Embrace the Darkness (Darkness Series)

by Lilly Gayle

  “You want justice. Don’t you?” Vincent snarled.

  Guilt warmed her cheeks. “Yes. But I can’t just storm some mad scientist’s laboratory without a warrant. And how am I going to get a search warrant for a cloned vampire?”

  Seriously? They’d lock her in the booby hatch and throw away the key. And Reid? Ha! He didn’t believe in anything he couldn’t prove. And how the hell did one prove vampires existed if they didn’t want you to know?

  “You’ll be looking for a kidnap victim, not a vampire clone,” Gerard said. “Dr. Weldon kidnapped Axle.”

  “Is he still alive? Is he still…”

  “Human?” Gerard supplied.

  Amber swallowed thickly and nodded. “If he’s a vampire, how do we know he’s not a blood-thirsty killer?”

  “Is that what you think of me?” he asked, his eyes beseeching.

  “No, but…” She left the rest unspoken. What the hell did she really know about vampires?

  “Relax, Gerard.” Megan stepped forward, taking Amber’s arm. “She’s got a lot to assimilate. Give her time to figure out how she feels about it before expecting her to deal with it.”

  “She doesn’t have time,” Vincent snapped. “If Weldon has perfected cloning then the balance of nature is in peril. We have to stop him.”

  “What balance?” The world she thought she knew didn’t exist. There existed instead, a dark world unseen by mortals and just as real. A world inhabited by vampires—a world she desperately wanted to deny. “Vampires were never in my version of what’s natural so my whole world is out of balance, thank you very damn much.”

  Vincent rolled his eyes. “Megan didn’t have this much difficulty accepting the truth, and she didn’t have prior exposure.”

  Irritation stiffened Amber’s spine. “Sorry, vamp. But I deal in facts and logic. I have no interest in discovering a new species or curing the world of a heretofore unknown virus. I just want to protect and serve.”

  “That’s what vampire hunters do,” Gerard said softly, his eyes pained. “They protect mortals from murderous vampires. And that clone is a killer.” He met Vincent’s gaze. It seemed to Amber as if the two had signed some pact and were about to break it. His voice hardened. “He needs to be put down. Blood of my blood or not. The clone needs to be stopped. And so does Dr. Weldon.”

  Amber took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she took another deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Then we all need to get some rest. Because tomorrow, we hunt vampires.”

  Chapter 14

  Amber couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t just the bedside lamp she’d left on to chase away the dark that kept her awake. Her bones ached. And her mind was like a hamster in a cage. Running round and round the wheel, moving faster and faster, taking her nowhere.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, she threw off the covers and stood. The antique bed with the high, intricately carved headboard groaned. She glanced at her earrings and necklace sitting on the marble-topped dresser. She’d taken them off to sleep but didn’t want to risk leaving them. She would have slipped them into her pocketbook if she had it with her. Then again, if she had her pocketbook, she’d have her pills.

  Straightening the long white gown Megan had loaned her, she caught her sleep-deprived reflection in the mirror.

  What the hell am I doing here?

  She was a soldier. A cop. She didn’t belong in this frilly, outdated room in the home of a vampire. But it was more than just the room. More than the vampire. It was her.

  Dhampir.

  A chill crawled over her skin. She rubbed the fine hairs on her arms and shivered. She needed those pills. Otherwise, she’d never sleep.

  Would warm milk help?

  She slipped on her pants and then pulled the nightgown over her head. Ignoring her bra, she reached for her blouse. The satiny fabric slithered over her skin, teasing her nipples. They pebbled in response, reminding her of Gerard’s kiss. His touch. His lips…

  Damn Frenchman is in my head far too often.

  Grumbling to herself, she crossed the floor and threw open the door.

  Gerard stood guard on the other side, as if she were in the witness protection program. Or as if he were a soldier watching a fellow soldier’s back. Warmth settled in her chest. “What are you doing?”

  “Keeping watch.” He gazed at her face, as if memorizing every detail. “It’s another half-hour before sunrise. And thanks to the injections, I can stay up a couple hours beyond that—long enough to ensure no vampire will come after you. So, go back to bed and get some sleep. You’re safe.”

  The warmth spread. She leaned against the door jam. “Can’t sleep.”

  “You weren’t thinking of leaving. Were you?” he asked, his eyes narrowing.

  “My meds are in my purse, and you zapped me here without it. So, yeah. I considered it.”

  “You take drugs to sleep?” His tone was disapproving.

  So much for the warm tingling feeling. “I have a prescription.”

  He drifted toward her, his movements graceful—predatory. “You’re much too stressed.”

