Dark Hearts

by P. L. Midnight

  “I feel like I’ve been rode hard and put away wet.”

  What the hell had I been thinking to make that old remark, which referred to a horse? He looked at me with that slight twinkle in his eye as if he knew exactly the effect he was having on my libido. The twinkle disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He spoke with his customary coldness that I was coming to expect from him.

  “I think you fared better than your car did.”

  “Is it drivable then? I should be leaving soon.”

  “Unfortunately for us both, I don’t think you’re up to driving yet. Your car is beyond repair and sitting in my garage for the time being, Emma.”

  “How do you know my name?” I said at once, both surprised and a bit uncomfortable that he knew my name.

  “I found your wallet in the pocket of your coat. Don’t worry. I put it in the nightstand next to you. I, of course, looked through it to determine your name. I wondered if I’d need to call your next of kin there for a while.”

  He could be pretty blunt, I thought, and colder than Vince’s hands.

  “Thanks.”

  “Oh, I also have your cell phone. It’s being charged downstairs.”

  “Thanks again, Victor.”

  He hadn’t told her he’d looked through the phone and found Raven’s name and already called him. He waited for her reaction at his next comment.

  “No need to thank me, as I said. Is there anyone you’d like me to call? I can let them know you’re okay. Your phone isn’t quite charged enough yet to bring it up here. I just found it today. I was busy tending to you and didn’t check your coat pockets. Mrs. McClain found the wallet and the cellphone before she cleaned your coat. I can call your family or friends from my house phone if you’d like.

  “There’s no need to call anyone.”

  “There is no one that will be worried about you?”

  If he thought I was all alone in the world would I be safe? The man was cold and there was a darkness about him that spoke volumes. He didn’t want me here, which was obvious. However, would he hurt me? I decided that I’d probably be okay. If he’d wished me harm he wouldn’t have saved me. Anyway, who could I have him call, Ghostbusters? I sure couldn’t have him call the guys. Tori would only worry if he called her, and Mom was missing.

  When I made no reply, he continued in his deep accented voice, “As you wish, Emma, would you like something to eat?”

  “If it’s not too much trouble, I’m feeling much better than I did. I think it was that red, coppery tasting stuff you gave me.” I didn’t say forced down my throat, which was likely a hallucination. Anyway, there was no need to be rude. After all, no matter how inhospitable he appears to be, Victor could have left me outside to die. No one would have been the wiser until I was long dead and covered with a layer of ice and snow.

  He looked as if he visibly paled, if that were possible with his already pale complexion, at the mention of the medicine he gave me. Perhaps I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

  He quickly turned from me and quickly made his way to the door, “I’ll get you something to eat now. Just lay there and rest a bit longer. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Um...okay then.”

  He quickly turned on his heel and walked out of the room. One moment he looked like he wanted to touch me and the next moment, he couldn’t leave quickly enough. Victor was certainly nice looking from the rear view. Besides his tall stature, he was also powerful looking, but with a natural grace about him. His frame may have been lean, but I’d never want to anger him. I could tell he was more dangerous than he looked.

  Victor was definitely a handsome man with his thick, long, black, wavy hair which he had tied back in a knot and those sapphire eyes of his were to die for. Probably a poor choice of words since I’d almost died, but his eyes were like pools of the deep, sparkling, late evening sky before the darkness of nightfall. His face was lean with a predominant chin and an otherworldly handsomeness. Victor’s hooded eyes were definitely the focal point of his face and his full lower lip looked completely kissable.

  The smell of rich exotic spice lingered in the room after he left. I lay back still slightly dizzy, awaiting his return.

  If I would’ve read Victor’s thoughts I’d have been terrified, but for some reason I seemed unable to read him. I wondered if my telepathic skill had somehow been damaged in the accident.

