by D McEntire
She felt Brody tense above her, and with one last surge forward, he reared back his head and let out a loud growl. Warmth filled her as he shuddered and moaned.
After his shudders slowed, Brody shifted and collapsed beside her, then pulled her close to him. She noticed he breathed as hard as she did. What Brody had given her was the most extraordinary experience, to which nothing could compare, she thought with pure elation.
"You alright?" Brody asked softly, his fingers trailing up and down her arm.
"Yes," she whispered as she scooted closer. Resting her head beneath his chin, she allowed the beating of his heart to lull her to sleep.
* * * *
Daylight had come too quickly, Brody thought as he dressed and walked to the window of the hotel room. They had made love twice last night, the second time being just as amazing as the first.
Brody pulled back the thick curtain and looked out at the street. Town folk were already milling about. He knew his men would also be up and waiting for him. There was still a long ways to go on the trail to get the longhorns to the railroad.
He glanced over his shoulder at the beautiful woman lying on the bed, her face peaceful as she slept. She looked like an angel; his angel.
Stop it. Brody scowled at himself. She was not his. If he asked her to ride along with him to Kansas she would think he was plumb loco. Another thought struck him. She could ride to his ranch and wait for him. Who did he trust well enough to take her? Frank. Frank was his most trusted friend and mentor.
Would she agree to go?
As Brody's mind swirled with questions and doubts, he shifted from his spot in front of the window, not noticing the stream of light that spilled into the room.
A loud cry had him whirling around.
"What the hell?" he cursed aloud. Staring at Bri cowering in the corner of the room, his mind tried to determine what had just happened.
One moment she had been asleep, and the next she had flown across the room. Now, she sat on the floor, trembling and cradling her arm to her chest.
Crouching in front of her, Brody gently eased her arm away from her body. Seeing the circular burn mark on her flesh had him sucking in a breath. Brody turned his attention to the window. It took only a moment to deduce what had occurred. Bri had told him she had an affliction to sunlight, but he'd had no idea the situation to be this serious.
Brody damned himself for being so careless. He had let the sunlight in and now she was suffering. Though the burned area was small, he figured it still hurt like hell. His mind raced to come up with an idea of what to do, then recalled noticing a drugstore only a few buildings from the hotel.
Just as he moved to stand and retrieve the basin of cool water to soak the burn while he hightailed it to the store, he caught sight of something that made his heart stop. When Bri opened her mouth to speak, what he'd thought to have been his imagination at dinner last night was now in plain sight. White tips of sharp fangs appeared. When her mouth opened wider, they grew longer.
The image of her and the wildcat on the trail the other night flashed through his mind. He realized the feral sounds she had made, and the show of sharp teeth, had indeed happened.
Brody's feet moved of their own volition, causing him to stand quickly and leap away from her. "What are you?" The words were the only thing that came to mind. He blurted them out without hesitation or thought.
* * * *
Bri dreamed she was held in the arms of the most handsome man she had ever seen. Strong arms enveloped her, protected her. She had never felt so loved and cherished in all her life.
While in her dream, heat touched her arm. It quickly turned into a searing burn. The pain stole her breath. When she opened her eyes, she saw sunlight shining upon her and smelled the burning of the flesh on her arm. With a loud hiss and an anguished cry, she leapt from the bed and landed hard on the floor before scrambling to the safety of the shadowed corner. Her arm smoldered as she held it close to her body. Throbbing pain made her dizzy.
"What the hell?" She heard Brody's curse as he moved from the window and rushed to her side. When he'd vacated the window the curtain fell back into place, leaving the room dim once again.
Though she tried to keep her arm from him, Brody grasped it in his hand and would not release it while he surveyed the burn.
Bri saw the expression of confusion on his face as he turned her arm one way, then the other before glancing at the window. "I'm right sorry, Bri. You'd said you had an affliction to the sun. Is this what happens?"
