Vampires Prefer Blondes (Psy-Vamp Book 3)

by Cassandra Lawson

  Vampires

  Prefer

  Blondes

  ~~~

  Cassandra Lawson

  Copyright ©2014 Cassandra Lawson

  All Rights Reserved

  Cover Image © Can Stock Photo Inc./stokkete

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters and events are creations of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people or events is purely coincidental.

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Moon Virus Series

  Raven’s Blood (Book 1)

  Embrace the Heat (Book 2)

  Seducing Death (Book 3)

  Shattered Restraint (Book 4)

  Impulsive Destiny (Book 5)

  Moon Virus Books 1-4

  Psy-Vamp Series

  Vampires and Vixens (Book 1)

  Safe Hex With a Vampire (Book 2)

  The Vampire Will See You Now (Book 4)

  Wanton with a Vampire (Book 5)

  Vampire in Geek’s Clothing (Book 6)

  Psy-Vamp Books 1-5

  Spells That Bind Series

  Sinfully Spellbound (Book 1)

  Acknowledgments

  I am very lucky to have a lot of people who offer support and advice with my writing. First, I want to thank my fantastic street team who put up with me muddling my way through the process of managing a street team. I also want to thank my fabulous beta readers, Kari, Levenia, Melissa, and Ria. Thank you Rolanda for you help with final edits. As always I appreciate the support of my cover design team Daniel, Kari, and Levenia. My husband helps keep me sane with his own special critique notes that make me laugh out loud.

  As a new writer, I am always grateful for the support of bloggers who take the time to review and promote my books. It would take me several pages to mention all of the wonderful bloggers who actively support authors, so I will just mention a few that have been extremely helpful to me personally. Thank you to Tracey with Tracey’s Vampy & Racey Bookblog, Melanie with Fang Freakin’ Tastic Reviews, Heather, Andrea, and Amie with We Stole Your Book Boyfriend, Maria with A Night’s Dream of Books, Jen with Jen’s All About Books, and Bella with PBC.

  Table of Contents

  Also by Cassandra Lawson

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About The Author

  Prologue

  The rhythmic sound of machines alerted Lydia that she was in a hospital. The familiar melody of death filled the air. After taking a deep breath, she let out a sigh. Most people found the antiseptic smell of hospitals upsetting, but it reminded Lydia of the last days with her father. An older child might have morphed those days into a tragic memory. Instead, she remembered her final days with a parent who loved her with all of his heart. She’d been too young to understand that her father was never coming home. For hours, they’d played Old Maid, Go Fish, Sorry, and Trouble. At the age of eight, she’d been too old for some of those games, but her father’s pain medication made it hard to concentrate. The games were ones her father had taught her to play. Seventeen years later, those original games remained on the top shelf of the closet. As sick as it might be, hospitals reminded her of happy times. It annoyed her mom, and that made the memory sweeter. Yep, she’d been a weird kid.

  How had she ended up in a hospital? Confusion and fear gripped her. Someone must have run her over with a truck. When Lydia forced her eyes open, icy blue eyes stared back.

  “Dominic?” she said in a weak voice.

  Dominic stroked her cheek. “Don’t worry, my sweet Lydia,” he said softly. “I’m going to take you out of here soon. My family won’t keep us apart.”

  She stared at him, completely baffled. It’s not that she didn’t remember him, or even remember her own obsession with him. Lydia remembered those months of believing she couldn’t live without Dominic. There had been no limit to what she would do for him. Now, that obsession was gone, and she couldn’t figure out why she’d been obsessed in the first place. Sure he was attractive and exotic. That was her usual type, but she didn’t do the simpering can’t live without a man routine. That was her mom’s thing, not hers. The whole thing with Dominic was like a strange dream.

  Except this wasn’t a dream, and Dominic wasn’t human. Every detail of that first night with Dominic came back to her. Of course she’d never forgotten the fact that he’d bitten her. The experience had been like something out of a vampire romance book. What came back now in a hazy dreamlike memory was him forcing a bleeding wrist to her lips while she was on the brink of unconsciousness. She remembered fighting.

  Her eyes locked on Dominic’s hand which held hers. It was on the same side of the bed as the call button. Without taking her eyes off of his face, she tried to free her hand. Guessing her intention, his grip tightened.

  “I’ll scream.” The threat sounded pitiful, little more than a whisper. There was no way she could scream loud enough to get anyone’s attention.

  Dominic must have thought the same thing because he laughed and continued to stroke her cheek. “Even lying helpless in a hospital bed, you are the most passionate woman I’ve ever known.” The strain in his voice was evidence of his arousal. Normally, that would have elicited the same response in her. Now, it terrified and disgusted her.

  “What happened to your accent?” The thick accent she’d always found so sexy and exotic was barely noticeable.

  The lopsided smile he flashed might have looked boyish under other circumstances. “I forgot how aroused the accent gets you,” he said with his thick accent back in place. “Is that better?”

