Adored By The Rancher: Mail Order Brides Box Set

by Dreams, Brittany

  Shane and Asher were both such large men they looked as though someone had folded them over and crammed them into the car. Once, at a red light, Dawn glanced in the rearview mirror and her eyes met Asher’s. There was some emotion in those blue depths that she couldn’t quite understand. Terror? Sadness? She had quickly glanced away.

  The drive home was short, only about fifteen minutes. Shane’s house was a gorgeous character house with three bedrooms, a loft and a bathroom complete with a claw foot tub. It had been a total score when he offered it to Dawn while he was away and she hadn’t hesitated to move out of her tiny apartment into the beautiful neighborhood.

  The warm lights of the house greeted the three as Dawn pulled into her driveway. The minute the car stopped, Asher jumped out of the backseat as though he couldn’t bear to be contained there a moment longer. Shane grabbed their bags from the trunk and the three moved into the house.

  “The place looks just like it did when I left it. You’ve obviously cared for it well, Dawn,” Shane said as he kicked off his black combat style boots.

  Asher entered behind him, also removing his footwear, glancing around the house with narrowed eyes.

  “I’m starving,” Shane said. “What do you have in the fridge?” He didn’t waste any time rushing off to the kitchen and Dawn followed. He stared in dismay at the empty shelves after he pulled open the fridge door.

  “Oh god, not much. I wish you would have told me you weren’t going to eat before you got here. I could have gone out and got some groceries. I’ve been so busy with work… takeout it is?”

  “Sure. Pizza? With pepperoni and mushrooms?”

  “You bet!” Dawn turned, about to search for her cell which was still in her purse where she’d dumped it on the kitchen table, when she noticed Asher step up to the kitchen doorway. For some reason he didn’t look good. He swayed an inch to the right, and another to the left, as though he was trying to balance himself out, before he slid down the doorframe and crumpled in a heap on the floor.

  Dawn stood beside the table and watched in shock as Shane ran over to Asher and helped the dazed man sit upright. Finally remembering her manners, Dawn hurried over to the cupboard, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She handed it out tentatively. Asher blinked at her then his large hand closed around the glass and he drank it all in a few gulps. He was breathing heavily, even in a sitting position.

  Shane observed Asher then sighed. “Well I had thought this could at least wait for an hour, until we’d settled in but I see we’re going to have it all out in the open.” He turned to Dawn, a strange look on his face. His ice blue eyes seemed to glow, even in the bright kitchen light. “Dawn, I would like you to meet Asher. In a word I suppose you could call him my son and right now, he needs your blood.”

  Chapter 3

  “My blood…” Dawn stammered. “Are you insane?” Shane, or this man who perhaps wasn’t Shane at all, approached her slowly, as though she were a startled animal that would bolt at any moment. Dawn was considering tearing out of there.

  “Dawn, look at me,” Shane said slowly in his deep, velvet voice. The same voice that had captivated Dawn with stories since the time she was a small girl. Stories that might not have been made up after all.

  There was something in his voice that was magnetic. She was unable to flee as she wanted to. She couldn’t utter a word. Her palms were sweating and her throat had gone completely dry. Her stomach craped painfully, her heart pounded wildly in her chest. Fear crawled up her spine and she shivered violently.

  The minute Dawn looked into Shane’s deep blue eyes she knew she was lost. He had her completely captivated. Those burning orbs were otherworldly, not human at all. A blanket was lifted from her mind and Dawn knew that this man she had trusted and loved from the time she was born wasn’t who she thought he was.

  “That’s right Dawn. I am a vampire and so is Asher. You don’t have to be afraid of us. I would never hurt you. I still love you as much as I love my son. I would do anything to protect you and I hope you would do the same for me, and for Asher.”

  “What are you asking of me?” Dawn whispered. She felt strange. It was as though one fog had been lifted from her mind and another put in its place. As such it wasn’t functioning properly. Even her pounding heart had settled down to nothing more than an even beat in her chest as her initial panic faded. It was something about Shane’s eyes that pulled her in. His face was kind. Dawn had spent enough time trusting and loving this man that she found she could trust him now.

