The Vampire Laird (A Ravynne Sisters Paranormal Mystery/Romance)

by Merabeth James

  She found herself yawning...this time for real... and fought the slow stealing of her senses. “And that’s to be my fate, I take it?”

  “Not necessarily...I find I may have more than a passing interest in you, which is why Orianna is in such a flap.”

  “But she’s your daughter.....” she murmured drowsily, as he led her to the bed. She wanted to resist, but she found herself curiously detached from the woman whose hand he grasped. Stretching out on the black satin sheets, she watched through half closed lids the man who stood over her, smiling strangely.

  “You are so very beautiful,” he said huskily, pulling at the sash that tied her robe. Reflexively, she slapped his hand away and he laughed. “So it seems you aren’t quite ready to surrender completely. But you will be...and soon.”

  It felt... and sounded... as though someone else was talking when she replied in little more than a thick whisper, “And here, all this time, I thought you liked me feisty.”

  He put one knee on the bed next to her and she couldn’t help but notice he was already fully aroused. “I do love your spirit. And I will enjoy all that later, but right now I want complete control, as I initiate you.”

  She knew that didn’t sound at all good, but at the moment she was powerless to do anything about it. “I’d really rather not do whatever you have in mind,” she managed to murmur.

  Smiling, he stood and crossed the room, where he opened an enameled box and took out an elaborate two-handled cup. Returning to her, he sat on the edge of the bed and held the cup so that the light winked off the cabochon rubies that decorated its sides. “Magnificent isn’t it? It’s called a Quiche’, though far more highly decorated than most of its counterparts. It is many centuries old...has been in the MacMorleys’ possession since their tastes became more refined a very long time ago. Has been in my possession alone for almost three hundred years.”

  Despite her lethargy, her eyes opened wide at that bit of news! “But that’s not possible!”

  He sighed and smiled, then settled his weight next to her and shared her pillow. “I was born in that old castle on the cliffs in 1698. The laird of all of this. I built the original manor though it has been added on and added on by the generations that followed me. I knew exactly how to restore it...reclaim the furniture and artifacts scattered quite literally all over the world.

  “I left shortly after I built it following an incident best forgotten and roamed the world, assuming one identity after another when people began to notice I didn’t age...at least not appreciably. But I had to come home at last...close to my family...to the one being I have ever loved.”

  Shock lent her strength, as she wriggled to an upright position and simply stared at him. “You know...quite frankly... I find this all unbelievable! You must be as mad as Orianna!”

  He shook his head and smiled enigmatically. “I lied to you and your sister. I am a vampire...of the tainted branch of the MacMorleys...the very last of that direct line.”

  But what of his daughter, she started to ask, but he silenced with a hand on her lips. “Such a life…or whatever you choose to call it…is not for the faint hearted, but now, looking at you with your hot blood coursing just beneath your alabaster skin, I don’t regret who I am.”

  She pulled at his hand and managed to say, “But.....” before he pushed her back down and pinned her with his weight, holding her hands above her head.

  He laughed as she squirmed beneath him and she felt the evidence of her efforts pressing into her abdomen. “I have no fangs to rip at your very enticing throat, my dear. I use my dirk to open a vein and fill my cup. Sometimes it’s the wrist, but my favorite is the femoral artery that throbs deep inside your milky white thigh so close to all the other delights your body holds for me. Of course, you could bleed out in minutes that way if I didn’t stop the flow of blood as only I know how.”

  “In other words...don’t try it at home,” she quipped then looked him straight in the eyes and smiled. “You’d better kill me while you have the chance or...”

  He shrugged. “Or what? What can you do to someone who lives forever?”

  Charlie yawned again. This man before her wasn’t a yard bag full of leaves...far from it...but he couldn’t be a vampire, she thought. The very idea was ludicrous! He was just someone dangerously delusional. Someone she would have to find a way to....a soft snore emanated from her at the precise moment his hot mouth found her throat.