  Chapter Three-Dark Secrets-Victor

  Victor couldn’t wait to get out of that room with the human. Her blood was calling to his and it drove him mad with desire. He’d only been around her a little over a week and could barely keep from sinking his fangs into the delectable, soft curve at the base of her neck. To be completely truthful, he wanted to sink more than that into her. Frankly, his baser feelings irritated him. She belonged to Raven, his best friend Miles, and those other guys. Whether she admitted it or not, she was theirs. He could tell when they’d spoken on the telephone that Raven was more than a little besotted with her. It was strange that she hadn’t wanted him to call any of them. She had to know they were all worried about her. It was all very strange, even to someone who’d been on the earth much longer then some of the obsolete civilizations.

  Humans were trouble and always had been. He knew that little lady upstairs would be more trouble than most if he allowed her to get under his skin. Although, he still believed that something besides human blood flowed through her veins, it didn’t explain his growing need for her.

  He also wondered when he’d become such a lecher. He believed that was her fault, too. Her blood made him want something he’d long ago given up for lost. He wanted something he definitely didn’t deserve anymore. All the atrocities he’d committed in the name of protecting his food supply, namely the human race, had robbed him of his soul, or so he believed. He was truly the walking dead with fangs.

  He’d been a vicious, heartless killer for the Order and that made him a poor candidate for a mate, which was what he ultimately desired from that human female upstairs. He wanted his best friend’s Emma. What he needed was for Raven or Miles to get their ass over here and pick the woman up before he did something that they’d both regret.

  He’d already given her his blood, so he’d always know her whereabouts. No matter how far away she was from him, he’d be able to sense her presence. It was a choice he hadn’t made lightly, but it had to be done to save her life. The foolish mortal was on death’s door when he’d found her. He could live with his choice, but he didn’t know how long he could live with her sharing his house. Perhaps exist was a better word than live since he’d long ago ceased to breathe.

  Victor busied himself preparing her food and tried to keep his thoughts from straying to the human in his guest room. He hadn’t felt like that in centuries about a female. Actually, he couldn’t remember when he’d wanted a woman the way he wanted this one. She’d even started invading his dreams with her luscious curves and lovely, soft face with its dusting of subtle freckles. If she stayed much longer than the two hours it should take Raven to arrive, they both might be lost.

  The worst part was that he didn’t even know her. Hell, for all he knew, she could be the worst human bitch on the planet, which he sorely doubted. He only knew about her from the stories that had circulated through the ranks of the Order. He’d discounted most of them at the time, because their source had been that bizarre wendigo, Vincent Wolfe. Even that guy’s name was odd. What kind of creature with a heart of ice had the last name of Wolfe? Wasn’t that name reserved for the werewolf populace? Either way, he’d need to make sure that Raven got Emma as far away from him as possible and the sooner the better.

  One-hour and forty-five minutes left he thought, as he popped the bread in the toaster. Eggs and toasted bread always worked for his sister. When she’d been little it was her favorite comfort food, although back in the day it was toasted on a stick over the fire. That had been long ago before he’d become one of the creatures of the night that stalked and killed many from his own v
illage in Romania. When he’d first become a vampire, the blood lust had been so strong he’d thought of little else. He’d become a thoughtless killing machine, but even then, thoughts of his little sister had comforted him. He’d become one of the creatures of the night to save her.

  He used to sneak back occasionally just to watch the girl with the golden curls and bright smile. Tina had been the love of his life. He’d died saving her and become a monster, but she lived. He’d watched her from afar until the bloodlust had become so strong that he’d been forced to leave. A few years later, he’d learned that a pack of rogue vampires had destroyed the entire village, cutting short her life. It was such a loss that he still couldn’t contemplate it. He’d gone rogue after that, killing anything that crossed his path until he’d met Miles.

