by Rivi Jacks
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Review Request
Social Media Links
Sweet Dreams
Copyright © 2018 by Rivi Jacks. All rights reserved.
First Edition: March 2018
Formatting: Streetlight Graphics
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thanks to my beta readers because without you—there would be a lot more mistakes in this book!
I appreciate the gift of your time in reading and commenting on my manuscript.
Thank you,
Michelle Engler, Caro Richard, Andrea Florkowski, Linda Delaney, Sandy Shemansky, Tiffany Chavis-Smith, and Katie Rose.
Chapter One
The man I love is a vampire.
I watch him from across the room as he raises his face, letting me see the longing and need in his eyes, a need that matches my own.
I can’t breathe as his gaze holds mine, and everyone else in the room seems to disappear leaving just the two of us. As I feel the pull of his seductive magic calling to me, I close my eyes, but I can’t stop the desire that ignites deep within.
Yes, the man I love is a vampire, and his is an age-old enticement.
Isn’t that how his kind have been portrayed throughout history? Tempting women with the allure of danger, forbidden love, and the promise of incredible sex. Condemned creatures of the night feasting on the blood of their victims.
So does that mean…
My mind slows, and everything in the room becomes hazy. My mouth dries, and I struggle to swallow. From under my lashes, I steal an anxious glance at Lucas. He’s no longer looking at me, appearing to be in deep conversation with Lucian and the dark-haired man that came with the witches.
Okay, I have to get out of here. I glance at my uncle Jake sitting across from me at the kitchen island, and this pulls his eyes to mine.
“Sofie, are you okay?” he asks.
I nod slowly and slide off the stool. “Excuse me,” I murmur. Taylor turns toward me and out of my peripheral vision, I see Lucas turn to look at me. “I… need a moment.”
“Sofie,” —Sawyer leans toward me— “do you want me to come with you?”
“No, I’m okay.”
I’m aware of everyone watching me, and I keep my head down until I pass by Lucas, looking up to meet his intense gaze.
I hurry through the house breathing a sigh of relief when I reach the bedroom. Leaning against the closed door, I glance about the room that feels like home to me now.
I exhale sharply feeling anxious and confused. Why didn’t Lucas tell me? Is that what he meant when he said he was keeping from me the one thing he knew would make me see him as a monster? I could never think of Lucas as a monster. My stomach tightens just at the thought of him thinking about himself that way.
Lucas Santiago is no monster.
I pace across the room to his liquor cabinet and clutching the bottle of bourbon, I fill a glass. Taking a gulp, the spicy spirit takes my breath as it courses a burning path down my throat. I gasp for air as the heat progresses all the way to my belly, and I drop down onto the couch.
Does knowing what Lucas is change my feelings for him? Even as I ask myself this question, I already know the answer. I love him. Nothing will change that fact—this I know. But surely, this changes everything. Doesn’t it?
He says we will be together forever.
What is forever to a vampire?
I shift uneasily. I have questions that need answers. I wonder why Lucas hasn’t followed to check on me. How long can the meeting last because I’m not sure if I can go back to the kitchen. My mind is full of so many thoughts that there is no way I can possibly deal with anything going on out there.
I take another sip of the bourbon. Unbidden, the image of Quanah by the river comes to mind. He had freakin’ fangs! And they looked lethal. They were lethal. It took all of a few seconds for him to take down a large Kihn. I remember Taylor telling us that the Kihn were no match for Lucas and his men. I now understand what he meant.
So—all of the Guard are vampires. Andy? Does Emma Rae know? I don’t think so, being one of my best friends, I really think she would have told me. Unless Andy compelled her not to. Are they all able to compel?
I suddenly feel guilty since I haven’t told Emma Rae what I know.
Oh, why isn’t Lucas here? I need him. I need him in so many ways.
A soft tap at the door has me anxiously sitting forward on the couch, but then I realize Lucas wouldn’t knock.
“Sofie?” Sawyer says as he opens the door.
“Hey. Come on in.”
Sawyer enters and proceeds to stroll around the room, stopping to look down the hall toward the sauna.
“What’s happening out there?” I ask, watching him.
“They’re wrapping it up.”
Good. That means Lucas will be here shortly.
Sawyer plops down on the couch beside me, putting his feet on the coffee table. I hand him the glass of bourbon, and he takes a healthy gulp.
“Wow,” he says calmly.
“Yeah,” I say matching his tone. He hands back the glass, and I take another sip as we sit, staring into the fire.
“So,” he finally says. I look over at him. “Besides witches and ugly-ass monsters, there are also vampires. Anything else I should know about?” He turns a bit of an accusing look on me, and I flush slightly. Sawyer and I have always been more than just cousins, we’re best friends, and we rarely keep anything from each other.