  “I want you to look after my son for me while I’m gone, arranging for others to come. What you don’t know is that I built this house as our refuge, our safe place where we could rebuild. Unfortunately the few remaining vampires in the world have been asleep for a century. I need you to teach my son what it means to live in this world. Since there are so few of us we know that we can no longer live apart. We need to blend in for our own safety and the survival of our species.”

  “You want me to feed him? My own blood?” Dawn asked, the trance like state never quite leaving her mind. She wanted to glance at Asher but she couldn’t look away. Shane’s eyes held her gaze. It was like her eyes were trapped there but it was not unpleasant. She felt warm and safe next to him. Her brain tried to repel the information she was only just learning but it couldn’t quite manage the job. Whether it was Shane who kept her mind in check or the fact that she trusted him and had grown up listening to his fantastical stories and liked them both, Dawn didn’t know.

  “Yes. I want you to feed him. More than that I want you to get to know him. Treat him like a friend. I could put whatever suggestions in your mind that I wanted but I won’t. I have too much respect for you and your family. It’s been a long time since Asher was human. I want you to show him how to mimic your mannerisms, how to blend in. Teach him about the world he missed while he was sleeping. All of our survival depends on it.”

  Shane blinked and Dawn found that she was finally able to tear her gaze free and look at Asher. He did indeed look a pitiful sight leaning against the kitchen doorjamb, his huge form barely remaining upright. She felt a stab of compassion for him that she knew was all her own.

  “Will you help us Dawn? I know it’s asking a lot. I know that you have your own business and your own life, but I would appreciate if you could just try.”

  “I don’t know the first thing about how to care for him.”

  “I can look after myself,” Asher ground out weakly. He tried to push himself into a standing position but his legs gave out and he collapsed back against the jamb.

  “Clearly not,” Dawn said dryly. She wondered if Shane had done something to her mind to take away her fear. She remembered what he had said in his stories, about vampires having strong persuasion and hypnotizing abilities. They could also take a human’s memory of them or plant a suggestion in their mind that they were powerless to resist, even for long periods of time.

  “It’s true that Asher can fend for himself. He is very ancient. And powerful. Since I woke him less than a few days ago he’s quite weak still. He needs a substantial amount of blood and I’m afraid I can’t give him much more of mine. I need my strength to wake and feed the others.”

  Dawn gulped. “How many others?”

  “One female, Aylona.” Shane actually colored, shocking Dawn. “She’s my mate. And two other males. They are almost all that remains of a species that was once thriving.”

  “And how do you… repopulate, should you choose to do it?”

  “Slowly. Pregnancy is long and risky for a vampire female. It would be better to try and turn humans but that is not without its own risks.”

  “You turned me,” Asher said. His fangs extended and he stared at Dawn hungrily. Her eyes widened in fear. It was all so strange, this new reality she was now privy to. Half of her longed to feed that gorgeous man… vampire… whatever he was, and the other half of her was still reluctant.

  “I’m leery about trying to turn humans in th
is century when the media is so prevalent. The only hope we have of staying alive is to blend in. I woke Asher because I felt it was time. The plan was to hibernate underground in crypts until our enemy died out. They have all gone, last century, the hunters and vampire slayers who slaughtered our kind to near extinction. Now the greatest threat we have is of discovery. If human scientists or doctors were to ever discover what vampire blood could do… we might as well slay ourselves to avoid the agony.”

  “What can it do?”

  “Everything you can imagine. Cure disease. Heal wounds. Replenish the body. It would be like discovering a healing fountain of youth.”

  Dawn nearly choked. “And you’re trusting me with this?”

  Shane nodded. His eyes glowed again but only with kindness and love. “I trust you with his life. He is the most valuable member of our tiny clan. Lose him and we lose everything. Like I said, he can fend for himself. A couple regular feedings, some kindness and a few trips out should be enough to give him a fighting chance.”

