by Amber Kallyn
Niki didn’t have much response to that. “He also has a scar on the right side of his face, by his temple.”
Henry rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Yeah. Been in here a few times.”
“With anyone you know?” Shane asked.
“I’ll have to think it over. Might be, though.”
The bartender unfolded his lanky frame from the chair and put it back. His step was a slow shuffle as he made his way back to the bar.
Shane shrugged. “He’s a deep thinker.”
“Meaning it takes him a while?”
He nodded. “So you might as well enjoy the company.”
She met his gaze. A slow smile lifted the corners of his lips and enhanced the dimple on his cheek.
“I’m not much for chatting about the weather, and I don’t follow politics.”
He laughed. It was infectious and Niki found herself grinning, regardless of how she tried not to.
“How about telling me about you?” he said.
She shook her head. “I’ve already told you everything important.”
“Maybe. I think I’d like to know more about the woman who used to do exactly what her daddy said.”
“Times were different. I had a few friends who chaffed against arranged marriages, but my father was a good man. He made sure my intended was nice, with enough wealth and land to support us. It’s how things were done.”
He leaned over the table, tracing the edge of her pinky with his finger.
“And would you do as told now?”
“No.” She stared at his finger, slowly stroking her own. “But I’m not the same person I was.”
“Have you ever gone back?”
“Yes.” She met his gaze. “Long ago, I bought our old plantation. I have people keeping it up for me, farming the fields as well.”
“When’s the last time you were there?”
The bartender interrupted them, having come up to their booth soundlessly. At least, that’s what she’d rather believe than she’d been so into Shane she hadn’t been paying attention.
A mistake like that could get one killed.
“Closing time. Every few nights. Might be around tonight.” Henry left as quickly as he had come.
Niki drew back, slipping her hands from Shane’s mesmerizing touch and into her lap, rubbing them together.
“It’s been awhile,” she said shortly.
***
Shane stared at her, confused at the yo-yo of her reactions to him. Of his own emotions lately. Why should it bother him she’d started to open up, then abruptly withdrew?
Fear shone from her emerald eyes. Understanding hit. She was afraid of him, of how he made her feel.
Considering he was pretty damn uncomfortable with it himself, he couldn’t blame her.
He took a deep breath, ready to brashly push through and talk to her about what was between them. Before he could speak, a large mug of beer was slammed onto the table between them. Shane glanced up, and stared into his older brother’s face.
“Who’s your new whore?” Brian was a nasty drunk, which was why, once upon a time, he’d avoided alcohol.
But that was before the Fates cursed him.
“Brian.” Shane wanted to embrace his brother, yet at the same time, his words to Niki made Shane burn, his impulse to hit him.
Niki’s eyes flared red. She slowly stood, staring Brian down though he had almost a foot on her height. “Excuse me? A whore?”
“You’re with him, ain’t you?” Brian waved to Shane.
“A woman sits at a booth with a man and all of a sudden she’s ‘with him’ and ‘a whore’?” She drew her fist back and punched Brian in the nose.
His brother stumbled back, sprawling over an empty table. Shane grabbed Niki and gave her a sharp look, pushing her behind him.
“Brian, go home. Sleep it off.”
His brother staggered to his feet. “Or what? You gonna arrest me?”
“If I have to.”
Brian sent him a furious glare before weaving out the door. Shane sighed, but there was no use trying to talk to his brother in this state.
“Who was that?” Niki asked.
“My older brother,” he replied wearily. “I’m sorry for his behavior.”
She sat back down. “Why would you be sorry? Did you make him do it?”
“Yeah. In a way, I did.” He slid into the booth.
She searched his face. “So, how did you make your brother be an ass?”
“He’s the eldest in the family.”
“So?”
“Our family descends from a long line of Apache shamans. The power, the magic, comes from the Fates. When the oldest child reaches a certain age, it’s transferred from father to child.”
“So your brother should be inheriting?”
“Yes.”
She added it up. “But he’s not. You are.”
“Exactly.”
She rested her arms on the table, not seeming to notice she’d drawn his hand between hers.
“We found out a few years ago that the Fates passed him by. I don’t know why they chose me, but Brian’s had a hard time of it.”
“Sounds like he’s being childish.”
Anger flared to life at her words, mostly because he couldn’t deny it. He wanted to defend his brother. Hell, it was hard to grow up expecting something only to have it yanked out beneath your feet, and all without knowing why.
“So he blames you?”
“I’m the one who inherited.”
The door opened and Niki glanced over. Her face drained of the little color she had, turning ghostly pale. Her eyes flashed red and her fangs extended.
She hissed.
Shane looked over at the man reaching the bar. Nothing about him stood out, from his pale skin to dark hair. He was average height, average looks. Yet across the booth from him, Niki was practically vibrating. Shane grabbed her before she could jump from the booth.
“Wait.”
***
Thomas was here. In her sights at last.
Her fury roiled. She would rip him to shreds. Cut off his head. Afterwards, she’d burn his body until it was nothing but ash. Then she’d take those cursed ashes and burn them again.
