Awakening (Fire & Ice Book 1)

by Karen Payton

  She leaned back into the vampire’s cold chest, lifting her chin to ease the pull of his tight fist in her hair. Remembering the creature she saw in the woods that night, she knew this was not a feral. I’d be dead already. I mustn’t let him get a grip. She shrugged inside her jacket and slipped one sleeve down until it covered her right hand. Scrabbling her fingers over the flap of the hidden pocket, she worked it open, choking on the heady rush of elation when the switchblade handle dropped down into her palm.

  Struggling hard, and feeling the pain bite every time she collided with his solid shape, she fought harder until he did what she wanted.

  Twisting her hair in his grasp, he turned her to face him and leered.

  His grotesque venom-coated lips mesmerized Rebekah as his breath fanned her face, and the cloying smell of decayed blood made her gag.

  The mess of black hair shadowing his brow could not hide the spite lurking in his mud-brown gaze.

  His free hand laid a trail of disgust over her skin as it stroked around her waist, pinning her body against his, and crushing her knife arm between them. Fear kept her eyes locked onto the cold hard features, even when they moved in too close to focus on.

  Trapped across her middle, her arm tingled where his cold vampire flesh pressed onto it. While she could still feel it, she gripped the knife tighter. With a jolt of self-preservation, she dug her other hand inside her jacket and the weight of Oscar’s stone in her palm ignited a surge of rebellion inside her. She pulled it from her pocket.

  A predatory leer tightened his features, his hold on her hair gentled to a sickening caress, and a tide of panic clawed at her insides.

  She could barely feel the switchblade hilt in her numb fingers. It’s now or never. Staring up into his eyes, she turned her hand, aimed low into his abdomen, and hit the trigger button. The blade shot out at the same moment that she slammed the stone into the butt. The juddering impact darted pain up her arm as fear and hatred unleashed every ounce of strength she had.

  His tormenting amusement disappeared, his eyes snapped open and he relaxed his embrace for second.

  Rebekah’s feeling of triumph flared and died as her wrist twisted painfully, and the sound of grinding stone filled the air. The tip of the switchblade dug in for a moment before it skittered over his stomach, tearing his clothes and scoring a silvered line in the quartz-like surface of his skin, but nothing more.

  Oily amusement returned and he tightened his arm around her. His fingers dug in as he captured her free arm, and her hand, starved of blood, tingled in an instant. Her ribcage creaked as he bent her backwards and needles of pain darted down her legs. Rebekah spat in his eye. Her scream of anger gusting into his face, lifted the shadow of his hair from his brow and revealed an expression of cold calculation.

  His hand covered her mouth and sealed the sound inside. His cold fingers pressed dents into her cheeks as he hissed, “I can smell you.”

  The cold metal vise of his embrace anchored her still, and his chilled breath fanned across her skin as his wraithlike whisper seeped into her mind. “So, you are the woman.” His silky tone curdled her stomach; disgust churned inside her.

  His nose pressed to her temple, a flush of perspiration crawled over her skin when his grinning lips brushed her flesh. “I can taste your fear. The clamoring of your heart is compelling. What’s your name, I wonder?” His tone was conspiratorial as he relaxed his hand over her face, allowing air to rush in and clear the oxygen-starved clouds from her brain.

  Who is he? Instinct told her he was Connor’s enemy and she must keep quiet. Serge? No, not old enough.

  His eyes bored into hers, demanding surrender. “Your name?” he coaxed gently.

  “Annabelle,” Rebekah said, her heart pounding so hard she wondered if it would crack ribs.

  He chuckled. “I don’t think so.” Enjoying the wave of panic she tried to swallow down, he said, “Intriguing that you have enough fire in your belly to lie. It makes killing you such a waste.” Closing his eyes, he dipped his head and rested his bared teeth on her wildly fluttering carotid pulse.

  His cold finger traced a path down her neck from ear to shoulder and he eased the tight hold around her waist, unleashing waves of pain as the blood rushed back into her legs.

  Rebekah squeezed her eyes closed, ready for the sharp pain of his bite. I hope he chokes on it.

