It all coalesced in Julie’s mind, fitting together like a 3D jigsaw puzzle, creating a handsome vampire with black hair and amber eyes.
A vampire known as Nicholai.
Chapter 42
Jara sashayed into the bedroom, floating on cloud nine. Everything was coming together. Lane had recently completed his lab in the new compound, and it was ready to receive a vampire when they caught one. Now if they just found a vampire, they would be all set.
Perhaps Lovazia would be able to help. She had found a female vampire after all. And where there was one, there was bound to be others. Not to mention, she supposed she should check in with her sister.
She grabbed the phone from the table and dialed her sister’s number. The call went straight to voicemail.
Odd, thought Jara, it’s not like Lovazia to have her phone off.
Jara left her sister a message, asking her to call her as soon as possible. As she clicked off the phone, a knock sounded at the door. When she opened it, Caden stood on the other side, his face downfallen.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I have some news. Perhaps you should sit down.” The guard pushed into the room and closed the door behind him.
“I don’t want to sit. Tell me what’s wrong,” Jara demanded, then crossed her arms around her waist in a reassuring hug.
Caden had never looked so grim. “I…uh…”
“Well, come out with it. What do you need to tell me?”
“I have two things, actually.”
Jara threw her hands up in the air. “I don’t have all night. Spit it out.”
Caden shifted his weight to the other foot. “The Queen and I were talking the other day about her excursion into town.”
That little twit. “I heard about the outing. She probably brought some disease back into the compound.”
“I don’t know about that.” Caden shrugged. “But she said something that got my attention.”
“Go on.”
“Well, she happened to mention that she ran into a big man. A real monster. Tall guy, lots of muscles.”
Too bad he didn’t eat her like a good monster would.
“Why should I care?” asked Jara.
“Because she said that he reeked. She almost gagged.”
Now that piqued her interest. “He reeked, you said?”
Caden’s blond hair swayed when he nodded his head. “That’s what she said. I’m thinking we should check it out. There might be a vampire right here in Mason’s Bluff?”
Hope blossomed in her chest. If this was his first bit of news, she couldn’t wait to hear the rest. “You said you had two things to tell me, what is the other?”
The guard looked like he wanted to vomit.
“You should sit down.” Caden escorted her toward the bed. “I received a call from Shira. She had been touring Russia with Lovazia. There was a fight.”
“I know,” Jara interrupted. “Lovazia told me she found a vampire. I just tried to call her to see if there might be a male nearby. We need to find one for Lane.”
“Jara,” Caden’s voice dropped low, interrupting her ramble. “Lovazia is dead.”
“What? Impossible!” The female demon’s voice resonated with disbelief. “She can’t be dead. A female vampire shouldn’t have been much of a match for her.”
Jara’s stomach knotted, and she worried dinner might reappear.
“Apparently it was. Shira found her body lying naked in a forest. It would seem the vampire killed her.”
Shock took Jara’s legs, and she sat down hard on the bed. Caden sat beside her and drew her under his arm. Tears fell from her eyes, wetting his shirt as he held her.
“I don’t understand. How did this happen?”
“I don’t know.”
Pain ripped through her. The loss weighed heavy on her shoulders. Another loved one gone. How many must she bear? How much grief could one demon endure?
“Damn vampires!” Jara shouted. “First they take her mate, then they take her. I make a vow here and now that there will be no more demons lost at the hands of the vampires. I will do everything I can to see they are wiped from the earth.”
Caden rubbed his hand up and down her arm in a comforting gesture. “What can you do, Jara? You are but one demon.”
Jara pushed away from his strong embrace and wiped the tears from her cheeks, determination straightening her spine. “Oh, there’s plenty I can do, especially with Lane’s help. The vampire race will regret the day they waged war on demon kind by killing one of the ruling family.”
****
Julie’s eyes followed the white bead-board paneling on the walls to the simple wooden mantel over the fireplace. From the white wicker chair, Julie stared absently across the room as she ran a hand through her dog’s fur. Murmuring something Julie did not catch, Penny reclined across from her on one of the flowered upholstery couches. Connor sat at her feet on the blue rug, acknowledging her affection with the thumping of his tail. She turned on the Tiffany lamp, then propped her feet on the coffee table between the magazines and a book.
The blood-soaked images of the past twenty-four hours played through Julie’s mind. The scary vampire that had emerged from the forest and forced her to give her blood—taking her free will as easily as taking candy from the proverbial baby. Her lover lay dying before her eyes. His body chilled beneath her fingers as she worked to stop the flow of the blood. The memory of awakening from a trance to find Nicholai feeding on her had all been too much.
She rubbed her hand over the cast on her arm and noted the bruises on her wrist left by Vlad’s fingers. They had clamped around her arm as he dragged her back to the estate with Nicholai hanging limply over one shoulder. Scared, unsure what was real or safe, Julie had tried to run from the brutish man only to have him catch her. He commanded her to sit by Nicholai’s bed, forced her to watch his wounds knit together unnaturally before her eyes.
