“Because it’s part of what makes you who you are.”
His hand dropped to her hip. “I’d rather make love to you again.”
She pushed back from his chest to see his face. “Who says you have to choose? Tell me about the dream and then I’m all yours.”
Rhad closed his eyes for a minute, enjoying the feel of her words as they wrapped around his still heart. “You do not know what you ask of me, Mischa.”
“This thing haunts you. I only want to help.”
“Why?” More harshly than he intended, he pushed himself to a sitting position and dragged his hands through his hair. “Why do you need to hear the details of a past I’d rather forget?”
Mischa sat up beside him, and her small hands moved over his bare back, stroking, reassuring. The movements were almost mesmerizing. “I’m sorry.” She pressed a kiss in the middle of his spine. “I didn’t mean to do that.” She kissed his shoulder then his neck. “Forget I asked.”
He didn’t know what made him start talking. Perhaps it was her willingness to walk away from the subject or maybe it was his need to tell someone. He’d kept the secret for ten years. If he could tell it now, it was possible, he could heal.
He began speaking in a broken tone of voice, and by the time he finished his story, he was weak and exhausted. And tears ran down Mischa’s cheeks.
“Tell me more about the shaman,” she whispered, her words startling him.
He straightened and slid around to look at her. Though the cave was dark and the moon outside the entrance provided little light, he could still see the wetness shimmering in her captivating, amethyst orbs. “Mischa, what’s wrong?” His palm touched the wetness on her face. “Why do you want to know more about the shaman?”
“Because my family knew one once. He lived here.” She drew in a shaky breath. “He was the most powerful shaman in this country.”
“You knew him?”
She didn’t answer, and though he wanted to question her further, the closed look on her face told him she didn’t want to continue the conversation.
Then from out of the darkness, her voice washed over him, as soft as a whipped cloud. “Thank you,” she said quietly.
“For what?”
“For helping me.”
Rhad heard the hesitation in her voice and he took her hand. “You’re welcome.” The end of the story would come soon enough.
The air grew thinner the higher up the mountain they went. Mischa thought it was for the best. They hadn’t even pretended to talk since they’d left the cave two hours before. Perhaps they were both in thought, considering the information Rhad had shared. Mischa didn’t know if Rhad regretted telling her, but she was glad to finally know the truth. How could she not have known they were connected? Now, everything made sense.
There was only one way she could have gotten to his castle, and now that Rhad had mentioned the shaman, she knew, and her heart thrilled at the knowledge.
She swallowed hard and shivered against a blast of cold wind. Immediately, Rhad peeled off his own coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. She tried to protest, but he responded with a quiet, “I don’t require it.”
She allowed the heat to infuse her body, and she breathed in the scent of the man who’d worn it seconds before. She didn’t know why Rhad wasn’t asking more questions. He had to sense the tension within her, but he remained stoically silent. Was he not worried, too?
Mischa thought she’d lost all of her family when her parents died, everyone except for Rianna and now, to learn that the shaman was still alive, gave her a burst of energy.
She’d never met the man, but her father had woven tales about the man he’d called father, the most powerful ancient in this country. Late at night, Mischa had lain awake listening to the reassuring hum of her father’s voice as he recited story after story of the shaman’s abilities until finally, Mischa’s mother had shooed him away and bade her to sleep.
Now, Mischa’s desire to find Rianna intensified. Her sister needed to know about their grandfather. They would add another member to their family.
Rianna was dead.
The images played out in Rhad’s mind like a bad b-rated movie, and the screams were agony. They tore through his gut, almost sending him to his knees, but then as quickly as they came, they were gone. And a sense of peace swept over him.
“Rhad?” Mischa’s voice carried to him from the distance separating them, and he looked back to see her watching him, her face so pale she looked ready to faint. “You were screaming.”
Damn. The vision had been real, but he hadn’t realized he’d cried aloud. His knuckles ground against the tree next to him, and he shook his head. “Just images from the past I’m trying to shake.”
“They seem to be coming more often now.”
“There’s just something about this place.” Where the monster inside had been ripped away, the hunger for human blood replaced with an aversion to the life-giving fluid. He had thought it would make his life better, but surviving off the blood of animals did nothing more than remind him he was still a shell of the man he once was.
“I’m sorry.” Her words whispered through the air, and Rhad closed his eyes. He could listen to her voice all night. Every day. Forever. If only he had that opportunity.
His shoulders relaxed, and he breathed in the crisp, night air. How was he supposed to tell Mischa her sister was dead and that looking for her now was only a waste of time? She wouldn’t believe him, and he couldn’t blame her.
Before he’d been transformed from man to creature, he’d kept his psychic visions to himself, knowing how his family felt about second sight. They considered it a curse, something brought on by the evil upon one’s soul.
Since the change, the night a blood-thirsty monster had shredded his life and left him to fend for himself, Rhad had ceased to care about curses. The visions had helped him, helped others over the years. No one had to understand them anymore than they could understand what he was.