  “And the others?”

  “Will arrive soon enough.”

  “But I don’t know anything about how this works!” Dawn tried to protest as the weight of the incredible burden settled in. “You don’t need to. Asher knows. There is one thing I have to show you before I leave.”

  “Leave! You only just got here!” Dawn panicked.

  Shane acted as though he hadn’t heard her. He beckoned her into the living room. She went with him, glancing at Asher, who didn’t look well at all, as she passed. She watched Shane touch a spot just above the fire place mantle. To her shock, the wall beside it moved aside.

  “Come. I long ago buried secret chambers and rooms under here. The whole thing is fortified with steel for safety. The door can be locked from the inside and of course there are other exits.”

  In shock, Dawn followed Shane through the open part of the wall. How could she have lived here for over two years and not known this existed? It was like a whole other world on the inside of that wall. There was a steel enforced tunnel that led down, gradually, to rooms below. They were solid shapes that were completely empty. Built of concrete and steel they looked like someone was planning on surviving a nuclear attack under there.

  “Come. We should go back up. I must leave. As soon as I have the others here, where I know they are safe, I can rest easy. I don’t like leaving them unattended, not now that I’ve put our plans into motion and disturbed their resting spot. It leaves a trail, however hard to find, and I hate taking any sort of risk.”

  Dawn followed Shane back into the living room. He touched the invisible switch and the wall closed so flawlessly it was hard to believe that the secret door existed at all. On his way back to the kitchen, Dawn caught Shane’s arm.

  “Wait! This is too much! I can’t do this! You should have picked someone stronger.”

  Shane smiled tenderly. He placed a hand on her shoulder and applied the slightest of pressure. “It won’t be for long. I think you’re stronger than you know.”

  Dawn knelt next to Asher, whose eyes were closed. Dawn could only hope he was just taking a little break because he wanted to. God, what if he… he breathed out then and opened his eyes and she sighed in relief. She didn’t like this one bit.

  “Oh and Dawn?”

  “Yes?” Dawn turned and faced Shane once again.

  “Asher really is just like you. Other than the obvious, he is still very human. I consider this a wonderful gift for one as advanced in years as he is. Just remember that whenever you have doubts.”

  Chapter 4

  To Dawn’s horror, Shane left them shortly after. Both the bags he’d brought were for Asher. He left with a gentle nod, oddly enough catching a cab back to the airport. He didn’t even stay to supervise the feeding.

  Dawn managed to convince Asher to get off the floor and over to the couch. He’d asked for a drink and she poured him a small measure of whisky and water, thinking that would get him off the floor, if anything could. After downing it some of his color returned and he was able to get to his feet with her help.

  Perching on the edge of the couch, Dawn glanced around the living room anxiously. Everything in the house, minus her own personal items, belonged to Shane. She’d been thrilled to be able to get rid of her crap apartment furniture and move in. Shane had filled the house with nice leather couches, a flat screen TV and other antiques that matched the character of the hundred year old house. Shane had expensive taste. The brown leather couch they were sitting on and the handwoven area rug Dawn’s feet were planted against probably cost more than a year’s rent for her old apartment.

  “So how is this supposed to go?” Dawn asked, anxiety rising up to grip her firmly.

  Asher opened his blue eyes. He managed to lean forward on the couch just a little. Dawn found herself helplessly drawn to him, those otherworldly, ancient orbs entrapping her just as Shane’s had. She felt her fears and anxiety slip away. Strangely, she found her body getting a little hot. She knew Asher was a handsome male. God, he was more than that, he was incredible. Her heart hammered as her body started to simmer with awareness. A strange ache at the juncture of her thighs left her in no doubt as to the extent of her need for him.

  Without understanding fully what she was doing, Dawn turned and ran her finger along the edge of Asher’s jaw. He tensed under her touch for a second, a muscle in his jaw jumping as he clenched his teeth. His gaze burned into hers, touching her soul, igniting a fire deep in her belly.