A virus causes the vampiric change…You’re safe…you must be converted…no choice because you are his heartmate. Memories of Vlad’s words sounded in her mind. Perspiration had dotted her forehead when she balked at the conversion. Vladimir had made it clear she would have no choice in the matter.
That had been her tipping point.
When Vlad went to sleep, Julie snuck from the mansion, stole one of Nicholai’s cars, and hopped on the first flight out of Russia. Apparently, the lore about vampires not being able to go out in the daylight must be true, because no one had followed her or tried to stop her as she made her escape in broad daylight.
With the evening settling in now, her panic rose. Would Vlad come for her? Did he know where she lived? She’d told Nicholai where she lived. Were vampires psychic? Could Vladimir pull the information from Nicholai’s mind?
She had discovered their secret. They were vampires. Surely, Vlad would come for her if he could find her.
Julie blinked and focused on the bottle hovering in front of her face.
“Here, you look like you need this.” Penny thrust the pint of beer into Julie’s hand before turning to retake her seat on the couch.
Connor jumped up beside the pregnant blonde and rooted on the cushions, then curled into a tight ball.
Penny absently rubbed the top of his head as she spoke. “You’ve barely said two words since you got back. What happened, Jules?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” Julie took a swig from the green bottle.
Penny kicked off her shoes and tucked her bare feet underneath her. “Come on, I’m your best friend. You can tell me. Did Nicholai break your heart? Did he cheat on you?”
Hmmm, break her heart. In a way, Juliette thought. Her dream man, the man she’d given her heart to, had turned into a nightmare, a blood-sucking and soulless monster of a nightmare right before her eyes. A monster that had monstrous friends, who would make her like him. Yes. Her heart was broken.
The person she had thought Nicholai was died in the woods last night, and her heart
grieved the loss. She couldn’t stand losing another man she loved. Served her right though. She had known he was too good to be true. It had been right to fight her attraction to him. She had soiled the memory of her husband. And for what?
For an abomination of nature.
Her stomach churned at the thought, and the beer threatened reappearance.
If she were honest, she still cared for the man she thought she knew. Seeing him lying on the frozen ground, bleeding into the snow, had been more than she could bear.
“He didn’t cheat on me, but we’re done.”
Penny gave her a pitiful look. “I’m so sorry, Jules. I really thought you’d found love.”
“I did, too.” She had felt so fortunate to find love a second time. To watch it slip from her grasp had been unbearable.
With the revelations from that creature, Vlad, her mind steeled against a future with Nicholai. How could they be together? She’d be lucky if he let her live. Then again, what did she really have to live for now?
“You’ll find someone,” Penny assured her.
“Twice fate has taken love from me. I don’t want to ever go through that kind of loss again.”
She would never allow herself to love again. Never! It hurt too much. Perhaps it would be a blessing if Vlad showed up to take her life or at least her memories. Could vampires erase memories?
The sound of her doorbell whipped her from the melancholy thoughts. Her heart raced. Was it Vlad? Nicholai?
Before she found the words to stop her friend, Penny opened the door wide. A grateful breath hissed from between Julie’s lips when she discovered Desmond in the doorway. He looked dapper in his tailored suit, his white-collared shirt unbuttoned low enough to expose his muscular chest, giving him a dressy-casual look of a model.
“How was your vacation?” Her neighbor shut the door behind him.
Suddenly Desmond froze mid stride, his eyes and nostrils widening in unison. A pang of remorse stabbed Juliette’s heart when his expression eerily reminded her of the two vampires she’d left behind in Russia.
Great. Now I’m seeing vampires everywhere. I must be losing my mind, she decided as Desmond gave Connor a pet on his head.
“Don’t ask,” Penny muttered and plopped back down on the couch.
Desmond sat in the wicker chair beside Julie, eyeing her warily. “That bad?”
His tone sounded casual, but his observant gaze raked her face as if searching for the answer she was reluctant to give.
Julie nodded and downed the rest of her beer in one long gulp. The handsome actor stood and sauntered to the kitchen. He plucked three bottles from the fridge. They clinked together as he strolled back, then handed one of the bottles to Julie.
“None for me.” Penny patted her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”
Desmond sat. “Julie mentioned that. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” Penny flashed him a smile that quickly faded as she watched Juliette tip the bottle to her lips and drink the contents in a single, long drawl.
“You could say it was a bad trip.” Julie set the empty bottle down a little too forcefully on the coffee table. The loud clunk made Connor jump.
“I guess so, judging by how you downed that pint. Want to talk about it?” Desmond balanced his own bottle on his knee.
“Not really. Sufficed to say, I won’t be going back to Russia soon.”
Penny’s brows lifted questioningly. “I’m sure it can’t be as bad as all that. A few days might give you a new perspective.”
Julie snorted rudely at the suggestion. “I doubt that. An entire lifetime could not give me a new perspective.”
“Come on. Talking it out might help. Tell us what happened.” Penny reached for Julie’s hand.
Julie shook her head. If she told Penny what happened, the vampires might come after her. Hurt her and the baby. Julie would not be responsible for something like that. She couldn’t have any more death in her life.
“Look, I’ll say this. Nicholai isn’t what I thought he was.”