Bri started to answer, but when she opened her mouth to speak, Brody's face changed from concern to utter shock. Through the pain in her arm, she hadn't realized her fangs had elongated from the trauma. To her horror, Brody had seen them. Chest tightening, she couldn't breathe. The moment she feared had come to pass. Brody now knew she was different. "I . . . I am a vampire."
Brody was on his feet before Bri could blink. The narrowing of his eyes felt like a knife to her heart. It was evident Brody knew what a vampire was, and he obviously did not hold good feelings about the race. He no doubt had heard the myths and ugly stories humans whisper to one another and tell their young, she thought grimly.
She watched him raise his hand and touch the side of his neck where she had scraped her fangs last night while fighting the urge to taste him.
"I wasn't going to bite you. I would never hurt anyone -- especially you."
The unreadable expression on his face and in his eyes seared her to the core. He didn't believe her. She had never taken from a human and never would, that is unless she found her mate, her love, and he was willing.
Without a word Brody turned and stalked to the table beside the bed. He picked up his guns and shoved them into his gun belt, placed his Stetson on his head, and headed for the door. It closed behind him with a soft click.
Bri couldn't move. She sat on the floor in shock at what had just happened. Only a few moments ago she had been deep in dreams of happiness. Now, she was alone. Brody had left and would most likely not be coming back. Tears burned her eyes, then escaped through her lashes to slide down her cheeks. Her short bout of happiness had ended much sooner than she expected. She had known it would come to an end when Brody returned to the trail, but she never dreamed it would end this way.
Deep down she had held on to the hope Brody would care for her enough to want her to stay with him. She had told herself to buck up and endure the trail -- the only way she could be with him. That dream now shattered; Bri rose from the floor and returned to the bed where she lay on the mattress and cried herself into an exhausted sleep. He surely would not want her anywhere near him now he knew what she was.
* * * *
Brody stepped out onto the muddy street. Last night's storm had soaked the ground, creating puddles and mushy soil.
Vampire .
Bri's revelation had stunned him. It had been shocking enough to see those fangs, but to hear her say it aloud had been like a punch in the gut. His mind had screamed in denial, and his lungs had scrambled for air. To keep himself right in the head, he'd grabbed his guns and left.
Checking the location of the sun in the horizon, Brody knew it to be time to return to camp and ready his men to hit the trail once again. Turning his face up to the window of the room he'd shared with Bri, his stomach knotted. He was about to leave her alone in this town.
Wasn't that the plan all along? Yes, it was, he told himself. They both knew he would be leaving Fort Worth, and she would wait here for word to reach her pa's partner. Brody decided the least he could do was leave money to keep her housed and fed until that person arrived.
Brody headed for the Livery to retrieve his horse as well as the one Bri had ridden to town. He figured she wouldn't need the mount, telling himself her pa's partner would no doubt retrieve her by stagecoach.
As Brody rode out of town he attempted to soothe the chaotic emotions in his head with the promise to send Trace to the hotel with Bri's belongings and money to hold
her over until someone fetched her.
* * * *
The sun lowered in the western sky. Brody had not returned and Bri knew she had to leave the hotel; she didn't have any money for another night's stay.
Walking to the wash basin resting below the windowsill, she lifted the rag and dipped it in the cool water, then pressed it to her face, washing away the trails of the tears she'd cried until she fell asleep.
Her heart heavy, it felt as though it was slowly breaking into more pieces than could be counted. Brody wasn't coming back. Her head and her heart knew that. She was alone once again.
The last two days had been heaven, Bri thought, trying to hold back tears that wanted to begin once again. Being around others had made her feel like a human being. Even though she wasn't exactly human, she was a person -- a person who needed to be among others. But Bri knew it to be impossible. This morning had been proof enough of that.
Realization came crashing down on her. She had to return to the life she had lived for the past couple of weeks; surviving the best way she knew how. Another pair of men's clothing had to be procured and another beautiful dress left behind.