Shane gripped her tightly. She jerked back, trying to get free.
“Wait,” he whispered again. “We do this right, so he doesn’t get away.”
Get away. No. Thomas wouldn’t get away.
The world was awash in red--everything tinged with her anger. Except Shane. His golden eyes held some soft emotion that helped her calm.
He was right, a part of her knew.
But the need to reach Thomas now, and destroy him...
A shock raced up her arm. Shane’s mouth was turned down in a grim line, his eyes almost blurred. Power rushed through their hands, up her arm and deep inside her.
Slowly, he helped her push back the fury and think at least semi-rationally. She growled, “I want his blood.”
Shane nodded. “I know.”
“Now.”
“Wait.”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to look at Thomas again. “Not for long.”
“No. But until we make sure he won’t escape.” He pulled out his radio and called the station. “Tell Campton it’s time. Henry’s Bar.”
The radio crackled and a woman replied, “They’re already almost to the bar.”
Shane slid his radio back on his belt. “He’s as impatient as you.”
Niki shrugged. “I didn’t know you were planning on backup.”
“It’s my job.”
She looked him over. Sometimes it was easy, maybe too easy, to forget.
The air in the bar exploded with power. It washed over Niki and she cried out in pain. Her gaze met Thomas’ across the bar.
He’d sensed her, or seen her. It didn’t matter how he knew she was there.
Niki ripped her hand from Shane’s grip and sprung from the booth, racing for Thomas. His
eyes, full of hate, were so cold, as was his power. Her sire’s magic caught her, slowing her movements.
But her loathing and anger were far greater than his limited control. She pushed through his spell, leaping over a table and landing directly in front of him.
Niki hissed. A blade was in her hand. She swung it at Thomas, slicing through his shirt and skin.
He roared, but there was no pain in the sound. He reached out, almost faster than even she could follow. Pain cut over her throat and warm liquid bubbled down her neck.
She slashed at him again, but he was already gone.
The people in the bar erupted, screaming and running, getting in her damn way. She pushed through them--easily when they caught sight of her blood soaked shirt--and crashed through the door.
Her sire was gone.
But she smelled his reeking stench. She could follow him by that alone.
A heavy hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around, slamming her against the wall. She snapped her teeth, reaching to claw at the arms holding her tight.
“Niki. Stop!” Shane yelled, trying to protect himself while keeping her against the wall.
The scent of his blood from three long scratches she scored down his cheek yanked her back.
His eyes were wary, but he didn’t flinch.
“Shane?” She relaxed, waited for him to let her arms go. When he did, she reached up and touched his chin, staring at the gouges she’d made on his face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
He pushed her hand away, glaring at her throat. “It’s not me I’m worried about.”
She reached up and touched the cuts on her throat, still hardly feeling any pain. The fresh wetness on her fingertips told her she was still bleeding.
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered. She had to be. Thomas was out there and she needed to track him while his scent lasted.
Shane grabbed her arm and marched her to the bed of his truck. He yanked down the tailgate, lifted her by the waist, and set her on it.
“I’m fine. We have to follow--”
He snarled. “You will sit here until I’ve tended your wounds.” His eyes blazed with an unrelenting fury.
“Why are you mad at me? I apologized--”
“Shut up. Just shut up, you stubborn, thick-headed woman. I’m not mad at you.” He took a deep breath, then punched his truck. “He could have killed you.”
He was worried about her. Her chest burned at the thought. She hopped off the truck. Taking Shane’s hand, she uncurled his fist and looked at his bruised, bleeding knuckles.
“Now you need to be fixed up.” She brought his hand to her mouth and tenderly licked his wounds, savoring the exotic taste of his blood. When she finished, his bleeding had stopped.
“Damn it, woman. I’m supposed to be tending to you.”
She arched a brow. “If you call me woman in that tone one more time, you’ll need more than a doctor.”
He looked like he was about to explode. She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him.
Beneath her hands, the tension slipped from his shoulders. She leaned back, looking him up and down.
“That’s better.”
He shook his head, turning as a police car rolled into the parking lot. Shane’s deputy and another officer jumped out and headed their way.
The two men took in Niki’s blood stained blouse and started scrambling. “We need an ambulance,” Campton said.
The other guy, much younger, leaned heavily against the truck, trying not to faint.
Niki solved it by smiling at them, showing her fangs clearly. Campton relaxed, but the kid jumped a good foot.
“I’ll live,” she said shortly.
Shane took a wet towel from the waitress who’d brought it out and gently wiped Niki’s neck.
From his relief the wounds must be healed.
She considered him. “You know, I think you have something mighty special in your blood. That’s twice I’ve tasted it, and twice I’ve healed faster than normal.”
He shrugged, but something in his gaze said he knew exactly what she was talking about. Interesting.
“Now.” She settled a hand on her hip. “I’m leaving. With, or without you.”
Shane turned to the deputies. “Follow us.”
