by Nina Bangs
"Dead?" The word spoke of breathless disbelief. "What are you, a Highland Medusa?" Her face paled even as she clutched the talisman at her throat with shaking fingers.
He must calm her before he left. He should not have told her so much. "I dinna have snakes for hair, and I have turned none to stone, as far as I know. I dinna kill those I feed from, but I have killed those who attacked me."
Darach smiled at her. It would be wise to distract her from thoughts of death. "If ye could choose, what would ye have me reclaim next?"
Her gaze steadied as she thought about his question. "Trying to touch your emotions is driving me crazy, MacKenzie." A slow smile told him she had decided. "I'd like you to cry for me."
"Cry?" She could not seriously wish this for him. "A vampire has no tears, and I didna cry even when I was human. 'Tis not manly. Why would ye wish me to do such a thing?" 'Twas a horrifying thought.
"I'm not talking about wild sobs and a flood of tears. I'd be happy just to have a few token drops. Something that would symbolize human emotion." She looked at him uncertainly.
Darach shook his head, then stood. "Tears are not something I would ever wish for." He strode to the door, then paused to look back to where she still sat on the floor. "Ye must remember your job with Ecstasy. Ye're supposed to make me happy. I dinna think Textron would wish ye to make me sad."
Her gaze grew mutinous, and the pout of those wondrous lips almost brought him to his knees.
"Hey, how about a few tears of joy? What's wrong with that? Geesh, you have no imagination, MacKenzie."
Darach left the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Only then did he grin. It seemed he had spent more time smiling since Blythe arrived than he had in the past five hundred years.
He watched a servant woman pass him on her way down from his room and felt the smooth slide of his fangs. Luckily, she did not look back at him.
As he blended into the moonless night, the nagging thought returned. What did he look like? As he hunted tonight, would his victim wish to cry "yuck" as he gazed into Darach's eyes? Since he would erase the man's memory after feeding, Darach would never know.
His resolution hardened. He would use his power to see his reflection. He would never wish for tears.
* * *
Chapter Seven
« ^ »
Anyone lucky enough to get a peaceful night's sleep hadn't been running around in Blythe's dreams. She lay with her eyes closed, listening to the dawn sounds of Darach undressing, then sitting down on his bed.
She didn't want him to know she was awake, so she tried to control her urge to yawn. No way could she face a naked vampire after rocking and rolling all last night to the tunes of her top ten nightmares.
Every single fright feature had been there. When grotesque creatures with foot-long fangs weren't chasing her, she was trying to do the deed with Darach while Textron hung over her shoulder reading her contract out loud, and Darach asked about her blood type.
Those weren't the worst, though. Her brother made a cameo appearance. She hadn't dreamed about Mandor for months, so she'd thought that her conscience had decided to give her a break. Fat chance. Once again, he haunted her dreams. Never saying anything, just watching her with accusing eyes. He had a right to all the accusing looks he wanted, because if their situations had been reversed, she would have sat on his bed yammering at him for all eternity.
Repeat after me, I am a happy person. Impatiently she shoved aside any dissenting voices.
Okay, so they were just dreams. Probably caused by that weird onionlike veggie that Caitlin-the-cook, also affectionately known as Caitlin-the-conjurer-of-crappy-food, had served last night.
Blythe needed to put the dreams aside and open her eyes to the real world. But what did you do when the real world was just as freaky as your dreams?
A loud pounding on the door accompanied by Darach's quiet curse ended her mental yo-yoing. She opened her eyes.
Darach had just finished pulling his tunic-length shirt back over his head. He glanced at Blythe. "Are ye naked under those covers?"
"Of course not." Yes. She had no idea why she'd decided to sleep nude last night. She never slept nude. It was as though a small evil voice had whispered that it would be fun to sleep naked. Where had that idea come from? Small evil voice. Small. Evil. Hmm. Sparkle. She was going to have a serious woman-to-interfering-cat talk with the little busybody.
Darach offered her one of his wicked vampire grins, then cast a pointed glance at her nightgown, still lying across her travel case.