  ***

  Meg had lost count of the number of times she’d crossed the room from bed to window and back again. Where were they and what was happening to Charlie, she wondered, not to mention Allyn and the signal he was going to send. There did seem to be more activity in the village every time she looked, but maybe it was just more wishful thinking. Even if help had arrived, would it be soon enough to save her sister? She was still hoping with all her heart that Grey had found Zack in time to rescue her.

  She threw herself across the bed and looked up at the dark ceiling. Maybe Meaghan would know what was going on, she thought. Though she hadn't come when she begged her earlier, perhaps now was a better time. Concentrating on her image, she implored, “Meaghan...I need your help again. Please come to me.” Nothing happened so she tried again. The room remained dark...no whirling orb of light...no dancing Baobhan Sith with the girlish giggle.

  Finally, she gave up in disgust and buried her face in her hands, giving way to the tears she’d not had time for, when Cloud jumped up on the bed next to her. She gathered him into her arms and hugged him against her chest. “Been chasing a mouse? Have any ideas on what to do next?” she asked him, brushing her cheeks dry with the back of her hand. “Sorry if this makes me a cry baby in your eyes, but she’s my big sister and not knowing what might be happening to her...imagining the worst...is making me crazy...not that I’m not leaning a little in that direction anyway on my best days, but I have to do something...anything.” Then an idea occurred to her in mid babble. Maybe Grey would come to her again and update her on what was going on, if she went back to his portrait. It had worked the last time and was well worth a second try.

  Cloud was sleeping soundly, when she lowered him to the bed and she let herself out the door. Stealthily, she made her way to the gallery. Standing in front of Grey’s portrait, she touched his face, softly tracing the full sensual contour of his lower lip with one finger. “Grey, please let me know what’s going on. I can’t take this waiting around, when I could be helping.” She stopped in mid-plea, when she heard the scrabble of claws and the heavy panting of a large beast coming her way.

  Her eyes opened wide in shock, as Orianna pulled Cerberus to his haunches just a few feet away. He was the stuff of nightmares...enormous, misshapen with massive jaws flecked with foam that could tear through her flesh in seconds. His red-rimmed eyes watched her, balefully, and a deep savage growl emanated from his throat.

  Orianna laughed wickedly. She had heard evil laughs before, but Orianna would clearly take first prize in that department, she decided, as she tried to swallow the lump of fear lodged in her throat. Cerberus growled again and fought Orianna’s control, until she lashed him with a leather quirt. He whined once and flattened himself on the floor.

  “You must forgive his enthusiasm. He’s wanted to tear you to pieces for a very long time and now you are so close he can almost taste you. Meg...isn’t that what they call you?”

  She willed her voice to be steady, as she ignored her question and replied, “What do you intend to do to me now that you found me?”

  Orianna looked her over slowly. “Tell me where Allyn is and I promise I will spare your life.”

  She looked at her without flinching, her chin titled upwards in defiance. “And I should believe a single word coming out of your mouth because? As far as Allyn's location goes, you’d be the last person I’d ever tell if I did know, which I don't. And furthermore, most of Cerberus’ poor social skills are your fault. No wonder he’s so vicious, when you beat him like that!”


  “Oh...I don’t know about that. Cerberus exhibited a talent for evisceration even as a pup long before I ever took him under my wing. Since then, he has merely honed the skills he was born with. Now I want to be fair to you. Just to show you I’m not all bad, I am going to give you a five-minute head start and then I am going to send Cerberus after you. Don’t you think that’s rather generous of me under the circumstances?” she purred.

  Her heart was thumping so hard she couldn’t help but wonder why Orianna hadn't noticed. Or perhaps she had. It would be the very thing to excite her. “I’m not afraid of you. What have you done to my sister?”

  Orianna smiled darkly. “She’s with Seth. He has developed a lust for her that must be satisfied in his own fashion, before he comes to his senses.”

