Sandman (Forbidden Love Series II Book 5)

by Danielle James

  “Because I live here?” Somnus replied. “Besides, I know how they are. I didn’t want to alert them to the fact that I’m bringing company.”

  “I get that,” the guard answered. “Last month Jade stopped by and I thought she was going to lose her mind. No matter what she did, the conversation came back to “when are you going to have babies?”.”

  “Yeah,” Somnus agreed. “Good to see you, Mike.”

  The guard nodded and went back into his office. The heavy gates opened silently, and Rachel put the truck in drive. “That was interesting,” she muttered.

  “Mike’s a wolf. He thinks he’s bigger and badder than he actually is,” Somnus told her. “Security here is really tight though. At any given time, there are no less than ten guards on the perimeter, and I don’t even know how many magical wards are around this place. It’s like a fortress. It has to be. The King of Vampires lives here.”

  This information did nothing to calm Rachel’s nerves. Maybe this was a bad idea. She drove slowly up the long driveway until the house came into view. Actually, “house” was a serious understatement. It was huge! There were three stories that she could see; the white walls were covered to halfway up by brilliant green vines and flowers. There was a large flower garden on one side and a statue garden on the other. Two flag poles rose up from the far-right corner. One displayed Old Glory while the other was something she didn’t recognize. It was blue and yellow with a golden crest of some kind on it. It was too far up for her to make out the design.

  Somnus must have seen where her eyes had wandered to and said, “That’s the Rachnoir family crest.”

  When Rachel looked at him in question, he continued. “Gage is the son of Helena Rachnoir. She was thought to be the last of the royal family. When the vampire and lycanthrope war was happening in the 1800s, she and her son disappeared. Her body was found one day, years after she disappeared, killed by a werewolf; but the child was never found. As it turns out, that child was Gage. He had kept his identity secret for a very long time, but when he found Serena, his mate, he had to tell the world who he was.

  “Of course, he wanted no part of being a king, but the vampire community wouldn’t hear of it. They needed him then and they need him now. It’s a different world than it was back then. The vampire government isn’t just a monarchy. Angel is the California Clan Leader and there are Leaders in every state across the world. When the royal family was thought to be dead, they formed a government with leaders in each sector. They were very separate though until Gage announced his heritage. Gage is the figure head at the top and has the final say on matters, but he lets the vampire government handle day to day details. He brought them all together, though.”

  Rachel nodded. It was a bit of an information overload, but she tucked it away and steeled her nerves. When she parked the truck in front of the house, Somnus jumped out and ran around the truck to open her door for her. “Come on. You’ll love them.”

  Rachel was sure that she would, but how would they take to her showing up unannounced? She stepped out of the truck and followed Somnus to the front door. He took her hand in his own and squeezed. She didn’t want to think too much about how natural it felt to hold his hand, or how much courage that simple act from him was giving her. She didn’t want to think about it, but really, she didn’t have time anyway, because he opened the door and pulled her through it.

  No sooner had the door closed behind them there was a loud crash and then a roar. Rachel stiffened and Somnus said, “Oh lord, what now?”

  “Run for your lives!” a man with spiked hair and matching dog collar shouted as he ran past at an inhuman speed.

  “I’m gonna kill you!” another man shouted, giving chase only a second behind the first. The second man went by in a blur, but Rachel did notice his hair was fluorescent pink.

  “Just another day in the Knight house,” Somnus sighed. “Come on.” He pulled on her hand, leading her further into the house. It was beautiful, with high ceilings and Victorian-style furniture.

  “What was that?” she asked, knowing he knew she was talking about the two men that flew by.

  “That was Jacque, and I think Gage,” he told her. “Hard to tell when they go that fast.”

  “Gage,” she repeated. “The King of Vampires has pink hair?”

  Somnus chuckled. “Today, it seems, he does.”

  “I don’t…” she didn’t get a chance to finish her thought because the first man, Jacque, ran through the front room again. He breezed past them, but before he reached the hallway, stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around slowly, exaggeratedly so, and walked back to Somnus and Rachel.