“I’ve not been keeping things from you, it’s just that lately, we haven’t had much alone time,” I assure him. I take a deep breath. “Werewolves, sorcerers, and people called re-borns, who live their lives over and over.” Nick asked me not to tell anyone he was a re-born, but he didn’t say anything about keeping the existence of re-borns a secret. Besides—I don’t owe Nick Sinclair a damn thing.
“Huh.”
Sometimes Sawyer can be a man of few words.
“You’re right calm about all this,” he says.
I give a little shake of my head and blow out a breath. “Not really.”
“Does it frighten you?” He reaches for the glass.
I think about what he asks. “Strangely, it doesn’t. I mean… surprise doesn’t describe my reaction. Shock… maybe. I think I’m just in awe mo
re than anything.” Right from the start of all this few revelations have frightened me. Mostly I’ve been relatively accepting of the reality of another world, other than our own, occurring right under our noses. The simple fact is that we mere humans share our world with supernatural beings.
Of course, I believe my easy acceptance is partly due to my own displaced connection to the Kihn. But Sawyer knows nothing about that. No one does. I keep my secrets close. Although I know the time has come to share them with Lucas, and once more, I wonder what is keeping him.
“Did you see—Lucas?” Sawyer asks, pulling my attention back to him.
I know what he means. “Not him,” I say slowly. “Once I saw Quanah—it didn’t take long before I put it together.”
Sawyer looks at me. “The Indian?”
“Yeah.”
“When I saw his men were—vampires, I figured Lucas had to be one too,” Sawyer says.
“I practically had to have a picture drawn for me,” I admit.
“Well, Sofe, this is new to all of us.”
I laugh dryly. I can’t help but think that Lucas should’ve told me before we slept together. I shake my head gently to stop where that thought is going. Lucas has several things to explain to me.
Sawyer stands to refill our glass. “Do you think we’ll freak out about this tomorrow?” I ask as he sits back beside me.
“Maybe.” He shakes his head. “Maybe not.” We sit in companionable silence, sharing the bourbon.
We’ve certainly had to change our view of the world since the Kihn came to our community with the rest of the supernatural world in hot pursuit. The Kihn are an ugly race of beings hell-bent on finding a portal that opens for a short time about every one hundred years. They refer to this portal as the gate. It is through this gate that the Kihn struggle to reach the fabled Realm of Kava. I say struggle because every other supernatural being is hell-bent on stopping them.
Since the early days of mankind, a curse upon the Kihn has forced them to roam the earth as monsters. It has fallen to the other supernatural to keep the Kihn in line. They live with the fear that if the Kihn do cross the gate, all supernatural entities will cease to exist. Lucas told me the old legends say the world will change not only for supernatural but for humans as well if the Kihn succeed. To top it all off, our quiet little community here in the Ozarks of Southern Missouri is caught up in the middle of all this drama. As the next gate opening draws near, the Kihn and the supes (as I call them) are both convinced the opening will be here, somewhere around our town of Sweetwater.
“You know, I’ve seen a lot of weird-ass, freaky shit out in these woods, but this takes the cake.” Sawyer turns to me with raised brows.
I look over at him and laugh.
He reaches for the glass. “I’ll get us another refill.”
“No more for me, you’re on your own,” I say as he stands. “What happened at the Zelts?” I ask as he resettles beside me.
“Well, we took off through the woods and as soon as we were out of sight Lucas, Dominic, and Christian left us. They made it look like they headed toward the Zelts but were actually heading back here. They knew what happened tonight was going to happen, just not as soon as it did.”
I feel a bit of irritation at Lucas. Why couldn’t he have told me what he had planned?
“Did you know that more members of the Guard showed up today?”
I shake my head. “How many?” There are already several members of the Guard here with Lucas, and I wonder how many there are altogether. The Guard is an elite military unit in the supernatural world assigned to police the Kihn, and their commander-in-chief is Lucas. And if my ex-boyfriend Nick is to be believed, Lucas is much more to the supernatural world than just head honcho of this special unit.
“At least ten—they were waiting for us in the woods to join Lucas, coming back here with him.”
“Was anyone hurt at the Zelts?”
“I’m not sure—”
“What?” I ask when he doesn’t continue.
“I’m not sure I can explain what happened there.” He shakes his head. “We probably didn’t even need to go to their aid.” I watch as he frowns recalling the night’s events.
I glance at the door, wondering again, what’s keeping Lucas.
“They just stood there.”
I look back at Sawyer. “Who?” I ask.
