His Dark Embrace

by Ashley, Amanda

  He blew out a sigh as he headed for his lair.

  For her sake, they had better find that formula, and soon.

  Chapter 3

  Skylynn woke filled with anticipation. She had another date with Kaiden Thorne! She glanced at the clock, surprised that she had slept so late. It was almost ten.

  With the words to “Unchained Melody” playing in her head, she quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, then skipped downstairs to fix breakfast, only to find she was too excited to eat. Six hours until four o’clock. What was she going to do until then?

  She tapped her fingertips on the kitchen table. Perhaps now would be a good time to go through Granda’s things and decide what to keep and what to give to the local homeless shelter.

  With that thought in mind, she went upstairs. After pulling on a pair of old sweatpants and a T-shirt, she drove to the supermarket for some empty boxes. Returning home, she put on a pot of coffee, then carried the boxes upstairs.

  Sky took a deep breath when she reached the landing; then, squaring her shoulders, she opened the door to her grandfather’s room and stepped inside. And was instantly transported back to her childhood. How many times had she crept into this room in the middle of the night after her parents died? How many hours of sleep had Granda lost while he dried her tears, or held her on his lap and told her fairy tales until she fell asleep in his arms?

  The room looked the same as always. A quilt her grandmother had made covered the double bed. Her grandparents’ wedding picture sat on the dresser alongside a family photo that had been taken only weeks before her parents were killed. The scent of her grandfather’s pipe tobacco lingered in the air.

  Heaving a sigh of resignation, she began sorting through her grandfather’s things, placing his clothing in one pile, his personal effects in another.

  A third pile held Granda’s silver-backed pocket watch, the jackknife he had always carried, his lucky silver dollar, his favorite paisley tie, and his money clip. She would keep those things for Sam until he came home.

  After a good long cry and a late lunch, she carried the boxes out to the garage to await pickup.

  Returning to the house, she paused on the front porch and glanced across the street. The place looked deserted, she thought, and then frowned, wondering what had made her think that.

  With a shake of her head, she went inside. It was three o’clock. Time to get ready for her date. Kaiden had told her to dress casual. How casual? She debated a few minutes, then decided on a pair of black jeans, a pink sweater with a shawl collar, and a pair of comfortable shoes.

  Kaiden arrived at her door at three-fifty-five. Dressed in faded blue jeans, a black jacket over a blue T-shirt, and black boots, he looked ready for anything.

  “I thought we’d go to the county fair,” he said as he opened the car door for her. “Are you game?”

  “Sure. Sounds like fun.” Heaven knew she could use some laughs after spending the day sorting through her grandfather’s belongings.

  Minutes later, Thorne pulled onto the freeway and stomped on the gas.

  “You really are a speed demon, aren’t you? Don’t you ever worry about accidents or blowouts? Or tickets?”

  He slid a glance in her direction. “Not really,” he admitted with a grin.

  “Hmm. So, how was your day?”

  “Pretty boring, until now.” Truth was, he had slept through most of it. Not a good sign. “How was yours?”

  “Kind of depressing, actually. I spent a good part of it going through my grandfather’s things, trying to decide what to keep and what to give away.”

  “I’m sorry, Sky Blue. That must have been painful.”

  She nodded. “It was hard, packing his things. I know it sounds silly, but it made me feel like I was throwing him away.”

  “You can’t hang on to the past, Skylynn,” Thorne said quietly. “Life is for the living. Have you decided what to do with the house?”

  “I’m ... I’m going to keep it,” she said, only then realizing that she intended to stay in Vista Verde. “I can’t sell it anyway, not until Sam comes home.” She refused to admit that might never happen. “It’s half his, after all.”

  “What about your job back East?”

  “I’ll have to quit, of course. I’ll call my boss in a day or two.” Quitting would be the easy part. Finding a way to tell Harry she was staying in California would be a little more difficult.

  They reached the fair in record time, no surprise with Kaiden behind the wheel. The man was definitely a speed freak.