Niki sighed. They’d be nothing but food for Thomas, no match for his vampire strength or speed. But she wasn’t going to waste time arguing. A small voice whispered in her mind that she might not be much match for her sire regardless how strong she’d become. Niki ignored the spark of fear. She wouldn’t allow him to win.
Chapter Thirteen
As dawn grew closer, crickets chirped and a few birds sang. The wind whistled through the leaves. Nature’s orchestra serenading them.
Niki stepped through a thick cluster of trees and gasped.
Shane hadn’t been paying attention to exactly where they were, but rather made sure the vampire they tracked didn’t jump out and try to hurt Niki again. As he followed her through the trees, hand on his gun, he realized they were at the shore of the lake.
Niki kicked a rock. It tumbled over the ground and splashed into the water. “He’s gone.”
“We’ll find him.”
She looked at him with such misery in her eyes, his gut clenched. Between that, and trying to push away the turmoil of seeing her so close to death, he decided to share something with her. Something special he’d never shown another woman. The caves.
He pulled out his radio. “Campton?”
The radio crackled as Chase answered. “Yeah, boss?”
“We’re done for the night. Go home and sleep. I’ll see you in the office this afternoon.”
“Got it.”
Shane clicked the radio off and took Niki’s hand.
“Come.”
She let him lead her around the lake’s edge. Nearby, a rocky cliff jutted up from the shore.
He glanced at Niki. “How brave are you?”
She smirked. “Braver than you, Sheriff.”
“This way.”
They scrambled over a few boulders, reaching the thin ledge that led out over the water. Shane balanced himself against the wall and inched across. He glanced back to see Niki walking without any issues at all.
Vampires.
They finally reached a narrow path of shore in front of the hidden cave.
It had felt huge when he was a boy, not so much anymore. Still, at about eight feet deep and six across, it was big enough for them to enter standing up.
Shane headed for the back. Local boys still came here as evidenced by the stack of wood for the stone-ring fire pit. Matches. A few folded blankets that smelled recently washed.
Since they had time on their hands--they wouldn’t be able to continue hunting for Thomas until the next night, he wouldn’t allow Niki to do something so dangerous while she was weak--he started a fire. Light filled the small cave and he pointed to the far wall.
Niki turned, gasping at the cave paintings.
“Who did these?”
“Some are older than spit. The ones on the bottom are the most recent.” He touched the wall, feeling the power of age and the spirits of those who’d come before him. “This horse is mine.”
She drew closer, staring at the white stallion galloping over a yellow prairie. “It’s beautiful.”
She brushed against him as she tried to get a better look. His groin tightened. He inhaled her scent. She caught his gaze and the air sparked, warming with thick, needy tension.
All at once, the worry he’d felt earlier engulfed him. He turned her to face him, laying his hands on her shoulders. This time, he would do things right. He wanted this woman, and he would control himself, taking things slow rather than letting the driving need push him too fast. “I’m going to kiss you, Nicola DeVeraux.”
Her eyes widened, lips parting as the tip of her pink tongue darted out and wetted them. Fear filled her face, but she didn’t run. Emotions flashed through her eyes. As if she made her choice
, she leaned into his embrace.
He drew her against his chest, relishing the feel of her body pressing against him. He kissed her, his lips lingering. Her hands rubbed along his back, and beneath her touch, his heart raced. His blood heated. He had the primitive urge to fill her and prove they were both alive.
He groaned, pushing her lips apart to taste her. Their kiss became urgent, frenzied.
She started to pull back, but Shane held her tight. “Don’t run away again. Not yet.”
The need to flee flashed in her emerald gaze. Her pupils were enlarged, the thinnest band of red rimming the green.
“There’s no future in this.” Her whisper turned husky. “No future in us.”
Though her words were true, they pierced him deeply. The ache spread. He didn’t care what the truth might be. They could make their own fate, their own truth, if they wanted.
He kissed her again, taking and giving. She moaned, pressing closer to him. When he broke away, they were both breathing heavily.
He told her, “Then live only for now.”
***
A voice silently screamed at Niki to run away, far and fast, before this man became too dangerous to her peace of mind. Yet, even as she strained to listen, it was overpowered and drowned out by another.
Shane’s.
“Forget tomorrow. For once, live for now,” he repeated, caressing her cheek, lifting her chin so she met his gaze.
She didn’t know how, or even if she could. But she’d been cold and lonely for so long. And this man made her feel the warmth of life.
Slowly, unsure of herself, she leaned in and kissed his sensual mouth.
Shane growled, sweeping her into his embrace. His hands trailed down her sides, clasped her waist. The intensity frightened her, but she didn’t back away from the fire burning between them.
She took hold of it, melted against his unyielding chest, pressing as close as she could get to his heat.
He drew back, a sensuous smile on his lips. “You’re not running.”
“Not yet.”
He groaned and pulled her down to the hard, sandy ground. She lay on top of him, feeling his heart beating, his very breath. Blood pounded in her temples, flushing through her. His hardness pressed between her thighs.