"I have two nightgowns." Now that he was back, she'd have to wait until he was asleep before getting out of bed. Another problem: She didn't know if she wanted to see what he looked like when he slept.
"Aye." His grin widened as he strode to the door, where the pounding continued unabated.
He was ticking her off. "Read my lips, vampire. I… am… not… naked."
Darach chose to ignore her as he stood concentrating in front of the closed door.
"Who is it?" For the first time, she wondered who would be banging on her door at dawn.
"Ganymede and his small minion." Darach didn't sound worried as he swung open the door.
"Sorry to wake you, little lady." Ganymede strode past Darach into the center of the room. "But I had to talk to the vampire before he was dead to the world." His perfunctory glance in Blythe's direction said he didn't give a damn what time it was.
Darach exhaled sharply as he returned to his bed and lay down with his hands clasped behind his head. "Say what needs saying, then leave. I grow tired."
"Sure, sure." Ganymede glanced at the chair and must have decided it wouldn't come close to holding his bulk, because he plunked himself on the end of Blythe's bed.
Blythe couldn't contain a startled squeak as the bed groaned under the added weight. She clutched the covers under her chin and widened her eyes. Even if the bed collapsed with Ganymede on top of her, she would not let go of those covers.
"We've got a problem, blood-sucker." Ganymede seemed unconcerned as Sparkle also leaped onto Blythe's bed and settled herself comfortably on the pillow.
"My name is Darach." It sounded as if he was speaking through clenched teeth. "And I have no problem. Say what ye must, then leave."
Ganymede nodded. "I wouldn't be here making friendly if this wasn't serious."
Blythe gazed into Ganymede's amber eyes and shivered. It was as if those eyes belonged to someone or something completely separate from the big, bluff, uncomplicated man he appeared to be. She scanned his emotions. Anger. Worry. Frustration. And underlying everything, a deep well of unhappiness. Why?
"Does Darach know you slept naked last night?" Sparkle's question was all innocent curiosity. "Did you enjoy the feel of freedom, of having nothing between you and your yummy vampire except these covers? Did you want to fling them off and slide your naked skin over his buff body? Did you?"
Good grief. How did you turn Sparkle off? Blythe moved her head so that she could meet the cat's sly gaze. She glared at Sparkle. No way would she let the cat draw her into a discussion about the joys of getting naked while two men were in her room.
Ganymede shifted on the bed, making it dip and creak. "I got word through one of my servants that someone killed four of the locals the other night. Throats torn out." He fixed Darach with a hard stare. "Blood drained. So I sent someone to spy on the village last night. Thought it'd be wise to know what was going on. Word came back that three more were killed last night." Leaning back, he crossed his arms over his massive chest. "All that blood draining sounded like a bunch of vampires having a fun night out. Whatta ya think?" He turned to wink at Blythe.
Blythe stared at him in horror and then shifted her gaze to Darach. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. How did you respond to something that gruesome?
"Do ye believe I did this?" Darach replied to Ganymede, but his stare scorched Blythe.
Did she think he'd killed those people? What did she r
eally know about his capabilities other than what he'd told her? No. She'd spent her whole adult life reading people's emotions. She would've sensed this kind of savagery in him. But you can't read his emotions, so what the hell do you know about the real Darach MacKenzie?
Darach returned his attention to Ganymede, but not before Blythe saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. Blythe had no doubt he'd purposely let her see what he felt. It worked, because now guilt ate at her.
Ganymede waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Nah. Too messy. Too stupid. I don't like you, blood-sucker, but you're old and you're powerful. You wouldn't have lasted this long if you went around slaughtering people practically outside your door. But it doesn't matter what I think—all this killing has caused us a problem."
Sparkle daintily licked one paw and studied Blythe. "Letting Darach see your doubt was pretty stupid, sister. No man wants his woman to think he's some kind of animal." She paused in her licking. "Although I think there's something kind of fine about a hot-blooded male animal. Know what I mean?"
Arrgh! Blythe bit her lip in her determination not to rise to Sparkle's goading.
"What do ye want from me, Ganymede?" Darach's lids drooped, and he visibly struggled to stay awake.