  “You should leave,” Lydia said, hoping her voice didn’t shake. “I’m obviously not well if I’m in a hospital.”

  The smile on his face slipped for just a moment while Dominic struggled with his emotions. That struggle was clear in the way his jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. Emotions back under control, his smile revealed distended fangs. “We should leave.”

  When Dominic leaned in to kiss her, Lydia clawed at his face with her free hand and kicked wildly. The kicks were awkward with the blankets around her legs but still surprised him.

  Rage, confusion, and hurt passed across his attractive features. “Don’t fight, Lydia,” he growled. “I don’t want to hurt you, but I will.”

  “Aren’t you the reason I’m here?” she asked, satisfied with his shocked expression. “You know what? None of it matters. What we had was a mistake and it’s over. Just g
o, and I won’t tell anyone what you are. Go away and never come near me again.”

  “Someone needs more medicine,” he said with a sinister grin. The grip on her hand near the call button remained painfully tight as his fangs bit into his other wrist.

  Turning her head to the side, she refused to open her lips when the wrist pressed against her mouth.

  “Fine!” The word was an angry hiss. “We’ll do this the hard way.”

  The energy was rushing from her body, making her limbs heavy. The room spun, and her eyes drifted closed as waves of dizziness hit her. Everything seemed surreal and she felt detached from what was happening. Beeping monitors began to lull her into unconsciousness. The wrist pressed against her lips again and a hand applied pressure to her jaw until her mouth opened.

  The surrounding commotion ruined her peace and threatened to drag her back to reality.

  “What the hell are you doing?” that voice sounded familiar, but her eyes refused to open.

  “Go away.” The insanity in Dominic’s voice was impossible to miss. “She belongs to me. You can’t keep her from me.”

  More rustling and banging was followed by the sound of someone running down the hall.

  Her eyes fluttered open for just a moment and locked onto icy blue eyes. Those eyes were the same color as Dominic’s, but she knew they weren’t Dominic’s eyes. An elephant had to be sitting on her chest. That was the only explanation for the pain. Still, she managed a moment of appreciation for the man standing over her. “Damn, you make Dominic look like a troll.” God, it hurt so much to talk. Hell, it hurt to breathe.

  The comforting sound of a soft chuckle washed over her body, easing her pain.

  “Am I dying?” Speaking was easier this time.

  “No,” he said and a warm hand covered her heart, “you’re much too stubborn to die.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut as the crushing pain in her chest eased. A warm sensation spread through her body, and then there was nothing.

  Chapter One

  Lydia clawed through the fog surrounding her. At least that’s how it felt. It seemed like she’d been asleep for a very long time. What a strange sleep! The dreams were real but hazy. In those dreams, she was with the hottie who’d said she was too stubborn to die. Too bad she only remembered the PG dreams. A good sex dream with that guy would be much more fun. The ones she did remember were unsettling, because she was more like a marionette in those dreams. Wow! The doctors must have given her some powerful drugs.

  Finally, with monumental effort, Lydia opened her eyes. She had no idea where she was, and that realization should cause a full‑blown panic attack. Curiosity came, but no panic. There was something familiar about the room. Then it hit her, this room had been in her dreams. Now, that was weird.

  This wasn’t a hospital. The smell of fresh cut grass and the slight chill of the winter breeze coming in through the window were her first clues. Sunlight streamed through the window. On the ring finger of her left hand was a white gold band. The ring consisted of three smaller interwoven bands; sapphires and diamonds adorned the center band. She raised her hand to check out the ring. Definitely not something from her jewelry box. Honestly, she’d never been much of a jewelry person, but the ring was beautiful. The nightgown wasn’t one of hers. Granny nightgowns had never been her style.

  Finally, she looked at the other hand and realized this was one of those crazy dreams. Things were clearer this time, but this was obviously another one of those hot guy fantasies. A very large male hand held her other hand. That large male hand belonged to the hottie from her dreams. This man was strong, powerful, controlled, and a little scary.

  Lydia knew he’d be scarier if he wasn’t painting her fingernails a delicate shade of pink. She watched him, fascinated by his strong hands with their long fingers. Each stroke was controlled and precise.

  “Who are you?” she asked in an even raspier voice than usual.

  Relief and surprise flashed across the man’s face. “You’re awake.”

  Talk about stating the obvious. “Duh.”

  When the last fingernail was polished, he laid her hand on her stomach. “You must be thirsty.” He walked across the room to fill a glass of water from the pitcher on the table near the window.

  “Are you going to answer my question?” Lydia asked. “I’d also like to know where I am. This isn’t a hospital.”

  “Forgive my rudeness,” he said. “Seeing you this lucid is a surprise. I’m Roman Draksel, and you are in my home in Carmel.”

  “Is Dominic here?” She was ashamed of how her voice shook.

  “No, don’t be frightened. You’ve missed out on quite a bit in the last three months.”