  “That’s right,” he whispered in a deeply sexy voice. You want to feed me. You want me to take you. To bite you and suckle at your neck.”

  “Oh god, yes,” Dawn whispered. It sounded more like a plea. She brought her other hand up to Asher’s face, touching his cheek gently. His skin was so smooth and slightly colder than her own. Slowly she closed the distance between them, her lips meeting his. There was no bruising insistence, no rash burning sensation in the kiss. She wanted to do so much more but for some reason she was unable to fulfill the deepest desires. Her body screamed for her to part his lips with her own, to delve into his mouth, taste him, explore him. Her hands itched to strip his clothing away along with her own and surrender. She was not able to act on a single one of her heated impulses.

  What she could do was feed Asher and that she would do gladly. Dawn tilted her head to expose the long column of her neck. Asher’s eyes grew wide, the beautiful blue orbs heating up, the glow enough to light up the room. His fangs punched out from his upper jaw, elongated as he looked at her. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip.

  “I want to feel you,” Dawn whispered, taking in the stormy expression on Asher’s face. “I want you to take my essence.”

  Asher shuddered as if he could control himself no longer. With a strangled groan he tilted his face and pierced Dawn’s neck in a swift strike.

  Dawn gasped at the pain but made no move to pull away. Asher’s large hand came up to her cheek and held her face against his. He kept her steady while he pulled at her vein. Dawn felt an amazing sense of calm serenity flow over her. Her thoughts slowed down until all she could think about was the amazing sound of her blood flowing down Asher’s throat. She was really feeding him, giving her life blood to make him strong. Once her muscles relaxed, Dawn felt herself getting warmer.

  Asher sucked harder, drawing the blood much more quickly. Dawn’s eyelids started to flutter and she felt like she was going to faint but the blackness which passed before her eyes soon exploded into color. Dawn cried out as her body arched into Asher’s. The pinnacle of pleasure which radiated from her neck soon overtook her whole body and she wrapped her hands in Asher’s hair, crushing his face into her neck.

  As the pleasure subsided, so too did Asher’s sucking. A few seconds later he pulled his fangs out. His tongue snaked lazily over the wound in an erotic pass. Dawn brought her fingers there and felt nothing. No puncture wound. Whatever trance he had over her shattered. She stared at him in surprise. Asher had his eyes clo
sed and his face wore an expression of pure bliss. Slowly his beautiful blue eyes opened. They were alive with vitality. Her life force was animating him now.

  “Why… why did that happen?” Dawn was embarrassed to ask.

  “Because you wanted to be joined with me. Because I wanted you to enjoy it.”

  “Oh,” Dawn mumbled, flushing. Her heart was still pounding but slowly settling down as the violence of her pleasure faded.

  “And now that you’ve done me this favor, I would like to go out. It has been a long time since I saw the world and I saw a limited amount with Donner.”

  “Donner?”

  “Shane. I mean. Our brief time was spent in preparing to come here. I would be honored if you would drive me and show me, how you live.”

  “I wouldn’t know where to start.” Dawn felt the enormity of her task bear down on her, crushing her. The burden Shane gave her was far too much for her to bear.

  “Shane mentioned you had your own business. It would be as good a place as any.”

  Dawn considered it for a moment. She did feel strangely invigorated even though it was after two in the morning. The store was long since closed. There would be no one around. She often went back alone, later at night to catch up on paperwork or tidy up if the day had been a busy one. She lived less than a ten minute drive. It would certainly be the least risky thing to do.

  “Alright. But promise me you won’t shiver all the way like you did on the ride here.”

  Asher’s keen blue gaze swept over her body. “You mean like you’ve shivering now?”

  Dawn realized it was true. “That,” she whispered. “Is not because I’m cold.”

  Chapter 5

  When they reached the building Dawn unlocked the store then ran to turn the alarm off. Asher followed her inside, glancing around in a wild manner at the shrill sound. He seemed much more relaxed when Dawn punched in her code and it stopped screaming.