Blythe shifted her gaze to the arrow-slit, where a beam of sunlight shone through. Uh-oh. Sunlight. "Umm, would someone cover the window?" Please don't tell me to do it.
"No problem." Ganymede heaved himself from her bed and walked over to hang Darach's plaid from a hook above the slit, effectively blocking the light.
He didn't return to Blythe's bed, but instead paced back and forth in front of the hearth. "We're dealing with a bunch of superstitious villagers here, and"—Ganymede stopped to face Darach—"they're gathering their forces to storm the castle and kill all of us." He finished in an embarrassed rush of words.
"Ye and the cat have the power to stop them, so why do ye need me?" Darach was losing his battle with sleep.
Ganymede slumped back onto Blythe's bed like a deflated balloon. "I can't harm a human." The admission seemed to have been dragged from the depths of his despair. "I can hurt a vampire or a sassy cat"—he offered Sparkle a pointed glare; Sparkle wasn't impressed—"but I can't touch a human. What can I say, it's a weakness." He shook his head sadly. "And the kitty here is cute but pretty useless in a tough spot."
Said useless kitty pinned her ears flat and growled. Ganymede looked uneasy.
Blythe clutched her covers more tightly. "When will they attack?" This had not been part of her travel itinerary. "Why don't you just send us all home?" Even as she suggested going home, Blythe realized she really didn't want to leave Scotland now. Didn't want to leave Darach alone and unprotected. What a crock. Darach was the most powerful male she'd ever known. He didn't need her. Somehow that thought made her a little sad. Go figure.
"Returning right now would be problematic." Ganymede offered Blythe his I'll-sell-you-some-beachfront-property-on-Pluto grin. "To get the lower time-travel rate, I had to lock us in to specific dates. No going home early. Sorry." He smiled some more.
"He's lying." Sparkle was still whipping her tail back and forth in a full-blown fury. "He's just too cheap to give you your money back. Useless cat, my ass. Jerk."
"Ye want me to protect ye." Darach's comment was nothing more than a sleepy mumble.
"Got it." Ganymede sounded relieved. "I figure you've had lots of practice with the maiming and killing stuff." He rubbed his hands together in satisfaction as he headed for the door. "We probably won't even need you. We're going to pile stuff at the end of the footbridge so no one can come across. That should stop them in their tracks. But if it doesn't, we'll send for you." Humming happily, Ganymede strode out of the room and closed the door behind him.
Sparkle leaped from the pillow and padded to the door just in time for it to almost hit her in the face. "Frickin' fine. He went off without me. When I get my claws on him, there'll be pieces of cosmic troublemaker raining down for weeks. Someone open the damned door before I get really pissed and knock it down."
Uh-oh. Sparkle sounded serious. Blythe leaped from her bed, still clutching the cover in front of her. She reached the door and flung it open.
"Thanks." Sparkle padded into the hall. "Oh, and if the vampire falls asleep without putting up his protection, make sure you take advantage of his buff body. Get your thrills where you can." She disappeared down the stairs.
Blythe stood staring into the dark. Everything had happened so fast that she'd forgotten to order Sparkle not to give her any more sexy ideas. She frowned. Okay, so maybe a sexy idea now and then wasn't awful, but she didn't like the way Sparkle had blindsided her. She closed the door.
"A good warrior always protects his rear, lass." Darach's sleepy mumble spun her around. "Ye've left yours unprotected, and 'tis a fine one, worthy of protection. A wee peek at it would raise the dead."
Blythe widened her eyes at the realization that she'd done a great job of covering her front but had forgotten about her behind. Could butt cheeks blush? She'd swear that heat was building there even as she gazed at Darach in horror.
"Come to me, Blythe." His lids drifted shut.
After the way she'd shown her doubt of him, she should at least prove that she wasn't afraid to walk over to his bed. "Is your protection up yet?" She didn't want to go splat against it.
"I willna protect my bed today, because ye must be able to reach me." He cracked his lids open a sliver to look at her. "If a mob attacks the castle, wake me." His lids slid shut again, and a slight smile touched his lips. "And if ye truly believe that I kill so easily, ye may feel free to cut off my head or take my heart." He frowned. "Though 'twould be a waste of a fine heart."