  “Three months?” Even her shout sounded hoarse. “What do you mean three months?”

  He held out the glass. “Drink some water.”

  After a few tentative sips her voice sounded much less raspy. “Was I in a coma for three months?”

  “Not a coma,” he said, “but you haven’t exactly been awake either. At first you were in a coma, but only for a few days. After that you were somewhat awake.”

  “I don’t understand.” Then she realized that she did understand. Those weren’t dreams, they were memories. Memories of being fed and bathed. “You bathed me,” she accused and sat up in bed.

  He gave her a sheepish smile. “Yes, I’ve been quite the doting nursemaid. Nothing inappropriate happened. To be honest, I’m not sure I could have hired anyone else to deal with that hair.”

  Lydia reached for her hair. It had never grown much past her shoulders, and she’d had it in a shoulder length bob three months ago. She couldn’t find the end. “Dear God! I’ve turned into flippin’ Rapunzel.”

  “One of your nurses said something similar.” He smiled and damn if the man wasn’t too fine for words. And that accent? Not thick but still obvious. It sounded Russian with traces of other things, like a man who’d lived in many countries. Then she frowned. “Do you use the phony accent to get laid too?”

  The raised eyebrow and mock offense were comical. “Do I look like a man who needs a contrived accent to lure women into bed?”

  A pretend cough covered her giggle. “That was a pretty dumb thing to say. Girls probably throw their panties at you.”

  The confusion on his face made her laugh.

  Lydia realized that her behavior would shock her cousin. After a three month coma, or whatever it was, she was getting turned on by a strange guy. She was also flirting with that strange guy big time.

  The similarities to the other Draksel men were obvious. Neatly trimmed dark brown hair brought out his high cheek bones and square jaw line which had just a hint of stubble on it. Dark lashes framed his light blue eyes. Her eyes traveled down the length of his body. Holy cow! That body should be on the cover of a trashy romance novel. The memories were fuzzy, but he’d been almost naked in the shower with her.

  This man had a strange old world way. When that full sensual mouth curled into a smile, it made her insides hot. Confusion over her predicament cooled that sudden arousal. Not just confusion, she was a little afraid.

  “What happened to me?” she asked with a quaver to her voice. One hand reached up to twirl her hair around her index finger. The nervous habit was one she’d carried over from childhood. Getting it started with so much hair was a challenge but soon it was wrapping around her finger.

  Roman watched with fascination as her finger moved in quick circles. If she continued, that hair would be wrapped up to her elbow. Not for the first time, the need to protect Lydia was nearly overwhelming. She sounded like a frightened child, and he hated that one of his nephews had done this to her. It was his responsibility to make sure the family adhered to the rules. Those rules existed for the protection of his kind and the humans who lived around them. This girl, no he corrected himself. Lydia was definitely a woman. One of his nephews had abused this woman. Had he not spent the last few centuries wallowing in self‑pity, he would have been tak
ing care of his obligations. Dominic never would have gotten so out of control.

  “I’m sorry for everything that’s happened,” he said softly and couldn’t resist the urge to reach out and touch her. Roman allowed himself the comfort of caressing her cheek. As always, Lydia leaned into his touch. It amazed him that this woman was drawn to him, even knowing it was just a reaction to the energy he’d shared with her over the last few months. Until recently, everyone avoided him. He’d spent centuries trying to get people to avoid him.

  “Just tell me what happened,” she nearly pleaded and then sighed when she noticed how far up her arm that golden hair was wrapped. It was hard to stop himself from laughing at her dilemma. Strange since he wasn’t one to laugh often.

  “This may come as a shock,” he started, “but try to remain calm.”

  She waited.

  “Dominic is not human,” he said and waited for inevitable reaction. He expected denial, even screaming and crying.

  “Duh,” she said and began trying to free her hand.

  He laughed and reached forward to help free her from the hair shackle. “Has anyone ever complimented your use of the English language?”

  She smiled, and he sucked in a sharp breath. God, she was beautiful!

  “You sound like my cousin, but finish the explanation. I know Dominic is a vampire or something like that. He didn’t do much to hide the bite marks. Okay, so he stayed away from my neck, but my thighs and boobs looked like I was into vampire gang bangs.”

  This wasn’t how he expected this conversation to go. No, he expected to comfort her while she freaked out. The fact that Lydia hadn’t run screaming from Dominic irritated him. Didn’t the woman have an ounce of self‑preservation? “If you knew Dominic wasn’t human, why did you continue to see him? The bastard almost killed you. Something tells me you aren’t suicidal.”

  There was a long pause before she answered. “I’m not sure,” she finally said. “Yeah, I sound like some dumb bimbo, but it’s true. When Dominic stayed away for a week or two, I started to think about ending things with him. The break up speech would be ready to go. When he showed up something prevented me from ending things. I couldn’t do it. Sometimes it felt like I was under a spell or something. Maybe it’s like in books and movies where they use mind control. When did you find out about Dominic being a vampire? That’s what he is, right?”