Bri pulled aside the heavy curtain and surveyed the street below, knowing it was hopeless. Brody wasn't out there, but she knew her brother was . . . somewhere. She had to get out of town before Trevor found her.
Turning away from the window, Bri went to the chair on which lay her chemise and dress. A few moments later she was dressed and ready to leave. As she stood in the doorway, she gazed around the room. Images of Brody making love to her last night flashed through her mind. Closing the door, she shut the memory out just as firmly.
Bri descended the stairs quietly, hoping no one sat behind the desk or in the lobby. She wasn't sure if she had stayed past the allotted time, and was therefore expected to pay another night's stay. Thankfully, no one was present, so she slipped out the door.
Very few people occupied the street and walkways in front of the buildings. The last of the sun's light was fading, sending everything deeper into shadows, just like her heart.
"Well, well." The voice she heard behind her made her freeze. Trevor.
Steeling herself and gathering her courage, she turned and regarded him. "Trevor. What are you doing here? I assumed you to be halfway to New York by now."
Trevor's smile was anything but friendly. He took a step forward.
Bri fought the urge to retreat. She warned herself not to cower before him. "What do you want?"
"What do I want?" His tone was sharp, and his eyes blazed as he stared at her. "I want to get out of this filthy place and return to New York. That is what I want. And you, my dear sister, are going to help me."
"Me? How can I help you? You took the wagon and all we had. Have you spent all of our money as well?" Bri tried to keep her voice low and not draw attention to their conversation, but the deeds her brother had done fueled the rage she felt inside. "Why would I do anything for you? You left me to die!"
Bri wanted to do something totally ugly and very unbecoming, such as spit on him. This man was not her brother, she no longer knew who he was, nor did she care. Turning away, Bri thought to head to the Livery, hoping Brody had left the horse on which she rode into town last night.
Her back now to Trevor, Bri was grabbed roughly from behind. A hand came down hard over her mouth. She fought as Trevor pulled her backwards. Pain suddenly exploded in her head before everything around her went black.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
"Boss? You want I should load up Miss Brianna's things on ol' Bessy here?"
Brody turned to see Lil' Dave standing next to the wagon holding the reins of one of the pack mules.
"Nah, I'll do it. You go on and catch up with the others. I'll pack up her things and take them to town, then meet up with y'all at the next stop."
Lil' Dave nodded. He handed Brody the reins and climbed aboard the wagon. As it pulled away, Brody looked down at the stack of boxes in front of him. Tangled in confusion and mixed emotions, he felt he was about to crack. Images of Bri clouded his mind, and he couldn't get passed them. The word vampire rang in his ears over and over. But what did it mean?
Opening the largest chest, he told himself not to think of the fancy gowns inside and how beautiful Bri had looked at dinner. Pushing the gowns aside, he picked up a smaller chest with the intention of placing it inside in order to limit the number of items he needed to secure on the burrow. The lock on the box sprang open and its contents spilled onto the ground.
Jewelry and trinkets lay in the dirt. With a muttered curse, Brody went down on one knee to retrieve the items and return them to the box. Lifting a small hairclip with pearls set in an intricate weave, he paused and closed his eyes.
The memory of how his hands removed Bri's clips last night, and how her hair looked as it splayed over her shoulders sifted through his mind no matter how hard he tried to block it. Brody could almost smell her rose petal soap, and he groaned. What was he doing? What did it matter if she was a vampire? Bri was still a woman; a beautiful woman who had captured his heart. Something he could no longer deny. Was he going to just walk away without giving them a chance? He knew their relationship wouldn't be easy. With her affliction to the sun he would have to work out time for them, but they would still be together.
Dropping the last of the fallen items into the box, Brody quickly stacked them and secured them on Bessy's back. Swinging himself up in his saddle, he led the burrow back to Fort Worth. He prayed Bri would still be there.