  Miles had saved his life in more ways than one. He’d taught him to laugh again and live again, as it were. They’d had some amazingly good times. They’d sit around the fire replete after they’d hunted and fed. Miles had even taught him how to feed without feeling the need to kill his victim. He’d instilled in him the value of human and animal life and Victor had embraced his new existence. He’d even learned to be around humans without killing them. The two of them had visited so many taverns and brothels that he’d become most fond of human females and not just as a food supply. Sometimes he missed the comradery they’d shared, but alas, the Order had come between them. He hadn’t seen his old friend for many years.

  Victor had purposely hidden away from society in the old castle after he’d failed to protect the love of his existence, Lady Marian Bovine. After she’d been killed all those years ago, he’d basically hidden from the world until the Order had recruited him.

  He’d worked for them more years than he could remember, which had landed him in the United States. Victor had become so withdrawn that he didn’t even realize that his dearest friend was staying nearby. He’d lost so much working for the Order. It wasn’t that he’d regretted it, but he’d become a killing machine. He’d killed so many Dark Hearts that he’d lost count.

  Now he was holed up in this old castle with a human woman that belonged to his only close friend, a woman that he couldn’t stop thinking about. Thinking of his sister and Miles had helped deter his thoughts from the young woman in his guest room, well, at least for a little while.

  He buttered the toast and looked at the clock for about the tenth time since he’d entered the kitchen. Victor was just finishing the food when the telephone rang. It was Sebastian Colyear. He hadn’t talked to him in quite some time. They’d worked together several times and he found Sebastian a worthy comrade. While Victor remembered him being a calming factor in the Order, today his voice held a rather intense quality as he spoke.

  “Hello Victor, It’s Sebastian Colyear here. There’s been a complication on this end. The local police have arrested Alexander Sandoval and Raven Tafini as suspects in the alleged murder of Emma Stephens.”

  “What the hell? That’s the young woman that’s here with me, isn’t it.” He said it as more of a statement than a question and continued, “She’s as alive as anyone I’ve ever seen. She’s talking and soon she’ll be eating. So, what is going on?”

  “The Police don’t know that she’s alive. We’ve been hiding her to protect her from Dark Hearts. There’s been a body found, which they believe is her. I’m not sure how they pinned it on those two, but we’ll be finding out.”

  “Why would they assume that it was her?”

  “They received some kind of a tip, which was likely from Dark Hearts. The body was planted that looked like Emma. It was then made to look like a murder had taken place.”

  “Look, I’m sorry about your guys, but you have to get Emma out of here. Anyway, how the hell could they just arrest Raven? Doesn’t his father own half the damn town?”

  “Yes, he does own a large part of St. Paris. However, murder is taken quite seriously in this town. We believe Dark Hearts suspected that Emma was here and planted some pretty damning evidence. There was also a witness that placed Alex at the scene of the fire, making him an arson suspect. I really don’t know much more than that yet.”

  “Obviously, it must have been substantial evidence to arrest both of them. When are you picking up Emma?”

  Sebastian avoided answering the question about picking up Emma, which didn’t bode well. Victor knew he was in trouble.

  “We don’t know the whole story yet, but they took Raven and Alex away in handcuffs from the local grocery where they were looking for Emma. We’ve contacted the Order to get to the bottom of this. They should have the guys released within a few hours.”

  “Okay, so what does this have to do with me?”

  “We need you to keep Emma for a while longer.”

  “Not possible, she can’t stay here. Can’t one of you guys pick her up? When I spoke to Raven, he said there were six of you there. Just send one of the others over to get her.”

  “Look Victor, we’ve worked together for a long time. I need a favor. I know it is an imposition to have a human female staying with you.”

  “You’re damn straight it is.”

  “She is safer there than she would be here. Dark Hearts thinks she’s here in St. Paris and have infiltrated the area. We cannot move her with just one or two guys to protect her, because of this new development. She’s in even more danger now. Raven indicated that she was well hidden at the castle. You’ve even put her car inside your garage, haven’t you?”