  This time, Rachel got a good look at him. His dark hair was short and spiked up around his head in all directions like a porcupine. His eyes, which were staring directly at her in a very scrutinizing manner, were the same color as warm whiskey. There were two shiny rings in his eyebrow and another in his nose and she could see the tip of a tattoo at the base of his neck. It disappeared into the collar of the t-shirt he was wearing.

  The second man, Gage, came barreling into the room and from the sound of it, he intended to fulfill his promise to kill the first one. Except Jacque held his hand up like a stop sign and Gage immediately stopped only inches from pummeling into all of them. Somnus didn’t even flinch so Rachel held her back ramrod straight while the two vampires inspected her. An aura of power surrounded both men, and Rachel knew without a doubt they weren’t to be messed with.

  Gage was very attractive, she noticed. His light eyes and broad shoulders were fitting for a king. He had a similar tattoo on his neck, only his was adorned with swirls and lines shaded in many colors. They almost appeared to shimmer on his skin. And his hair. It was pink. So very pink.

  Gage growled and cut his eyes toward Jacque, who didn’t seem to be afraid of him after all.

  “Who is this petite fawn?” Jacque asked in a beautiful French accent that belied his appearance and the power that oozed off him.

  “Never seen this before,” Gage said in an almost southern drawl.

  “I’m sorry,” Somnus whispered to Rachel as Gage titled his head back and yelled, “You guys better get out here and see this!”

  Faster than Rachel would have thought possible, ten people surrounded her, looking at her as if she were an item for sale at an auction. They were sizing her up, she knew, but why? Some of the faces she recognized. Some she did not. When a man in a Stetson spoke, she knew who he was.

  “Y’all get out of the way,” he said, coming closer to her. He was well over six feet tall, his eyes shaded by his hat, but Rachel recognized him. “Well, isn’t this something,” he said. “Rebel,” he said, sticking his hand out. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

  Rachel tentatively took his hand. “Rachel,” she said.

  “I know,” Rebel smiled. “This is my wife, Leigh.” A much shorter woman stepped around him. Her hair was black as a raven’s feathers and her eyes were bright yellow.

  “Hey,” she said, nodding but not offering to shake her hand. She looked Rachel up one side and down the other before saying, “You’ll do. Don’t fuck it up.” And then she was gone.

  “Don’t mind Leigh,” a man with long black hair and the palest blue eyes she’d ever seen said to her. “She’s an acquired taste. I’m Sebastian and this little slice of heaven is Jessica, my mate.” The woman beside him was tall, but not taller than he was. Her hair was blonde; she smiled and waved.

  “Is this how we are treating our guests now?” a man’s voice said. The crowd that had gathered around her split, to allow him through. Rachel’s heart hammered in her chest as she realized who it was. There was no mistaking the straight jet-black hair, the emerald green eyes and there was definitely no mistaking the voice. “I am Angel Knight. Welcome to our home,” he said, offering her his hand. “You’ve already met Gage and Jacque.”

  “Uh, um, well, yes, thank you,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you.” Had her tongue grown about
four sizes? Why was her heart beating out of her chest? She wasn’t afraid of him, but instead, she looked at him and couldn’t think of a thing to say. It was Angel Knight for crying out loud! She’d grown up listening to his music, hell she still listened to it. He had been a staple in her teenage years and here she was! Face to face with the man! “Ireallyloveyourmusic!” she blurted out.

  Several people laughed and Rachel felt the blood rushing to her face. “I mean, I’m a fan.”

  Angel nodded once graciously, and something began to settle in her chest. She was getting calmer by the minute and Rachel knew he was doing something to her. “What are you doing to me?” she asked.

  “She’ll do,” Gage laughed.

  “This is my wife, Breanna,” Angel told her, wrapping his arm around a much shorter redhead. Her hair hung down her back in bright red banana curls, framing her rounded face.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Breanna told her. “But call me Brea.”

  Rachel nodded. “Nice to meet you too.”