Desmond’s brow furrowed with concern. The corners of his mouth turned down before he looked at Penny.
“Penny,” he said, his voice dropping low. He waited until she made eye contact before he continued. “I think you should leave. I’d like to talk to our friend in private.”
Penny’s eyes went hazy. Without a word, she obediently rose, donned her shoes and coat, and left. Desmond waited until the car left the drive before he turned to Julie.
Julie’s eyes widened when he turned the force of his gaze on her. She recognized that look, had seen the same one on Vlad before her world went blank. She screamed, making Connor jump to her defense. When she rose, the dog moved between her and Desmond.
Julie backed away. Desmond put his hands up in the air as if he was unarmed. However, she knew better. He might not have a weapon, but if he was anything like Vlad, his powers were weapons enough.
“Julie,” he spoke softly, his voice deep and soothing. “Come back and sit down. I’ll not hurt you.”
Her mind went fuzzy, and her feet moved of their own volition, taking her back to the wicker chair. Her senses returned when her bottom lowered onto the cushioned seat. She pushed out of the chair and turned on her longtime confidant.
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?” He shrugged innocently.
“Do that thing with your voice.” She gave herself a bracing hug. “You’re one of them.”
“What do you mean?” The puzzled look on his face made her take stock. Was she wrong about Desmond being a vampire? Maybe her mind was playing tricks.
No. He had all the signs. Too good-looking, too graceful, that nose thing they all seemed to do as if they were taking in the world by smell, that hypnotic voice. No doubt about it. Desmond was one of them.
“I mean, you are a vampire,” she whispered, wishing her voice sounded stronger.
Desmond eyed her for a long moment as if sizing her up. His brows narrowed. “A vampire?”
“Come off it. I know all about the existence of vampires.”
“Exactly what do you think you know?” His voice sounded calm, but Julie got the sense that underneath the exterior he presented lay a vicious predator.
“I-I just know about them,” Julie stammered, backing away to stand by the fireplace. Her hand found its way down to the poker. She grabbed it tight and held it down by her side.
Desmond’s observant gaze took in the weapon. “Now, Julie, if I am a vampire, do you honestly think the poker would do you any good?”
Julie’s heart raced, and fear flooded her body. He was right. She had seen the strength Vlad showed. If all vampires were that strong, then she had no hope of getting a hit on Desmond. She leaned the poker back against the fireplace.
“That’s better, love. Come back and sit down,” he purred, patting the cushion of the chair next to him. “We have much to discuss.”
Chapter 43
Desmond and Julie had been talking through the night. He’d confessed he was indeed a vampire, then explained vampires were not undead creatures of the night. They were not soulless. Instead, most were products of an infection, a virus that changed their DNA in such a way their bodies required they drink blood. To hear him explain it, vampires were little more than victims of a plague.
When her dog rolled over languidly with a toothy yawn, Julie obligingly scratched his belly. “So basically, you are plague victims.”
“Not exactly. Vampires are far from sickly, feeble mortals. In fact, just the opposite. A vampire can snap a human in two without trying, and we live very healthy, long lives. In fact, we are immune to disease.”
When Julie didn’t reply, he continued, “Tell me what happened in Russia, Julie.”
She stiffened. Each time he pressed her about her holiday, she had said as little as possible.
“Someone tried to kill me,” she finally admitted.
“A vampire attacked you?” His statement came out more like a questio
n.
“I really need some time, Des. I need to process what happened before I talk about it,” she said, too tired to examine the events of the past few weeks.
“I’ll let it be for tonight. But one thing before we drop this—are you frightened of me?”
She had known Desmond for years. To discover he was a vampire, put the breed into some perspective. Desmond wasn’t evil. He was a good friend. He cared about her. If he was a vampire, then perhaps being a vampire was not as awful as the movies made it seem.
She smiled for the first time since returning to England. “No. I’m not scared of you.”
Juliette did a quick comparison of Desmond and Nicholai. Both had good lives, both seemed respectable, both appeared to care for her, one as a friend and the other as a lover. Perhaps vampires weren’t all so bad.
Before Julie completed her train of thought, Desmond leaned over and patted her thigh. “Good. Come on, love, let’s get you pissed. You’ll forget all about that nasty business in Russia.”
“Getting drunk won’t help.”
“But it can’t hurt either.” Desmond handed her another beer. “Now first things first. Let’s fix that arm of yours.”
****
Nicholai’s eyes fluttered. His lashes batted the long wisps of bangs hanging over his eyelids. His vision cleared on Vlad who sat beside him. Memories flashed through his mind: blood, screams, jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth. Claws ripping into his flesh, fangs sinking into his sinew. The chill of death spreading as his life drained away. And through all the pain, a soft frightened voice, begging him not to leave. Juliette!
Nicholai bound from the bed and swayed on his feet. Vlad moved beside him instantly and placed a steadying hand on his elbow. “Hold on, my friend. Take it slow. You’ve been out a long time.”
Nicholai turned, desperation narrowing his eyes. “How is my Juliette? Is she all right? She was injured. I must go to her.”
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