  “So, what do you want to try first?” Thorne asked as they made their way toward the rides.

  “Anything and everything. I love them all!” Granda had taken her and Sam to the fair every year from the time Sky was three. She didn’t like Halloween masks, she was nervous about driving too fast on the freeway, but she loved carnival rides—the scarier, the faster, the better.

  “Great! Let’s go!”

  The next hour passed in a whirlwind of wild rides from the Tilt-a-Whirl to the giant roller coaster, from the Ferris wheel to the fun house.

  From there, they went to the game zone.

  While Kaiden looked on, Sky tried her hand at knocking over milk bottles with a baseball. She missed every time. She tried her hand at breaking balloons with darts, and tossing Ping-Pong balls into a goldfish bowl, with no success. Next, she tested her skill at the shooting gallery. Again, with no luck.

  Throwing up her hands in exasperation, she muttered, “I give up. There’s no way to win. I think the games are rigged.”

  “Is that so?” he asked, laughing. “Well, let’s see about that.”

  She watched in amazement as he picked up the rifle she had just used, sighted down the barrel, and hit the target every time. Twenty minutes later, she had an armful of stuffed animals and Kaiden had been asked, none too politely, to go try his luck somewhere else.

  “What am I supposed to do with all these?” Sky asked, juggling an armful of colorful teddy bears, alligators, bunnies, and penguins. “If they all move in with me, I’ll have to move out.”

  “An easy fix,” Thorne said, and while she was pondering what he meant, he handed a pink bunny to a little girl in pigtails, a yellow alligator to a little boy missing his two front teeth, a purple teddy bear to a preteen sporting a Minnie Mouse T-shirt. “See?”

  “Wait,” she protested when he reached for a small blue dragon. “I want to keep that one.”

  Minutes later, the dragon was the only animal left. Sky tucked it inside her tote bag.

  “I’m hungry,” Thorne remarked as they neared the food area. “How about you?”

  “I’d love a corn dog and a Coke,” Sky said. “And a churro. And a snow cone.”

  “I love a junk food junkie,” Thorne said, taking her by the hand. “Come on.”

  A short time later, their arms filled with boxes of food, they found a bench and sat down. Sky watched in amazement as Thorne put away four corn dogs, two churros, a snow cone, and a large Coke.

  “I don’t know why you’re not as fat as that prize-winning hog we saw,” Sky muttered. She had forced down a second hot dog and felt as stuffed as one of the teddy bears Kaiden had given away.

  “High metabolism?” he suggested with a shrug.

  “I guess. Here.” She thrust the last corn dog at him. “I can’t eat another one.” He had bought her three, even though she had assured him that one was more than enough.

  “Best not to let it go to waste.” Four bites, and there was nothing left but the stick. He held it up, turning it this way and that, thinking it looked very much like a miniature stake.

  Sky glanced from Kaiden to the stick and back again. “You seem fascinated by that little piece of wood,” she said. “Am I missing something?”

  “Not really. I was just thinking ... never mind.”

  “Tell me!”

  “Does it remind you of anything?”

  “I don’t think so. Should it?”


  “Not really.”

  “Honestly, you can be the most infuriating man!”

  “Sorry, Sky Blue.”

  “Come on, tell me what it reminds you of.”

  “I was thinking it looked like a wooden stake for miniature vampires.”

  She blinked at him. “A stake? For miniature vampires?” She shook her head. “I think it was a mistake to go on that Tilt-a-Whirl so many times. It’s scrambled your brains.”

  He laughed softly. “I think you’re right.” Gathering their trash, he tossed it into a nearby receptacle, then reached for her hand. “You ready to go?”

  “If you are.”

  Once they were in the car, he turned to face her. “How about a walk on the beach?”

  “Are you kidding? It’s after eleven and it’s miles to the beach.”

  “Have you got something better to do?”

  She pretended to think about it a minute before saying, “Not really.”

  “Let’s go then.”

