His Dark Embrace

by Ashley, Amanda

  Thorne shrugged. “There’s always that chance.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “Right now, it’s all we’ve got. I have a blood link with Sky and one with you. That gives us an advantage. So, this is what we’re going to do ...”

  Sam listened as Thorne outlined his plan, and prayed that it would work.

  Skylynn sat in her car on the side of the road. The hood was up; the emergency lights were flashing. She had a sharp stake tucked under her left thigh, a bottle of holy water in the pocket of her sweatshirt. The gun Kaiden had given her was hidden under a blanket on the floor. A bag of groceries on the back seat was her supposed reason for being out alone after dark.

  Sam and Kaiden were hiding somewhere outside. She didn’t know exactly where they were, but every few minutes, Kaiden spoke to her mind, assuring her that he was nearby, telling her not to be afraid.

  It was amazing, the way he could plant words and images in her mind, the way he could read her thoughts. She felt herself blushing when she suddenly had an image of the two of them locked in each other’s arms the way they had been last night. She knew he was doing it to distract her, to take her mind off the fact that she was bait.

  She glanced out the window. There was a wooded vacant lot on one side of the road, an abandoned gas station on the other. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. What was she doing here? Desmarais would never believe she was stupid enough to go out at night by herself. What if Desmarais showed up and Sam and Kaiden didn’t? There was no way she could hope to fight off the vampire alone, no matter how many weapons she had. He was twenty times stronger than she was. Faster. Able to materialize or vanish at will. A wooden stake, holy water, and a gun were puny weapons against such an adversary.

  Stop worrying. Kaiden’s voice sounded in her mind, instantly putting her at ease. I won’t let anything happen to you.

  You’d better not. If he ... if he kills me, I’ll haunt you for as long as you live.

  Kaiden’s laughter rang in her mind, sounding so real, so close, she almost expected him to be in the car beside her.

  Sky’s hands gripped the steering wheel. What was that? Leaning forward, she peered out the windshield. Had she seen something? Or was it just her imagination? No. There it was again! A shadow without shape or substance gliding along the edge of the road.

  She reached under her thigh to make sure the stake was still there, then wrapped her other hand around the bottle of holy water.

  Fear clogged her throat, making it impossible to scream when Desmarais suddenly appeared in the passenger seat, the hood of his long gray cloak partially covering his face.

  “Having car trouble?” he asked, his voice low and deceptively mild.

  Skylynn nodded, her heart pounding wildly.

  “It was nice of Thorne to use you for bait,” Desmarais said. One bony hand circled her throat.

  She had known vampires were strong, but it took only one squeeze of his hand and the world started to go dark. She clutched his arm with both hands, trying to break his hold, but he had a grip like iron.

  “Perhaps he didn’t realize it would work to my advantage. I’ve been forbidden to kill him outright, but now, when he comes to save you and I kill him, it will be self-defense.”

  She knew a momentary sense of relief when he relaxed his grip on her throat, followed by a renewed sense of panic when he leaned toward her, his fangs lightly brushing the skin of her throat.

  Knowing she had only one chance, Skylynn let her arms fall limply to her sides and then, ever so slowly, she reached for the stake under her thigh.

  Murmuring, “Please,” she began to struggle again, hoping it would prevent him from realizing what she was doing.

  “Go ahead, beg,” Girard said. His fangs gleamed whitely in the darkness.

  “Please,” Sky repeated, hoping to buy some time. “I’ve never done anything to you.”

  “You’re whoring for Kaiden Thorne,” Girard said, his hand tightening around her throat again. “That’s crime enough. I’ll have you and him and that brother of yours.”

  Adrenaline exploded through Skylynn’s veins as she yanked the stake out from under her thigh and drove it into Girard’s side. She was surprised by how easily the wood pierced his flesh.

  With a savage cry, Desmarais reared backward.

  Before she could withdraw the stake and strike again, he disappeared.

  It took Skylynn a moment to realize that someone had opened the door and yanked the vampire out of the car. Gasping for breath, one hand at her throat, she stared out the passenger side door.