  “You think?” She had a damn good reason for her increased anxiety. Her reality check had bounced.

  “I think you need to relax.” He touched her shoulder and spun her around. Before she could protest, he dug his fingers into her tense muscles, massaging the kinks.

  His hands were magic. Her head lolled. Tension flowed from her fingertips. The knots loosened.

  “Feel good?” His voice was a dark, husky timbre.

  “Hmm.” Her body sagged forward on a sigh. Muscles became fluid. Relaxed. Then something changed.

  His kneading palms began to caress. Awareness shivered over her skin as sensations became heightened, and every nerve ending in her body became attuned to his touch. Her brain grew sluggish, her knees weak. She could barely stand, barely think. Then Gerard pressed his hardened arousal against her.

  A quiver shook her. Desire pooled hot and heavy between her thighs. Her muscles clenched.

  Leaning forward, he pressed closer, his breath warm against her neck. “I know something else that’ll feel good,” he whispered in her ear.

  She jerked upright, reaching back to clasp his thighs and hold him against her.

  His hands circled her waist, sliding upward to cup her breasts, his fingers skimming over silk, touching her taut nipples through her blouse. She gasped and arched her back, pressing her breasts into his palms and her bottom against his groin.

  Palming her breasts, he nudged her inside the room and closed the door with his foot. Then he slipped his hands beneath her shirt, his caressing fingers skimming over her bare skin, igniting a firestorm of need.

  “Oh God,” she moaned, groping behind her back for the button on his jeans.

  Growling low in his throat, he spun her around and crushed his mouth to hers. The kiss was dark. Erotic. And it nearly engulfed her in flames.

  Skin smoldering, she fumbled with his zipper and pushed open the fly. Then she shoved her hand inside his underwear, her fingers curving around silk covered iron as he pulsed in her hand, hot and heavy.

  He jerked. “Mon dieu, woman!”

  Time stood still for a heartbeat. Her breathing hitched. Unable to wait a second longer, she began to move.

  Fingers caressing, lips tasting, she told him with actions what she could never put into words.

  He moaned low in his chest, pushing his penis into her palm while trailing hot kisses down her neck.

  Trust had never been her strong suit. Trusting a vampire this close to her throat should have been a challenge. It wasn’t. She wanted him. It was that simple.

  Don’t think the “L” word.

  He pulled her blouse from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. Heat flushed her skin. Cold air pebbled her nipples.

  Gerard’s voice was raspy when he said, “Where’s your bra?”

  She tossed her head, praying the gesture looked sexy rather than spastic. “In the chair.�
��

  He raised his head, glancing toward the lacy, pink bra lying on the chair cushion. “Sexy. Nice contrast to your manly suits.”

  “Manly?” She slipped her hand out of his pants and settled her palm on his hair-roughened stomach. “I’ll have you know—”

  “Shush.” Chuckling, he dipped his head and took one taut nipple in his hot mouth. Her thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind. Electricity ran from his body to hers, melding them together. Her back arched.

  Then he suddenly pulled his mouth free and kicked off his shoes. He stepped back to drop his pants. By the time he was naked, her panties were lying on the floor at her bare feet.

  Without a word, he scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. As he lowered her to the mattress, his mouth fused to hers, kissing her with a hunger that bordered on starvation. And she was more than eager to feed him.

  Feasting on his lips was like a banquet to the senses. The salty taste of his lips. The warmth of his tongue and the rasp of his whisker-roughened cheek against hers. His sexy cologne—and his own earthy scent.

  Her body thrummed. Then he straddled her hips and slid a finger deep inside, stroking her heated flesh. Moaning her pleasure, she arched against his palm, pressing closer—writhing—pulsing. After endless moments of exquisite torture, he spread her legs and entered her, plunging deep.

  She cried out, closing around him, her muscles clenching. Body aching, she met his demands with fierce urgency, matching his rhythm, meeting the downward thrust of his hips as he pushed her closer to the edge of glory.

  Burning, she strained for release. Her muscles coiled tighter and tighter until heaven was within her grasp. She reached for it. Then arching one last time, she shuddered and convulsed around him.

  And when he came seconds later, she felt his joy as if it were her own.

  ****

  Amber awoke confused and disoriented in an unfamiliar bed next to a cool body. Fear swamped her. She’d had nightmares about waking up next to the dead, feeling cold flesh pressed against hers.

  “Shit!”

  She pushed off the covers and jumped from the bed. Gerard lay curled on his side, his lids heavy—his eyes open. The bedside lamp she’d left burning to ward off the darkness reflected in his red-rimmed eyes.