  The vampire’s body suddenly jolted; a spike of metal glanced off his shoulder, tearing his shirt. He straightened abruptly, a harsh growl rippling through the hard wall of his body. Frustration tight on his face, he stared down, his eyes glowing with manic zeal. His hair writhed like black snakes in the sudden updraft of an approaching hurricane. “Connor is coming, such a pity.”

  Her last image was of his leering grin as his grip on her jugular cut off the oxygen to her brain, and she blacked-out. The dark clouds tumbled in. The smell of dirt assailed her nostrils as her legs buckled, but then a familiar citrus scent enveloped her, and strong arms swept her feet from the ground.

  <><><>

  The clean-up took longer than the battle. They piled up the vampire bodies and their detached parts ready for transportation, and then, Connor and Julian set to work on resurrecting the collapsed tunnels.

  Connor stripped off the blood-soaked ‘horror-movie stained’ shirt. He had washed, but his sculpted body soon became peppered with a sprinkling of soil as he worked alongside Julian. They worked in a companionable silence because neither one would enjoy eating the dirt still drifting in the air, so not breathing kept their airways clean.

  Making short work of clearing the avalanche of debris from the tunnel in the dining cavern, Julian used his bulk to bulldoze a path through the loosely packed rubble and then pressed his back into one sidewall. Planting his hands on flexed thighs, he supported half of the sweeping archway, holding it in place while Connor used the heel of his hand to hammer a support strut into position.

  “Done,” said Connor, moving around to the other side.

  Julian rotated quickly, his shoulders and back plowing an arc into the opposite wall, carving the same approximate shape, and, as before, he tightened every muscle and held it in place. Connor hand-hammered again, driving in six inch long metal nails as though the wood was made of foam rubber.

  With each pile-driving blow that rippled up his arm and dissipated into his chest, Connor became more distracted by Rebekah’s heart rate. He recognized her adrenalin-pumped rhythm, and it made him itch to go. But, it’s okay, she’s hiding, she’s bound to be nervous.

  “Julian-” Connor was about to suggest they check on things in the wood. Not just because of Rebekah. Suddenly, her panic lanced through him, rolling thunder through his chest as her fibrillating heart clenched and terror starved it of oxygen, and he knew. She’s in danger. His frustrated groan ricocheted around the cavern.

  He muttered, simply, “Gotta go.”

  Before his words faded, he was gone, and Julian was quick to follow.

  The spiked blades of meadow grass blurred into a green oil-slick as Connor accelerated up the hill and into the wood. He heard Rebekah gasp and wheeled in an arc, arriving beside her before the sigh of unconsciousness had left her. When the lights turned off inside her brain and her legs crumpled, he scooped her up into his arms.

  He settled her into his chest, and an alien scent assailed his nostrils. He bent over her to trace the smell and, detecting the anticoagulant of venom – as unique in vampires as DNA in humans – his jaw snapped shut.

  Julian arrived at that moment, his coat beating wildly against his thighs when he stopped dead, mere feet from Connor.

  “What?” he asked.

  “We missed one,” said Connor sharply. “She stinks of his venom, but there’s no bite mark.” His instinct to hunt rose to choke him.

  Julian’s brows rose. “Not a feral at any rate, or-”

  Connor’s harsh grunt cut him off. “Or I’d be scraping up her remains. But we still messed up, Julian.” He knew he had missed any c
hance of pursuit. The vampire would be long gone.

  He looked down into Rebekah’s face. The black crescents of her lashes fluttered against her pale cheeks, and he said heavily, “I’ll take her home.”

  Julian’s glance encompassed the humans still scrabbling through the woods. “Let’s get them back into the eco-shelter, and then I’ll do a grid search. Make sure he’s gone.” Julian frowned. “He was not part of the attack, I made sure they were all inside. He must have been passing through, and was drawn to the scent Rebekah laid.”

  “Maybe.” Connor’s shrug rolled Rebekah gently in his arms and a groan sighed from her lips. “She’s cold. I have to get moving.”

  Julian dipped forward to smell Rebekah’s shoulder, and Connor’s protective snarl tore through the night air. Withdrawing slowly, Julian rose to his full height and grinned. “If I’m going to sweep the woods for this vampire, I need to have his scent.”