  Which can’t be at all good, she thought, though she knew her sister was usually more than able to take care of herself. One on one with Seth, she stood a good chance or so she hoped. “I don’t suppose you’d consider locking your dog up and having a tussle with me all by yourself?”

  "Why break a nail when I can watch your throat being torn out? The clock starts on the count of three....one....two...three."

  ***

  Agent Masters stopped Allyn from adding even more embellishments to the drawing of the manor and grounds, by grabbing the pencil from his hand and smiling his thin lipped smile. “That’s more than adequate for our purposes.”

  Allyn offered an apologetic grin. “Sorry I couldn’t be more specific. I wasn’t exactly in great shape while I was up there and there are places...whole sections...that haven’t been restored and I’ve never been in.”

  “This has been a really big help. Another boat is coming and we have a couple of choppers flying in from Inverness. Our net should get everyone. We’re hoping this Seth Marley, or whoever he really is, is the kind to keep records that will lead us to his other operations. We know that what we found here is only a fragment of what he controls worldwide. We wondered why he would settle here...any ideas?”

  “Look around. This place is beautiful. It's a small feudal kingdom that would appeal to him. Did you know he has his servants call him ’milord’? He is the Laird around here and makes the most of it,” Allyn told him.

  “He must have poured a bloody fortune into this place. Too bad for him, he’ll never see it again. At least in this lifetime,” Agent Masters said with a grim smile.

  Allyn returned his smile, but he wasn't so sure he was right. He wasn't so sure about anything any more.

  ***

  With the tall Highlander leading the way, Zack hung close to the shadows that lay thickly in the halls that criss-crossed the old manor. He would never have found his way without the help of this ghostly laird and he found himself smiling. He had once believed himself a sane and rational man, but since he met the Ravynne sisters, all that had changed. He not only believed in ghosts, he talked to them and, in the case of Cloud, slept with them.

  “What amuses you mon?” Grey asked with a smile of his own. “I would think there would be little you found here that would make you smile so.”

  “I was just thinking that not all that long ago I didn’t even believe in ghosts.”

  Grey laughed and slapped Zack hard across the back. “And now you do, because I am one and more than that. I am another of those beings men do not believe in until they run into them on a dark night...or day. We are almost there. Do you need my help with Marley, or do you wish to handle him yourself?”

  Zack looked at the man next to him who stood a half foot taller than he did and had the shoulders of a linebacker. “Well, if it’s just him, I should do okay. But if he has a dozen others with him, I could use some help. Can you use that sword as well as I think you can?”

  Grey bared his white teeth wolfishly. “I was trained as a warrior as soon as I could walk and hold whatever weapon they put in my hand. After my father returned from the Crusade, he no longer wanted that life for me, but I kept my in hand one way or another. But, truth be told, the only blood on this particular weapon was meant to be mine. Now I carry it as a reminder of what I would be better off forgetting. That’s another tale for another time. We’d best hald our weesht now. Just ahead is the outer door.”

  They moved forward, quietly, until they reached the heavily paneled door. Zack listened, but heard nothing, so he tried the latch. It opened easily and they both stepped stealthily inside. The sweet scent of opium still lingered, but there was no sign of anyone. Zack pointed to the door that led to the room he'd been in earlier and whispered, “I’ll bet they are in there.” Moving quietly, he listened again at the door and heard only two voices, Charlie’s and Seth’s engaged in what sounded like a casual conversation....and then they laughed. He frowned. They sounded like they were enjoying themselves way too much!

  Grey tapped him on the shoulder. “There is just the one so I will leave you. I am worried about Meg and must see that she is all right. Good luck.” and with that he was gone.

  Zack shook his head. This ghost business was going to take some getting used to, he thought, as he smiled grimly and tried the door. It was locked, but a quick kick took care of that problem.