  With Kaiden behind the wheel, it took hardly any time at all to reach their destination. Before leaving the car, they both removed their shoes and socks, then ran barefooted across the sand toward the ocean.

  Moonlight sparkled on the water. A million stars twinkled in the heavens. The quiet shushing of the waves serenaded them as they walked hand in hand along the shore.

  “This was a wonderful idea,” Skylynn remarked, glancing out at the ocean. “I haven’t been down here for a long time.”

  “It’s one of my favorite places,” Thorne said.

  “Mine, too. Granda used to bring me and Sam here when we were younger. He liked to fish off of the rocks over there ...” She turned away, her voice trailing off as tears stung her eyes and clogged her throat. It suddenly seemed wrong to be here, enjoying Kaiden’s company, enjoying life, when her grandfather was dead and her brother was missing somewhere in Iraq.

  “You don’t have to hide your tears from me,” Thorne said, drawing her into his arms. “Go ahead and cry.”

  She buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder and let her tears flow. “You probably shouldn’t be with me,” she said, hiccoughing.

  “Why is that?”

  “Everyone I love dies.”

  “I promise not to die,” Thorne said solemnly.

  “You can’t keep a promise like that,” she said, sniffling.

  He brushed his lips across the top of her head. “No?”

  She looked up at him, her eyes shining with tears, her lips slightly parted. Before she could ask him a question he wasn’t ready to answer, he lowered his head and kissed her. He had intended only to distract her, but one touch and he was the one who was distracted. She tasted of salty air and salty tears, of mustard and hot dogs and snow cone syrup. But mostly, she tasted of woman. A beautiful, desirable, woman.

  With his mouth still on hers, he sank onto the sand, carrying her with him, then stretched out beside her, aligning her body with his.

  For a time, he was oblivious to everything but the sweetness of her kisses, the warmth of her breasts pressed against his chest, the silkiness of her hair beneath his hand, the softness of her skin. He had thought of her, dreamed of her, yearned for her, ever since she became an adult, but timing and circumstances had always been against them. First she had been too young. Then she had gone away to college, and even though he had kept an eye on her, the difference in their ages had still been too great. And then she had married that idiot Nick.

  But she was here now, wrapped in his arms, the soft curves of her body pressed intimately against the hardness of his.

  She moaned softly, a small, needy whimper that fanned his desire and his need.

  And brought his hellacious hunger roaring to life, reminding him that his unholy thirst for Sky’s blood and his lust for her flesh were putting her life in grave danger.

  He kissed her again, long and hard, and then, fighting the urge to take what he so desperately wanted, he sat up. “We should go.”

  “Go?” She looked up at him, her gaze slightly unfocused. “You want to go? Now?”

  “It’s late, and ...”

  “No, you’re right. It’s late.” She sat up, wondering what had just happened. One minute he had been kissing her as if he wanted to devour her body and soul, and the next, he wanted to go home. Had she missed something?

  He leaned forward to lightly brush a stray wisp of hair from her cheek. “You’re beautiful, Sky, more beautiful than any woman I’ve ever known.”

  She stared at him, confused by the mixed signals he was sending. He had kissed her, almost desperately, then said it was time to go. Now he was telling her she was beautiful. One of them was slightly crazy and she didn’t think it was her. “Thank you.”

  “But you’re young, so young.”

  “I’m not that young,” she protested.

  “And you’re still grieving for your grandfather.” Thorne skimmed his knuckles over her cheek, tracing the tracks of her tears. “I don’t want to take advantage of you when you’re vulnerable. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, but she couldn’t help wishing that, just for tonight, he would have been a little less noble.

  “Come on, Sky Blue.” Taking her hands in his, he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Let’s go home.”

  Chapter 4

  Sky was fixing breakfast the next morning when Kaiden knocked on her front door.

  “Hi,” he said. “I hope I’m not too early.”

  “No, I was just fixing breakfast.”

  “I was hoping we could go through Paddy’s files again. There must be something there that we missed.” There had to be. Time was running out.

  “Sure, if you want. Come on in. Have you eaten?”