  Connor’s eyes warmed with unspoken apology.

  Without warning, Julian dropped down and retrieved a long nail from the grass. “What’s this?”

  “Fuck,” Connor breathed gently and shook his head, remembering the nail gun. “Greg. Find him Julian. I’m sure he’s okay. And shake his hand for me.”

  Turning on his heel, Connor set off across the meadow.

  He covered the seemingly endless yards of the subterranean passageways, cradling Rebekah’s slack body to his chest. Her arm rested limply around his neck, and the chill in her limbs and her pale clammy complexion filled him with dread. But she’s strong, my Rebekah. It will take more than a rogue vampire to scare her to death.

  Moving quickly, he headed towards her den and each measured stride he took rocked her cheek against his shoulder. Touching his chin to the top of her head, he absorbed the juddering rhythm of her chattering teeth. Releasing her from his cold embrace and wrapping her in the warmth of blankets was all he could think of.

  Inside the small space of Rebekah’s haven, Connor lowered her gently onto the bed and her relaxed limbs rested where they fell. With painful care, he settled her on one side and wrapped the blankets around her.

  Connor slid onto the bed behind her, fitted his contours to hers, and took her down-cocooned body into his arms.

  Mental health may not be my speciality, but I’ve seen battle fatigue up close. A brittle smile settled on Connor’s stiff features. There had been a variety of labels and buzzwords over the years. Post-traumatic stress was favored in the 1970’s. But, they all amount to the same thing, a brain that is overloaded. We take the brain for granted, until trauma throws a psychological spanner in the works. Doctor Connor bitterly admitted that knowing how these things worked offered no comfort. His heart felt like lead.

  Resting his cheek on her hair, he settled down to wait however long it took for Rebekah to awake. Nothing else matters.

  Many hours later, his embrace tightened carefully when conscious thoughts began forming inside her head. The electrical impulses were like a shower of sighs, and he focused keenly as she stirred. He trapped a breath inside his chest, waiting for the moment when her eyes would open.

  He was dreading seeing her lively gaze smothered by the mud-slide of numbness; traumatic stress. How much damage will there be? When Rebekah’s eyelids fluttered open and she turned her head, her eyes lit up when she saw his face, and he smiled at last.

  Her hand folded over his cheek as she said, “Connor.”

  Turning his face, he buried his lips into her palm. “Hi, honey,” he whispered, and relief gripped him, locking his throat tight.

  Chapter 38

  Sebastian’s fleeing stride devoured the miles. Heading north to where Douglas waited, he smothered his regrets, forming instead a satisfying plan of revenge. Pandering to Serge and playing the role of his general had reaped its rewards.

  The wind dragged the smile from his face as he hit cruising speed. Doctor Connor’s woman. I know his weakness now. The death of the guardsmen played into Sebastian’s hands. I’m the only one who knows where the humans are.

  He closed in on his destination, and the odor of Douglas’ fear-soaked sweat put the grin back on his face. And then there’s Douglas, of course.

  Respecting Douglas’ role as their guide, Sebastian had handled him with more consideration on this trip, making the trek through the woodlands more comfortable, and even providing a warm coat to take the brunt of the wind chill.

  Sebastian was playing nice.

  The group of guardsmen had gathered in a copse of silver birch trees. A hole had been punched in one tree, and they appealed to Sebastian’s sense of drama. The regimented trunks, bleached by the moonlight, resembled bone-white fingers pointing skyward. Their eerie appearance made Douglas jittery, and Sebastian grinned. Win, win.

  Sebastian had walked along the line of vampires, glared into each intent face, and decided ‘this should be easy’. “We are here to capture the humans, not kill. They are undefended. Just go in and herd them out. Is that clear?”

  Each guardsman had nodded.

  “If you kill even one-” Sebastian’s slicing gesture across his throat required no explanation.

  Of course, he and Serge couldn’t be sure Doctor Connor was not at the human nest, but the guardsmen did not need to know that.