He didn’t have to imagine Mischa’s devastation when he told her. He’d lived it, knowing with each passing year, he lost another family member he hadn’t seen in years.
The absolute silence had him looking behind him again. Mischa hadn’t moved other than to tip her head back to stare at the light at the top of her mountain. “That’s Devil’s Peak,” Rhad said.
She nodded once. “I remember. My father brought me here when I was five years old. He told me never to go there alone. Powerful curses could destroy a man’s soul.” Her feet cracked the frozen leaves as she walked toward him.
Rhad breathed out long and hard. “Or restore it.”
Mischa wrapped her arms around her waist. “Is that where you met the shaman?”
“It was his choice.”
She fell into step beside him as their feet crunched over packed snow and frozen Earth. “Will you tell me more about him?”
His hand captured hers, and he changed their direction. “We should settle in. It’ll be daylight soon, but we should be able to reach the peak in a few hours once the sun goes down.”
“You’re avoiding my question.”
He couldn’t deny her words. “Why are you so interested in him?”
“I’ve just heard a lot about him. My father met him personally, but he’s the only person I know of who has. Until you.”
Rhad didn’t immediately respond to her. He waited until they’d reached the mouth of the cave, and the blast of cool air bathed his face. “I don’t like talking about that point in my life.”
Her voice reached out to him from the darkness. “You’ve already told me about what you suffered, Rhad. I would never ask you to go through it again.
I just want to know about the man who helped you.”
Rhad knelt down in the center of the cave and snapped his fingers. Flames shot from his fingertips, igniting a small pile of wood left over from campers. Leaning in, he blew on the fire until the blaze lit up the darkness. “You must eat. I will return shortly.”
Mischa wrinkled her nose. “You’re not going to kill something, are you?”
He pushed himself to his feet and leaned one shoulder against the cracked rock. “Would you rather have a live dinner?”
She shivered. “I don’t want to eat something you have to kill, Rhad. I don’t think I could.” Her gaze locked with his. “Why don’t I go with you?”
“Do you think I’m going to go to a drive-through?”
She brushed off the seat of her pants and took two steps toward him. “No, but…”
His eyes narrowed as knowledge struck. “You think I would do that?”
Mischa blew her bangs out of her face and looked down at the ground. “Do what?”
“Feed you the animal I have used for sustenance.”
She lifted her shoulders in a half-hearted shrug. “I didn’t say I was thinking that.” She tipped her head back and gave him an almost haughty look. “Besides, even if I was, you couldn’t blame me. You’ve had numerous years to get used to being a vampire…”
“Stop,” he almost shouted the words.
She clamped her hands over her ears. “Don’t yell at me.”
He waited for the count of ten and tried again. “You speak without thinking.”
Fire rose in her eyes, competing with the flames at her feet. “What are you talking about? Because I said you were used to being a vampire?”
“This is not something one gets used to, Mischa.”
“You know, for a guy who doesn’t have a beating heart, you sure do have a sensitive side.”
The words were like a slap to the face. He spun around and started out of the cave. “Stay here.”
Mischa didn’t run after him, and the relief was almost tangible. He needed her to stay inside the cave, to give him time to recover from her words and the knowledge that no matter what transpired between the two of them, she would always see him as a vampire, a creature without a soul, without a conscience.
And it was that very thing she thought he lacked which kept him from telling her the truth about her sister.
Vampire? Hamrick was still laughing as he huffed his way up the mountain. When his trip to the castle hadn’t gotten him anywhere, he’d made his way to the nearest telephone which just happened to be located inside a tavern that had seen better days. Once he’d waved some money in the faces of a few of the locals, they’d been too eager to provide information on Rhad Valentine—information Hamrick had just as quickly dismissed.
Still, once the drunks had started talking about shamans and curses, he’d really started listening. And he’d lucked up when one glassy-eyed guy with a scruff of a beard had offered to show him where legend said the shaman live…for the right price, of course.
As far as he’d come now, Hamrick would have paid ten times the amount the guy had asked for. He was so close now, and listening to his new guide, he’d almost convinced himself the shaman could really perform those miracles.
Mischa pulled her knees up to her chin and watched Rhad sleep. Since he’d returned with some berries and edible mushrooms, he hadn’t spoken much to her. The tension had been thicker than city fog, and while she’d been in the midst of eating, he’d slipped down next to the wall and closed his eyes, effectively shutting off all communication.
She had the sudden urge to touch him, and she clenched her hands into fists to quell the desire. They’d shared one moment of passion, but it was evident he didn’t want more. She shouldn’t want more.
Damning her own emotions, she wrapped her arms around her legs and closed her eyes, but in a matter of seconds, agonizing screams pierced the air.
Lunging to her knees, she scrambled to get to Rhad’s side as his cries of agony echoed off the walls of the cave. Grasping both of his shoulders, she shook him as hard as she could.
“Rhad, wake up. You’re having another nightmare.” Her palms slid across the dampness of his skin, and she leaned closer to his ear. “Rhad!”