  Two dark shapes struggled in the moonlight.

  To her horror, she realized the man fighting Desmarais was Sam. Something was wrong. Kaiden was older, stronger. He was supposed to confront Desmarais. Sam was only supposed to be Kaiden’s backup.

  Feeling as if her blood had turned to ice, Skylynn glanced frantically from one side of the road to the other. Where was Kaiden?

  A sharp cry drew her attention back to the fight. She screamed, “No!” when Desmarais hurled Sam into a tree, gasped when her brother slammed into the trunk then sprawled facedown on the ground and lay still.

  Skylynn stared at him in shock. Sam was a vampire. He couldn’t be dead.

  Heedless of the danger, she retrieved the gun from the floor and got out of the car, her only thought to protect her brother if he still lived, or to avenge his death.

  She was halfway across the street when Desmarais sprang toward her.

  With a shriek, she fired the gun, hoping it would slow him down enough for her to get away. And it might have, if she hadn’t missed. Pivoting on her heel, she sprinted for the car, but she was too slow. She screamed when Desmarais’ fingers dug into her arm, causing her to drop the gun, which went skittering off into the shadows. She stumbled and fell when he suddenly released her.

  Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a blur of movement launch itself at Desmarais.

  “Kaiden!” Her relief at seeing him was short-lived. The fight between Desmarais and Kaiden was far more vicious than the one between Desmarais and Sam had been. This battle was like a full-blown nightmare come to life, the flash of fangs, the hellishly red glow of their eyes as they engaged in a brutal, silent struggle that was like nothing she had ever seen before.

  Kaiden moved with a quickness and grace that seemed to defy gravity. Desmarais fought like a demon, but he was no match for Kaiden’s ancient strength.

  Skylynn held her breath as Kaiden shoved Desmarais against the crumbling wall of the gas station. At this distance, with his back toward her, she couldn’t see what Kaiden was doing, but Desmarais’ shriek sounded as if it was being torn from the bottom of his very soul. The anguished sound hung in the air, then died away, followed by an eerie stillness.

  Skylynn’s gaze was fixed on Kaiden’s back. He stood there a moment and then, to her horror, he produced a long, wicked-looking knife from inside his jacket.

  Skylynn pressed a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out when Kaiden lifted the blade. Afraid she was going to be sick, she turned away, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She felt numb inside, cold all over. She knew it was just nerves, the aftermath of everything that had happened, but she couldn’t stop shaking.

  “Skylynn?”

  She opened her eyes at the sound of Kaiden’s voice.

  He stood in front of her, his brow furrowed. “Are you all right?”

  “Y ... yes. Are you?”

  He nodded. “It’s all over now. He’ll never bother you again.”

  She glanced across the road but there was no sign of her brother. How could that be? He’d been there only minutes ago. What had happened to him?

  She tugged on Kaiden’s arms. “Where’s Sam?”

  “He’s taken Desmarais’ remains into the woods. The sun will take care of what’s left.”

  She nodded, her mind filling with grotesque images of Desmarais’ body going up in flames. And then it hit her. It was o
ver, really over. She didn’t have to be afraid any more. Desmarais was dead.

  She looked at Kaiden askance when there was a sudden tremor in the air.

  “Go get in the car,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” He took a deep breath, then turned to face the vampire. “Cassandra.”

  “You killed him.” It wasn’t a question but a statement of fact.

  Thorne nodded. “He didn’t give me much choice.”

  “Such a waste,” Cassandra murmured, her voice tinged with regret.

  “If you say so.”

  “He was born to be a vampire.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t come rushing to his defense.”

  “Kaiden, you know I would never have chosen him over you.” She made a vague gesture of dismissal. “I warned him several times to leave you alone. He should have listened. Ah, well.” Rising on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his.

  Cassandra kissed him far longer and deeper than usual. Thorne knew her well enough to know she was doing it not only to prove that, in some ways, he still belonged to her, but because Skylynn was there. He could see her staring at them, wide-eyed, through the car window.