  When Sebastian abandoned a boringly terrified Douglas in the clearing to witness his triumph, he followed at a distance and shook his head at the lack of discipline. In Serge’s opinion ‘cannon fodder needs brawn, not brains’. However, a brain cell between them might have been good.

  When the lone vampire emerged from the shadows, Sebastian’s anger became reluctant fascination as the blond vampire took out a guardsman with ease and then collapsed the entrance to the human nest after disappearing inside.

  I should have entered the fight when I saw him. Serge would have expected it, but Sebastian argued ‘what the councilor did not know’. I’m glad I held back. They had gambled on the possibility of Connor being there. But, we didn’t expect an accomplice.

  Sebastian had been about to slip away when the bluster of human scents wafting through the trees made him wait.

  He saw them moving through the woods, and had honed in on the slender woman, his gut instinct telling him she was the woman. Her odor was laced throughout the woods.

  The fiery heat of her caramelized scent filled his nostrils, and she promised to be anything but ‘boringly terrified’. When she sensed him coming, she took off towards the tree line.

  He had enjoyed toying with her, letting hope clamber through her before he finally caught up. It thrilled him when she fought back, arousing an appetite suppressed for so long. It had been hard to find restraint.

  He recalled the rebellion written on her face. His fingertips found the deep groove her blade had scored into his stomach and his dead blood quickened.

  It had been so tempting to bite into her flesh and discover what Connor finds so compelling. Would her dead carcass have enraged the good doctor?

  The impact of the metal spike bouncing off his back had snapped his attention back, and ironically, saved him. Sebastian might not have noticed the sudden change in air pressure otherwise. He was not a fool. He knew that only a vampire of formidable strength could generate such a shockwave, and so, he left. But, she’ll be worth the wait, and I will scar her as she has me.

  Sebastian considered his retreat to be tactical, however, his thirst for revenge still grated through him. He halted in the wood and turned his attention to Douglas.

  Materializing in the blink of an eye, which made Douglas jump, Sebastian cocked his head with the curiosity of a cat observing a mouse. Ahh, my consolation prize.

  He studied Douglas’ shiny, fear-drained face.

  “Well?” Douglas croaked, as nerves sucked the moisture from his mouth. Pressing back into the tree, the rough bark biting into his shoulder blades, Douglas slid down until the damp ground stopped him.

  Sebastian wondered at how a human face could blend so well with the pale sheen
of a silver birch. “You were right, of course. We found the human nest.”

  Sebastian grabbed the front of Douglas’ coat, yanked him to his feet, and pinned him against the tree. Douglas’s teeth snapped shut, grazing his tongue and filling his mouth with blood.

  “The thing is, Douglas, it’s time to decide.”

  “What?”

  “The guardsmen are not coming back.” Sebastian clucked in disapproval. “You forgot to tell us about the other vampire.”

  “There’s only one, Connor.” Douglas’s eyes met the hazel-green mire of Sebastian’s scorn.

  “Well Douglas, it is decision time. Only you and I know this location.” Sebastian’s brows rose. “We could tell Councilor Serge the nest was deserted. We were ambushed and barely escaped with our lives.” Sebastian watched the calculation playing out behind Douglas’ fish-scale colored eyes before reeling him in. “Of course, if I turn you now, then Serge’s fury will roll off you, and you need not suffer broken bones.” Sebastian shrugged as if to say ‘your choice’. “And we will have the power.”

  Douglas managed a nod.

  Sebastian pressed a thumb into the curve of Douglas’ jaw, tilting his head and exposing his neck. As his cold breath transformed the sweat on Douglas’ skin to a layer of frost, Sebastian said, “Unless I decide to kill you, of course.”

  Douglas’ heart lurched as it shunted adrenalin up his carotid artery, and the synapses of his brain lit up. Sebastian felt the electrical charge like the pull of a magnet. And there it is. His smile became spiteful. Terror. It tastes so much better.

  “You can do better than that, Douglas.”

  With a sharp jolt, Sebastian threw Douglas across the clearing, and watched the body bounce from a tree and thump to the ground. Sebastian whipped Douglas up by his throat, suspending him with his feet barely brushing the ground.

  Groaning, Douglas stretched his eyes wide.