She stared, horrified, at him. "What a terrible thing to say. I wouldn't be here now if I believed…" Her rant died as she realized he was asleep. She moved closer to study him. Relieved, she noted that he looked as anyone would look when they were asleep. Okay, so maybe not just anyone. He looked a lot better than anyone else she'd ever seen sleeping. Reverse the roles in the ancient tale of Sleeping Beauty and she'd kiss him awake any day of the week.
Blythe smiled. Good thing he'd fallen asleep with his shirt on or she might've been tempted to morph into a Sparkle Stardust and perform unspeakable acts of lust on his helpless body. Sighing, she slipped a cover over him. Too bad.
Dressing quickly, she prepared to leave the room and go down for something to eat. She had actually opened the door and stepped into the hall when the realization hit her. She was leaving Darach unprotected. While he was so deeply asleep, anyone could hurt him. Sure, Ganymede wanted him healthy in case he needed Darach to help with the villagers, but what about other enemies? Darach had told only her that he would be unprotected. He was showing more trust in her than she'd shown in him today. She couldn't leave him alone.
With a sense of inevitability, she pulled her door almost closed so no one would get an eyeful, then called to one of the servant women who was starting down the stairs. "I don't feel too well this morning. Could you bring me up something to eat?"
The woman swayed over to Blythe, then smiled at her. "Of course. What would you like?"
Ganymede had sure managed to find the sexiest-of-the-sexiest servants. This woman was gorgeous. And she didn't sound as if she was from Scotland. What would bring a woman like this to such a remote area? She looked as though she belonged in London or Paris. Blythe shrugged the question away. It wasn't any of her business.
"Whatever's being served." She thought about that. "Wait, let's clarify a little. Whatever's being served that's recognizable as human food. And definitely lots of tea."
The woman nodded, then glanced toward the stairs. "Have you met the gentleman above you? I've knocked at his door, but he never answers." She bit her lip and gazed at Blythe out of huge green eyes. "Do you think he might be ill?"
Not so you'd notice. "Ganymede said that he's very reclusive." And very asleep. "I don't think he wants to be bothered with peo
ple." Except when he's hungry.
"Oh." The woman still hovered at the door. "There are rumors that vampires dwell here. Do you know anything of such creatures in this castle?"
The woman didn't look scared, only curious. Strange reaction. Blythe knew that if she'd been told beforehand that she'd be sharing living quarters with a vampire, she would've done some warp-speed travel changes.
"No one's told me anything." I found it out all by myself. "Thanks for taking my order…" Okay, supply a name for me.
The woman simply smiled and walked away. Blythe frowned. Maybe she hadn't given a big enough hint. As she went back into her room and closed the door behind her, she wondered what she could do to fill the whole day.
Wandering over to Darach's bed, she stared down at him. In sleep, his expression was as inscrutable as it always was. No, that wasn't true. She'd reached his emotions when he'd told her about his wife and unborn child. But there had to be more. Why did he feel the need to guard his feelings so carefully?
Absently she scanned his emotions again. Nope, even in sleep his feelings were closed to her. To be fair, he'd probably spent his whole life protecting himself, so the habit was ingrained. Maybe with someone he trusted…
Turning away from his bed, she walked to her travel pack, then stopped as she stared down at it. That's what was really bugging her. He didn't trust her enough to let her touch his emotions. And after her maybe-I-do-and-maybe-I-don't performance today, he'd probably never trust her. He trusted you enough to leave his bed unprotected. That was her one ray of hope. He'd trusted her with his life for these hours of daylight. And that was a pretty big leap of faith.
Now, how could she amuse herself while she waited for him to wake up? Bending down, she opened her pack.
Yawning, Blythe stretched and unwound herself from her seat on her bed. It had been a perfect day to stay inside reading, all warm and toasty, by the fire's light. That one promising ray of sunshine at dawn had been all there was. Wind had brought clouds and rain. Night would fall in a few hours, and she'd be free of her self-imposed guard duty.