  “No.” As much as he enjoyed eating, he didn’t care for cooking. Most of the time, he ate in restaurants or ordered take-out.

  “Well, I’ve got enough for two if you like waffles and sausage.”

  “I do, indeed.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, then stood in the doorway.

  Sky gestured at the table. “Please, sit down.” Moving to the counter, she removed the waffle she had fixed for herself from the waffle iron, put it on a plate, added some sausage links, and set it before him. “What would you like to drink? I’ve got coffee, tea, milk, orange juice ...”

  “Orange juice, thanks.”

  “Eat it while it’s hot,” she said, smiling. She poured batter onto the waffle iron, dumped the rest of the sausages into the frying pan, then filled a glass with juice.

  He finished the waffle and sausage before hers had cooked.

  “Do you want this one, too?” she asked, amused.

  “No, thanks. But now a cup of coffee would hit the spot.”

  She poured him a cup, served up her own breakfast, and sat down at the table across from him. “Are you sure I can’t fix you another waffle?”

  He thought about it a minute, then shook his head. “I’m good.” He added milk and a generous amount of sugar to his coffee. “Home cooking is a rare treat for me.”

  “I take it you’re not one of those bachelors who’s handy in the kitchen,” she remarked as she spread blueberry jam on her waffle.

  “You got that right. Anything more than a bowl of cereal is beyond me,” he replied. “Although I grill a mean steak.”

  “Well, at least you’re not totally helpless.” She finished her waffle and set her fork aside. “What will you do if we can’t find the formula?”

  “I don’t know. Did Paddy have many visitors?”

  “Sure, lots of people. A lot of the folks in town didn’t care for the new doctor, so even after Granda retired, some of his old patients came to him with their complaints.”

  “Was there anybody who acted suspicious?”

  “Suspicious? I don’t think so.” She frowned. “You know, now that you mention it, there was this one guy. I remember seeing him several times when I came home on vacation last year. I don’t think he was a patient, but
I don’t think he was a friend, either.”

  “What was his name?”

  “I don’t know. I never heard it.” She took a drink of her orange juice, her brow furrowed. “I never saw his face, either. He always wore a long gray cloak with a hood, kind of like monks wear.”

  A muscle throbbed in Thorne’s jaw. “Like a monk, you say. Was he tall?”

  “Yes, very.” She leaned forward, her eyes alight with interest. “Do you know him?”

  “No.” It couldn’t be Desmarais. The man had died years ago. Or so everyone thought.

  Sky leaned forward, her arms folded on the table. “Then how do you know he was tall?”

  “I didn’t. It was just a question.”

  “Hmm. Why don’t I believe you?”

  He offered her his most winning smile. “I don’t know.”

  With a little huff of annoyance, Sky rose and began to clear the table. Drat the man! He knew something, all right, but what? And how was she going to find out?

  After Sky finished cleaning up the kitchen, Thorne followed her down to the basement. He paused in front of the door to the lab. “We haven’t looked in there.”

  “I don’t think Granda kept any of his notes in the lab. He always recorded them in one of his journals and then locked them in one of the file cabinets.”

  “Have you been inside the room since he passed away?”

  “No.” As a little girl, Sky had never liked going into the lab because her grandfather had sometimes done experiments on animals, and even though he had claimed he never hurt any of them, she couldn’t stand to think about the cute little black-and-white mice and rats or guinea pigs getting shots, or worse.

  “Couldn’t hurt to have a look around,” Thorne remarked.

  “I guess not.” Sky unlocked the door and switched on the overhead light. And blinked in astonishment at the utter disarray that met her eyes. Tables lay on their sides, broken vials, tubes, and beakers were strewn around the floor. The large glass-fronted cabinet that had held a number of jars and bottles had been ransacked. Broken glass crunched beneath her feet as she moved farther into the room. The door on the right side of the cabinet was open, the contents scattered. Someone had picked the locks on the three drawers on the left side and rummaged through them before tossing the drawers and their contents aside.