  “Yes, her car is stashed in one of my garages, but that’s not the point. I know we’re more than mere acquaintances, but I’m sorry I can’t do this favor for you. She can’t stay here.”

  “Don’t be unreasonable, Victor. I know humans are little more than sustenance to you, but I love that girl and so does Miles.” Did he just hear Sebastian and Miles both loved her? What the hell, did they all love her? As if in answer to Victor’s unasked question, Sebastian continued, “We all do, and we need your help to protect our future mate. How hard can it be to let her stay a few more hours? You know we’ll cover any costs you incur.”

  “Do you in all honesty think this about money? Hell’s fire, you know I’ve got enough to buy half of this damn state. Raven already knows and I can’t believe you don’t. It’s her blood. As I recall, you’re one of the most skilled doctors in the Order. Didn’t you find anything unusual about Emma’s blood? Didn’t her blood call to you?”

  “Yes, Raven and I discussed it. It continues to call to all of us. It’s as if we were all bound mates.”

  “Well what do you think it’s doing to me? I’m a vampire, man!”

  “Yes, there is that, but I also know you’re an ancient one that can resist any temptation.”

  “I don’t want to find out if I can resist her or not. You just need to get her out of here. I’ve already given her my blood, which makes me able to sense her, even if I don’t care to do so. It also makes me closer to her, which I don’t need or want.”

  “I didn’t know that, but it changes nothing on this end.”

  “I had no choice but to give her my blood, you know. She was dying when I found her. She’d been foolish enough to get herself hidden in the trees. Even with my night vision, it took me a while to find her with the driving rain and wind. When I got to her, she was already starting to turn blue around the lips. She was damn near frozen, not to mention beat up from falling on the ice multiple times.”

  “I can never tell you how much I appreciate you saving her, but, my hands are tied. Anyway, what does giving her an infusion of your blood do to her?”

  “It healed her, but it also ties us in a way that I’ll always be able to sense her presence. I’m not sure yet how it will affect her, because I’m not sure what she is.”

  “Mm, there’s that, too, I suppose. Is she affecting you as much as I get the feeling she is?”

  “What the fuck do you think? Absolutely, I’ve never felt this way about anyone’s blood, even Marian’s. It’s all I c
an do to keep my fangs out of her throat. I don’t just want her blood though, which is the problem. I feel as if I’ve found my immortal half that would make me whole. Do you have any idea what that means to a vampire who has been alone most of his unnatural life?”

  “Hell, Victor, aren’t you strong enough to resist her for a few more hours?”

  “I know what I am Sebastian. Have you been able to resist her? It sounded to me like you said Miles and you loved her. I believe you also indicated that the others loved her, too. Miles is ancient, too, and one of my best friends, as you know, and he couldn’t resist her damn blood. What do you expect from me? Yes, I’m every bit as strong as you, antediluvian warlock, but you fell for her, too, just as I’m starting to do. As far as resisting the call of her blood, I’ve kept my fangs to myself. However, if she’s here much longer I’m not sure what will happen to either of us. You know, if I bite her I won’t be able to let her go. She won’t want to leave either.”

  “Then don’t bite her, man! You have to let her stay, Victor. Do it for Miles. Hell, do it for me. We have no choice, the Order has requested that we leave her where she is for the time being, until they learn how much Dark Hearts is involved in the trumped-up murder charges and how much they know about Emma’s whereabouts. Anyway, she’s safe there. You don’t want Dark Hearts getting ahold of her, do you?”

  “Hell, no, I don’t want those bastards anywhere near her, but this is going to be more than a little difficult. I really don’t need this bullshit. I don’t work for Dark Hearts anymore, remember.”

  “I know you don’t work for them and no one is asking you to. I’m asking you to do this for Miles and me who are friends that need your help with the woman we love. I can ask the Order to send some assistance if you don’t think you can resist Emma.”

  “I don’t want any of those assholes in my home.”

  “You know I still work for them, as do most of us here at Raven’s.”