  “You’re such a tease,” Thorne muttered irritably when Cassandra broke the kiss.

  “You’d better go,” she replied with an impish grin. “Your woman is watching us, and she’s jealous.”

  “Yeah, thanks a lot.”

  “See you soon, love,” Cassandra said cheerfully, and with a wave of her hand, she disappeared into the shadows.

  “Wow, she’s something else, isn’t she?” Sam remarked as he came up beside Thorne.

  “You have no idea. Come on, let’s go home.”

  Skylynn sat on the sofa wrapped in a blanket while Kaiden lit a fire in the hearth.

  Try as she might, she couldn’t erase the memory of Kaiden and Girard Desmarais locked in combat. Even though she hadn’t watched Kaiden take Girard’s head, her imagination had no trouble painting the grisly image in her mind.

  “Are you warm enough?” Kaiden asked, coming to sit beside her.

  She nodded, though she couldn’t stop shaking. She told herself there was nothing to worry about anymore, no reason to be afraid. Desmarais was dead. Sam and Kaiden were home, safe, and all was well, but that knowledge did nothing to ease the queasiness in the pit of her stomach. She frowned, wondering if it was the events of the night that had her feeling like she needed to vomit, or if she was catching the flu. Now that she thought about it, she had been feeling queasy for several days.

  Kaiden put his finger beneath her chin, his gaze meeting hers. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “So, all’s well that ends well,” Sam remarked, dropping into the chair beside the sofa.

  Skylynn looked at Kaiden. “You could have been killed.”

  He shook his head. “No way. I’m older. Faster. Stronger. He never had a chance. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist coming after you, even though he knew I’d be waiting.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” Desmarais was dead. Tomorrow, she would move her things into Kaiden’s house and they would start their life together as man and wife. There would be adjustments to make and problems to work out, but she would worry about all that later. For now, she just wanted to enjoy being with Kaiden.

  “Well, I’m going out for a little midnight snack,” Sam said. “See you guys tomorrow night.”

  Kaiden nodded.

  “Be careful,” Sky said, but Sam was already gone.

  She stared at the flames a moment before asking, “Who was that woman, Kaiden? And why was she kissing you?”

  Chapter 47

  Skylynn spent the next morning packing her grandmother’s dishes, silverware, and pots and pans. She would have left a few place settings and a pot or two for Sam, she thought with a grin, but really, what was the point? Her vampire brother wouldn’t be doing any cooking, and he certainly wouldn’t be hosting any dinner parties.

  Of course, neither would she. The thought sobered her.

  Sky glanced at the cardboard boxes spread out on the counter. She really didn’t need all the cookware her grandmother had collected over the years. Kaiden didn’t eat and she didn’t see herself doing a lot of fancy cooking for one. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to get rid of her grandmother’s things. Some of them, like the Mickey Mouse cookie jar, held special memories. Others, like the Meissen Crossed Swords coffeepot, were antiques. Her grandmother had cherished the glossy white pot with its delicate blue design, partly because it was beautiful, but mostly because it had been a gift from Granda on their first wedding anniversary.

  After packing the last of the kitchen goods, Sky went into the living room and began sorting through the books in the bookcase. She would leave Granda’s for Sam.

  She was placing the last of her books in the box when her stomach began to churn. She made it to the bathroom just in time.

  Later, after wiping her face with a cold cloth, she took her temperature. It was normal. She took a couple of aspirin, washed them down with orange juice, and went back to work.

  “Looks like you’ve been busy,” Thorne remarked, glancing around the McNamaras’ living room.

  Skylynn nodded. “I left all the furniture for Sam, along with Granda’s books and all the stuff in the lab. I haven’t discussed it with Sam yet, but I think we should donate all of Granda’s medical records and journals to a hospital or a library or something.”

  Thorne nodded. “That’s probably a good idea.”

  “What’s a good idea?” Sam asked, bounding down the stairs.

  “Donating Granda’s medical records and equipment to a hospital or a library,” Skylynn explained. “They are no good to any of us.”