He came awake suddenly, his eyes wild. “What? What is it?” He pushed himself to a sitting position, causing Mischa’s hands to fall away.
“I’ve been trying to wake you.” She scooted closer to him and touched the small of his back with her fingertips. He jumped. “Are you all right?” She softened her voice, feeling the tension in the muscles rippling along his back.
He climbed to his feet and stood with his back to her. For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Mischa used the time to stand up and walk to his side. When he finally looked at her, she saw a momentary flash of panic, but she quickly corrected herself. Vampires had no need to panic. Did they?
She reached for him, but he shied away, stumbling across the rocks beneath his feet. “What’s the matter with you?”
He raised one hand to ward her off. “Nothing. Nothing.” His gaze flicked to the entrance of the cave. “It’s night out. We should get going.”
She clamped her hands on her hips. “I’m not going anywhere with you until you tell me what’s wrong. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
He stared at her then snatched hold of her wrist, yanking her behind him. “We’re leaving.”
Mischa dug in her heels, and Rhad stopped short. He turned around to glare at her. “We need to leave.”
The iciness of his tone surprised her. She tipped her head back to see his face in the gathering darkness. “Are you still upset about what I said earlier? Because if you are, this is going to be a long journey.”
Rhad’s brows lowered, and she wanted to smooth the taut skin with the tips of her fingers. She clenched her hands into fists to resist the urge.
“Mischa,” he said her name through gritted teeth. “We need to leave.”
“So you’ve said, but you need to tell me what’s gotten you so upset.”
“It’s not important.” He turned once more to tuck his shirt into his jeans and for a moment, though a brief one, Mischa knew she’d seen genuine pain in his eyes.
How was that possible? Vampires didn’t have a conscience. Oh, she knew her grandfather had pierced his soul, making human blood abhorrent to him, but even the shaman’s magic could not have restored the man the vampire had consumed. She kept her eyes glued to his spine as he moved around the cave, suddenly, in no hurry to leave.
“Rhad, why won’t you talk to me now?”
He spun back around and stalked past her. This time, he didn’t reach for her before he exited the cave. “I am a vampire, and you are a human. We should have not forgotten our differences.”
His words spiked her temper. “You’re saying you regret what happened between us?”
“It shouldn’t have happened.”
She jogged to catch up with him and smacked his shoulder to capture his full attention. “Pardon me for saying so, Rhad Valentine, but you’re full of shit.” Though his eyebrow lifted, he didn’t comment. She forged on. “You wanted me just as much as I wanted you, and if I were to touch you right now, you wouldn’t push me away.” Deliberately, she moved closer, invading his space. “Would you?”
His eyes glittered in the darkness. “Mischa, don’t.”
She placed her hand on his chest. “Don’t what? Don’t touch you? Don’t make your body aware of my presence?” She glided her fingertips over his skin, tiptoeing them up to his neck. “I won’t deny how I feel simply because you choose to.”
Her hip brushed his deliberately. She’d slipped into siren mode though she’d never taken on the role before. Something about Rhad extinguished her inhibitions, and she gave into the wanton cravings within her.
Rhad’s head fell back the second her lips touched the sensitive area beneath his chin. “Mischa, we need to go. Your sister could…” he broke off abrupt
ly.
The mention of her sibling splashed cold water on the fire, and Mischa quickly stepped away from him. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
He touched her cheek gently. “Don’t blame yourself. It’s the night. The air can do this to you.”
She smiled slightly. “I’ll blame the night. That’s good.” At least he wasn’t speaking to her in short, clipped tones now. She covered his hand with hers. “But our conversation isn’t over.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “I should have known.”
The scent of his skin called to her, and she forced herself to put some distance between them. She didn’t know why Rhad affected her the way he did. It didn’t make sense. She’d never abandoned her own common sense to throw herself in the arms of any man, least of all, a vampire.
Rhad extended his hand. “Come.”
She linked her fingers with his. “We’re close to her.”
He didn’t respond.
“You can’t feel her, but I can. We’re close.”
He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “Mischa, perhaps you should prepare yourself.”
She began walking. “Prepare myself for what?”
“Did it ever occur to you that there is a possibility that…” he hesitated then continued once more, “that something might have happened to your sister?”
Her fingers tightened around his. “Occurred to me? I think about it all the time. What if we’re too late? What if I should have come a day sooner?” She shook her head and her hair fell over her shoulders. “But I can’t allow myself to think about that. Rianna is alive.” She breathed in slowly. “She has to be.”
Rianna watched her sister clinging tightly to the vampire, and under ordinary circumstances, she might have rebelled at Mischa’s choice in men. Not that there was anything wrong with Rhad the man, but he wasn’t just a man. That alone put her sister in dangerous territory. .
She floated up into the trees and followed the couple, drifting lower to pick up their conversation. She didn’t want to eavesdrop as much as she wanted to hear Mischa’s voice again.
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