  “Excuse me, but could I see my son?” the most beautiful voice said from somewhere behind Angel. It sounded like angels singing in the sunrise. The soft tone and cadence made Rachel want to sigh with happiness. The men parted like the red sea, and Rachel saw the owner of that voice.

  The most beautiful creature she’d ever seen stepped forward. She was no taller than Rachel was, but she was larger than life itself. Her golden blonde hair hung from her head in delicate spirals all the way down to her calves and her cornflower blue eyes had an eternity of wisdom behind them. She glided, rather than walked, toward Rachel.

  “Rachel, I would like for you to meet my mother, Azerial,” Somnus said. “Mom, this is Rachel.”

  Rachel squeezed his hand harder, willing him to not let her go. She wasn’t afraid of his mother, per se, but her presence alone was something to behold. Where the men projected strength and danger, she projected something very different. It wasn’t dangerous, but it was so powerful that Rachel’s knees threatened to buckle underneath her. The closer Azerial got to her, the more emotions flooded Rachel’s body and mind. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew this woman was nothing less than the goddess title she held.

  “You are the one who can see through magic,” Azerial said, looking Rachel over.

  Rachel could only nod.

  Azerial looked perplexed for a moment, but then she smiled and for Rachel, everything was right with the world. She leaned forward and took Rachel into the circle of her arms. She even smelled like Heaven. Flowers in the spring. Leaves in the fall. The ozone in the air after a storm. So many things…

  “Do not fear, my child,” Azerial whispered. “You are safe here. We will allow no harm to come to you ever again.” Rachel suddenly knew what it was about the goddess that was so profound. Love. She didn’t fear her, and she believed her when she promised to protect her. But more than that, Rachel could feel the love from this woman seeping into her pores and filling her with more happiness than she’d ever thought possible. When Azerial finally let her free, she looked into her eyes and said, “Welcome to our family.”

  Rachel could only nod, having lost the ability to speak. She sniffled, and realized tears were streaming down her face. She wiped them away quickly and found her voice. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

  “Happened to us all,” another female voice said.

  Rachel turned her eyes to see a tall willowy woman with chestnut hair sitting on the arm of the sofa. Next to her was another woman with auburn hair and brilliant eyes that seemed to glow. “I’m Frankie, and this is Serena,” she continued. “And we’re gonna be the ones to help figure out what makes you tick.”

  “Serena is Gage’s mate and Frankie is Jacque’s,” Somnus told her. Rachel looked at him and saw the pride in his mismatched eyes. He loved his family something fierce, and she felt humbled that he’d brought her to his home.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you all,” Rachel told them, finally getting her shit together.

  “And I’m Sam,” another vampire said. He was bald and appeared to be slightly older than the others, but with vampires, who knew?

  “You’re Somnus’ father,” Rachel said, already seeing the resemblance in the angle of the jaw and his nose. She noticed something else. Sam had brown eyes exactly the color of Somnus’ right one, while the blue eye was exactly like his mother’s. He truly was half-vampire and half-god. How had it never sunk in before now?

  “Now that the pleasantries are over, how about some lunch?” Rebel asked, already walking into the kitchen.

  “I’m in,” Serena said, getting up and gliding after him.

  “Are you hungry?” Somnus asked Rachel. “My uncle is one hell of a cook.”

  “Yeah,” Rachel admitted. Then her heart slammed against her ribcage. Something Azerial said hit her like a ton of bricks. “Did your mother just welcome me to the family?”

  Chapter Nine

  Somnus heard what his mother said just as clearly as Rachel and everyone else did. Mate. That word just would not remove itself from his brain. Rachel was not his mate. She was a girl who was in danger and could see him. She needed his family’s help and that was all. But he looked over at her, watching her watch his family, and something deep down inside told him that he was an idiot if he thought that.