“The Zelts. Along with the man and woman that came here with them tonight. They stood around that big old house—just stood there—it was almost like they had a force field around them and the house.” I lean forward so I can better see his face. “The Kihn came out of the woods, a couple at a time from different directions.” He pauses to take a drink. “They couldn’t touch them,” he murmurs and then looks at me. “They couldn’t get any closer than—ten feet from those witches.”
“Are the man and woman that came with the Zelts tonight, witches too?” I wondered about that earlier.
“Oh, they’re witches all right,” Sawyer states. “They joined the Zelts, spaced out around that house looking as if they were pressing their hands against an invisible wall holding it up. Then just as calm as you please, Brit made some kind of motion with her hands and chanted something. After that every time a Kihn touched—whatever that was—it was like a jolt of electricity would throw him back several yards. I never saw one of them get back up.”
“What?” Holy shit.
“They have some wicked power, Sofie,” he says, looking meaningfully into my eyes.
I remembered Lucas telling me that of the three Zelts, Brit was the scary one. This is so not the impression you get of her.
“We’re all standing there watching when we’re attacked from behind. Sofe, I remember looking around, worried that the Kihn might sneak up on us, but thinking back—they weren’t. Andy, Patrick, and Ray, I mean. When the Kihn attacked, I saw why Andy and the others weren’t worried. It was over fast. The Kihn were no match for those three.” He leans close, murmuring softly. “If it came down to vampires or us, humans wouldn’t stand a chance.” A shiver of unease moves along my spine. “What I don’t understand—if the Kihn are no match for the Guard—why doesn’t Lucas and his men put them down once and for all?”
“Because” —I take a deep breath— “I was told there’s a chance that when the last Kihn dies, so go the supes.”
He expresses surprise. “They’re connected like that?”
I nod. “As I understand it, all the supernatural are linked in some way.”
“We need to talk, you know things I don’t.” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“I bet you know things I don’t,” I say a little accusingly. “Sawyer, we’ll get together soon and compare notes, I promise. I do have things to tell you, but right now I need to go find Lucas.”
I stand and take two steps toward the door when he says, “He left.”
I turn back. “What?”
“He left right before I came back here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I wail.
“Didn’t realize it was important.”
“Where did he go?”
“Gee, Sofe, he forgot to clear it with me first.”
“Sawyer!” I say in exasperation. I leave him in the bedroom as I go in search of Max.
What the hell is going on? Lucas has to know I need to speak with him. Why would he leave me like this?
Nearly everyone has left, and the house is quiet. I find Max still in the kitchen with Lars Aasen.
“Excuse me, I’m sorry Mr. Aasen—”
“Lars,” he corrects. “After what we went through together this night, I think you need to call me Lars.”
I give him a quick smile. “Could I speak to you, Max?”
I see something in Max’s expression, but it’
s quick and fleeting. It fuels my apprehension.
“You two talk,” Lars says. “I need to turn in. Good night.” He bows slightly.
“Good night,” I say not taking my eyes off Max’s face.
“We’ll talk in Lucas’ study,” Max says as he motions for me to precede him out of the room.
I have a really bad feeling settle in the pit of my stomach.
As soon as Max closes the door, I ask, “Where is Lucas?” I see that flicker of something cross his face again and bite my lip to calm myself.
“He left.”
I frown and glance at the door fighting the urge to jump up and run out to look for him. Looking back at Max I ask, “Where did he go?”
Max’s eyes flick softly over me. “I cannot tell you that.”
What! “Why?” My frown deepens as I search his face.
He holds his hand out toward one of the chairs in front of Lucas’ desk. “Please, sit.”
“Max—with all due respect—I don’t want to sit. Please, just tell me what’s going on!”
“Please.” Once more, he gestures toward the chair.
Sighing inwardly, I perch on the edge of the seat. As I try to calm my thoughts, I glance around the room.
I’ve only been in here once since Lucas has owned the house. It’s a beautiful study with lots of oak paneling and shelves filled with books lining one wall. There is a sitting space behind the desk area, with a comfortable looking leather couch, and a couple of chairs sitting before a stunning fieldstone fireplace. The far outside wall is glass, the same as the bedroom next door, but this glass wall consists of French doors that can open wide to the flagstone patio beyond.
I look back at Max. “I need to speak with Lucas, Max. Please, tell me where he is.”
“Why?” At my puzzled look, he clarifies. “Why do you need to speak with him?” This seems somewhat nosey of Max, but he has never been anything other than kind and respectful to me. I also know that he has been with Lucas for most of Lucas’ life, so I know he is asking out of genuine concern. I just don’t know what to say to him.