  ***

  Cerberus made a lunge for her as she ran past. Jaws snapping...flecks of foam flying...he almost pulled free of Orianna’s grasp and for a moment Meg thought she would be a chew toy before she even made it to the stairs. Heart thumping wildly, she sped down the hall and then down the stairs to the marble tiled entry hall. Where to now? Orianna would be expecting her to go out the closest exit, she thought, so she opened the front door with a bang, then back tracked and ran down the hall towards the library. With any luck there would be no one there and she could go out the window again.

  She made it as far as the door without being seen, but her luck didn’t hold. Inside, voices were raised in a heated argument. Apparently, everything wasn’t going so well for them either, she thought fleetingly, as she hurried down the hall to the end, then turned right in the direction of the parlor, where afternoon tea had been served their first day at the manor.

  The parlor was so dark she could see little beyond a small patch of moonlight that found its way through the French doors and she stumbled over an ottoman. Pulling herself to her feet, she checked to make sure she still had her flashlight. Satisfied it was still tucked in her jeans, she asked herself, where to next? Where would she be safe? Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. A car...one with an automatic transmission...would carry her safely beyond Cerberus’ snapping jaws, though how she would manage all that was still to be determined.

  She opened the French doors and slipped outside. The moon was still bright, so she wouldn’t need her flashlight just yet. Moving as soundlessly as she could, she pushed her way into the shrubbery that edged the flag stoned terrace and looked around. She could hear voices in the distance...excited voices and then she heard a long drawn out howl and knew her five minutes were up. Cerberus was coming for her.

  Bending double, she raced across the open stretch of lawn and headed for the wall. Ornamental bushes that pressed against its side, gave her ample coverage, as she made her way towards the garage. Hunkering down just outside, she checked to make sure no one was watching, then sprinted into the open door of the first stall. It was empty. In the next stall was a small car that looked like a rental...like their own rental that was parked next to it. She flashed her light inside. No keys in either

  Moving down the line, she checked the remaining three vehicles...a sleek Jaguar...a newer version of Charlie’s pickup truck and the vintage Rolls with its hood up. None had keys in them. Swearing under her breath, she kicked the Jaguar’s tire once and said to herself, “Think, Meg! Think! There must be keys somewhere. A lock box perhaps that someone conveniently left open?”

  She shone her light along the wall until she found the padlocked metal box marked ‘keys’. She sighed and sagged wearily against the wall. That was that! She couldn't pick a lock or hot wire a car so her best chance of escapi
ng Cerberus just got flushed. "What do I do now?" she asked herself, wanting to cry and scream simultaneously. Another howl...much closer this time...decided her. He had picked up her trail already and her time was running out...fast.

  “Well...if I’m going to die a gruesome death it won’t be in here. Maybe I can reach the stable and get the bay without being seen. Cerberus is big enough to hurt him badly if he catches us, but if we get a really good head start...maybe...” Another howl interrupted her thoughts...much closer still. At the rate Cerberus was gaining on her, it would take more than a miracle for her to make it all the way to the paddock and get away cleanly.

  But she headed there anyway. Miracles happened all the time and maybe it was her turn, she thought, rather desperately, just before a tree root tripped her. Cursing her clumsiness, she was up and running again, when she heard Orianna call sibilantly, “Come out...come out wherever you are. You think you can make it to the stables before he gets you, but I can assure you that you don’t stand a chance in hell.”

  Meg bit back the reply she’d like to scream at her. There was no use in letting her see how close she was...too close. She could hear the deep-throated breathing of the huge beast only yards away. Then she saw him in the moonlight coming straight for her at a full run. Her heart thudded in her chest like a wild thing...her mouth was dry...her eyes were huge with pure terror and still he came. She was frozen to the spot unable to do more than stare at certain death, as he lunged her way.

  Suddenly, a small invisible hand grabbed hers and pulled her into the shadows, just as a bright orb appeared in front of the startled dog and materialized into a large white cat. Hissing at the huge beast, Cloud raked his nose with his sharp claws, and then dashed into the brush behind the stable with Cerberus in hot pursuit.