When he left her it was daylight. He knew she could not have left the hotel then. But now the sun was setting. Upset, she may well have left town on her own.
Bri had said she would notify one of her pa's partners, but something told him she had no one to notify. Brody muttered a few choice curse words at himself and spurred his horse to quicken their pace. He had been no better than Bri's brother by leaving her alone. He had turned his back on her and walked away, leaving her to her own defenses just as Trevor had done.
Brody entered town and headed straight for the hotel. Jumping from his saddle, he barely took the time to tether his mount and the burrow. Once inside the hotel, he took the stairs two at a time, making a beeline for the room they had shared last night.
The door was open and the room was empty. Bri was gone.
Brody turned on his heels and took the stairs back to the lobby. The young man who checked them in last night entered the lobby with a newspaper in his hand. The man made his way to the desk and sat the paper on top.
"Where's the woman from room four?"
The young man looked up from his paper and frowned. "I can't rightly say. About an hour ago I went to check to see if she needed another night. The room was empty." The man shrugged and returned to reading.
"Shit!" Brody spat and headed out the door. Stopping on the steps of the hotel's porch, he searched in every direction, hoping to catch sight of Bri.
"Problem, Boss?" A voice caught his attention. Brody turned to find Branson standing in the alleyway between the hotel and the next building.
"Figured you'd quit, Branson, since you didn't show at camp this mornin'."
Branson laughed loudly. He bent and spit tobacco juice on the ground. A small amount of brown liquid dribbled down his chin, which he wiped with the back of his hand. The sight disgusted Brody. "Yeah. I reckon' you could say that. Found me 'nother prospect." Branson gave a sly smile, showing his rotten teeth. "Pays good, too."
"I ain't got time for jawin', Branson." With that, Brody turned and started to walk away.
"Lookin' for the lil' lady?"
The question made Brody stop in his tracks. Something about Branson's tone didn't sit right. His stomach knotted as he turned back to the man. "Where's Bri?"
Branson laughed again then sent another spray of spittle to the ground. "I'm right sure the lil' lady's alright. 'Sides, her brudder . . ."
Brody lunged forward at the mention of Bri's brother only to stop short at th
e barrel of Branson's gun.
"Now, you jest back it on up a few paces there, Boss."
Brody held up his hands and took two steps back. "Where is she, Branson? What's her brother done with her?" Brody's chest was tight, not only with seething anger at the scum standing before him, grinning like a weasel in the chicken coup, but also with concern over Bri's safety. Her brother had left her for dead, so what did he want with her now?
"You see, Boss Man, my new job is to take that there lil' woman and her brudder back to New Yahk, but 'fore I do, I'm spos' to take care of you." Branson waved the gun to the side, indicating he wanted Brody to walk deeper into the alley.
Brody knew at the moment he could only do as Branson instructed. Brody skirted Branson and headed in the direction Branson indicated. As he slowly walked forward a faint whistle told him he wasn't alone. From behind Brody a loud grunt had him turning to find Trace standing over Branson, who was out cold. Trace smiled at Brody with an amused twinkle in his eye.
Brody removed his hat and wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt. "Damn, Trace. Perfect timin' as always. Why did you leave the trail?"
Trace shrugged. "Father said go to town. Meet Brody."
Brody shook his head. "That pa of yours is one strange sum' buck."
* * * *
Bri did not know her brother's intentions. He had been quiet along the ride to wherever he planned to take her. She had awakened in the bed of a wagon with her hands bound, her mouth gagged, and her eyes blindfolded.
The ride seemed to take hours, or maybe her fear made it seem so long, she thought. The wagon slowed, then stopped. Bri felt it shake, indicating Trevor had left the seat. Hands suddenly gripped her shoulders in a bruising hold. The surprise made her cry out in alarm behind the gag in her mouth. When the blindfold was ripped from her eyes, she felt the sting of strands of hair being pulled from her scalp and winced.