  Rachel was so much more than just some girl. He didn’t know if he was ready to call her his mate, but when she decided to follow everyone into the kitchen and his eyes were drawn to the way her ass filled out the low-rise jeans she’d chosen to wear, he knew she would be his, one way or another. She fit right in with his family, accepting them for who and what they were. She had a gentleness about her, a calm that spilled over and affected him. Yes, she was a pleasure to look at, but the more time he spent with her, the more he realized that her beauty was far deeper than her skin. She had a beautiful soul, and that was what had drawn him to her.

  The fact that when she’d asked about being welcomed to the family and he’d shrugged it off without really answering her, was not lost on him either. He didn’t want to answer her, because he refused to lie to her.

  He followed close behind her, taking a seat at the island with his father. “So, thanks for not telling anyone,” Somnus said sarcastically.

  “Hey, don’t look at me,” Samuel laughed, “Your mother picked it straight out of my head like I told you she would.”

  Azerial slid a warmed bottle of blood in front of Somnus. “Thanks,” he said. He glanced to his left where Rachel was talking quietly with Frankie and Serena. No doubt about the spell they would perform to find out what, if any, supernatural bloodlines she may have. He knew she was nervous and shaking like a leaf on the inside, but outwardly, she didn’t show it. No, she sat there in those jeans and that white t-shirt, her very dark brown hair standing up in spikes all over her head, laughing along with them. Without warning, Somnus felt his heart pick up and his own pants were becoming uncomfortable.

  He turned back in his seat and lifted the bottle of blood to his lips. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rachel turn her head to look at him. His hand froze with the bottle touching his bottom lip. Suddenly, it felt wrong. He knew he needed to drink, but with Rachel watching him, it felt like he was doing something wrong. Like he was cheating on her. The whole idea was just preposterous. They weren’t a couple, they weren’t dating, and he wasn’t being unfaithful by drinking stored, donated blood. Right? Right.

  He sat the bottle back down on the island without taking his eyes off Rachel. She scrunched her brow at him and he just knew that he’d grossed her out. Never once had he considered that she might not be at ease with his diet. He could eat food, but he required blood as well. That was just going to have to wait until later, he decided, as he pushed the bottle away from himself.

  “Something wrong, son?” Samuel asked, noticing the bottle.

  “No, I just don’t want to freak her out,” Somnus said.

  “Are you sur
e that’s all?” Samuel asked. “Or is there something more?”

  Somnus knew there was no way he could lie to his father. “It just feels wrong,” he said quietly. Samuel nodded and left it alone, as if he knew exactly what Somnus was talking about.

  ***

  Rachel didn’t know what she expected, but within minutes of sitting with the women in Somnus’ family, she found herself perfectly at ease with them. Yes, she was in a mansion that was the vampire equivalent to the White House, and yes, it was full of vampires. It was barely lunch time and she was starving. Whatever Rebel was cooking smelled amazing.

  “You’ll like his quesadillas,” Frankie told her. “Everyone does.” Rachel really looked at the woman. She was tall; her brown hair hanging by her shoulders in soft waves. She had brown eyes to match, and when she smiled, just a hint of fang showed.

  “Do you eat food too?” Rachel asked.

  Frankie shook her head. “I used to. I can eat proteins like all vampires, but the carbs and the veggies don’t sit too well in my new digestive system.”

  “So, you were turned?” Rachel said.

  “You got it,” Frankie told her. “I was attacked and nearly killed by Leigh’s ex-boyfriend.”

  “He was not my boyfriend and you know it,” Leigh chimed in. She accented the statement with a roll of those strange yellow eyes.

  “Well, he thought he was,” Frankie smiled. “Anyway, Jacque saved me.”

  “Is that how you two met?” Rachel asked her, suddenly very interested in her story.

  Frankie laughed. “No, we met long before that.”

  “Frankie is my best friend and was my roommate when I first met the Knight family,” Jessica told her. “Here, I brought you a drink.”

  Rachel took it and nodded her thanks. She lifted the glass to her lips and tasted the best sweet tea she had ever drank. “Oh, this is good,” she said, taking another drink.

  “Yeah, my man’s pretty awesome,” Leigh told her. “When he’s not being a pain in the ass.”