  “S’okay with me.” Sam glanced at all the cardboard boxes scattered around the living room. “It’s gonna be lonely in this old house, all by myself.”

  “I’ll be right across the street,” Skylynn said. “It’s not like I’m moving across the country.”

  “Yeah. Well, come on,” he said briskly, “let’s get started.”

  It took less than an hour for Kaiden and Sam to move all of Skylynn’s belongings into Thorne’s house.

  “Wow!” Skylynn remarked when they were finished.

  “That was fast. Maybe we could start a new business. After Dark Movers.”

  “Yeah, right,” Sam muttered.

  “So, where do you want all this stuff?” Thorne asked.

  “I’m not sure,” she said, glancing at the boxes stacked in the living room. “I’ll put it all away tomorrow. That’ll give me something to do while you’re sleeping.”

  “Great!” Sam slapped his hands against his thighs. “Let’s eat.”

  Thorne looked at Sam, one brow arched in wry amusement.

  Skylynn shook her head as if he had made a faux pas at the dinner table.

  Sam glanced from Thorne to his sister. “Too blunt?”

  “Just a little,” Skylynn said.

  “You go on,” Thorne told him. “I’m fine.”

  “I can take a hint,” Sam said with a grin. “The newlyweds want to be alone.”

  “Good call,” Thorne said. “Now get lost.”

  “Don’t need to ask me twice,” Sam retorted good-naturedly, and strolled out of the house.

  “So, Mrs. Thorne,” Kaiden said, drawing her into his arms. “Welcome to your new home.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Thorne.”

  “I want you to be happy here, Sky, so feel free to redecorate the place any way you like. Paint, paper, whatever. And don’t worry about the cost. I can afford anything you want.”

  “I would like some new carpet. Do you have a preference for color?”

  “Anything you like is fine with me.”

  “What about your furniture?”

  Thorne glanced around the room. “Get rid of it all.” Taking her by the hand, he led her up the stairs and into the master bedroom. “Any ideas for
this room?”

  “I have a few.”

  “Such as?”

  “Well, for one thing,” she said, removing his shirt, “this has to go.” She moved her hands over his chest, leaned forward to kiss his bare shoulder while she unfastened his belt. “This, too, I think.”

  “Indeed? Going for a major renovation, are you?”

  She nodded as she reached for the zipper of his jeans. “I think these will have to go, too.”

  He obligingly removed his boots and socks so she could strip him of his jeans, murmured, “Careful now,” as she began to tug them over his hips.

  She grinned at him. “Don’t worry, I promise not to damage anything you might need later.”

  When he stepped out of his jeans, she tossed them aside.

  “Are you through?” he asked, his lips twitching.

  “Almost.” She ran her fingers along the waistband of his silky black briefs. “I really like these. They’re very sexy.”

  “I’m glad I have one thing you like,” he said with a laugh.

  She glanced at the bulge in his briefs and murmured, “Make that two things.”

  “My turn,” he said. “A body as shapely as yours should never be covered.”

  She stared up at him, wide-eyed. “Never?”

  “Never when we’re alone,” he amended as he lifted her sweater over her head. The rest of her clothing quickly followed. “I think we should give the bed a try,” he suggested.

  “I think you’re right.” Taking him by the hand, she climbed onto the mattress, pulling him after her. “We’d best give it a good workout so I can decide whether to keep it or not.”

  He drew her into his arms, loving the feel of her bare skin against his own, the way she melted against him. “I absolutely agree,” he said, his voice husky with longing.

  She draped her leg over his, wanting to be closer, wanting to be part of him. Whispering, “Kiss me,” she twined her arms around his neck, her mouth seeking his, her hands moving over him, hot and restless with need.

  He groaned softly as her tongue sought his. She was fire and honey in his arms, an impossible wish fulfilled, a nighttime fantasy magically brought to vibrant life. He wanted all of her, every thought, every caress, every breath. He wanted to please her in every way possible, to make every hope and dream she’d ever had come true.