  “Good morning,” he said in a gravelly voice thick with sleep.

  “Why are you still here?” She’d never spent an entire night with a man. In the past, someone had always gone home.

  “Watching over you until sunrise.” His lids drifted shut. He forced them open and tried to smile. “I told you I’d keep you safe.”

  She glanced at the window. Heavy brocade drapes and thick canvas shades covered the glass but sunlight brightened the dark colors. It was well-past dawn. “I don’t think you have to worry about vampires again until tonight.”

  What time is it?

  She turned toward the nightstand. A hand-painted porcelain clock ticked softly. Both hands pointed to twelve.

  “It’s noon.” She looked at Gerard.

  He strained to see the clock but his lids drifted closed. “Not possible,” he murmured.

  Grabbing the clock, she shoved it in his face. His brows shot up to his hairline. His eyes widened.

  “Can’t be right,” he mumbled. Then he closed his eyes and didn’t open them again.

  Amber scooped up her clothes and slipped into the bathroom. By the time she showered, towel dried her hair, and dressed in yesterday’s clothes, she felt better.

  Confused as hell…but clean. Somewhat. She’d kill for fresh panties.

  She looked at Gerard sleeping like the dead. Literally. He was pale as death and the tips of his fangs grazed his bottom lip. But only moments ago, he’d been awake. And it was way past dawn.

  The anti-vampiric injections allowed him to see the sunrise but should he be able to stay awake until noon?

  Megan would know.

  She slipped on her shoes and quietly left the room.

  ****

  “Good morning. Or afternoon, rather,” Megan said as Amber entered the kitchen. “I hope you like coffee. I made a whole pot.”

  “Can’t start my day without it.”

  “There’s cream in the fridge and sugar in the bowl,” Megan said as Amber strolled toward the counter.

  “Thanks, but I drink it black.” Amber poured a cup and carried it to the table. She took a sip, sighing with pleasure as the hot, bitter brew slipped down her throat, kick starting her brain.

  Megan smiled. “Sleep well?”

  The smug look on her face irritated the hell out of Amber. Or maybe she was just feeling self-conscious because she hadn’t slept alone. Keeping her eyes glued to her coffee cup, she grumbled. “Well enough.”

  She didn’t want to share her feelings with Megan or compare notes on the differences in sleeping with mortals versus vampires. She needed to get her head on straight and figure out what the hell she was going to do about her feelings for Gerard.

  Yet another doomed relationship. At least Gerard wouldn’t die the way Andrew had. Or find himself in the middle of a drug investigation the way George—one of her other failed relationships—had.

  Megan raised her brows and her cup, staring over the rim. “Hmm. I see.”

  Amber set her cup on the table and dropped her head in her hands. “Is it that obvious?”

  Megan laughed. “Well, I have been in your shoes. Knowing vampires exist is one thing. Knowing you’re falling in love with one is something else entirely.”

  Amber jolted upright. Her pulse pounded. “It’s not love. It was just…I mean…It’s—it’s none of your business.”

  Too much was happening at once. Conflicting emotions weighed her down like a thick, heavy blanket, suffocating her. She couldn’t breathe. And she couldn’t find the words to even explain her feelings. But Megan seemed to understand.

  Several minutes of uninterrupted silence passed. Megan didn’t puff up in anger or assume a defensive posture. She sat patiently, sipping her coffee. Waiting.

  Guilt warmed Amber’s cheeks. “Look, I’m sorry I snapped. It’s just that…” No words could explain her chaotic emotions.

  “It’s okay,” Megan said with an understanding smile. “Loving an immortal will twist you up inside. But rest assured. It has nothing to do with glamour.”

  “God, I hope not.” Doubt clouded her mind, further muddying her thoughts. Since meeting Gerard, she wasn’t sure of anything, including her own sanity.

  “Gerard really cares about you.”

  “He’s a vampire. It’ll never work.” Regret choked her. Not that she was leaning toward a happily ever after. No way. Gerard was immortal. But something in her wanted to understand and find a common bond.

  Sorrow shadowed Megan’s face. “It’s not easy. Nothing worthwhile ever is. Tina understood. I guess that’s what I miss most about her. She knew vampires existed, and she didn’t judge me for falling in love with one.”

  Amber held up both hands, palms outward. “Hey, I’m not judging. I just can’t imagine the isolation you must feel.” Learning to share your personal space with a man would be hard. Hiding the fact he’s a mythical creature who lived off the blood of mortals would be impossible.

  Megan leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Vampires are nothing like the ones in horror movies.”

  “Some are just like the ones in horror movies.” Images of her mother and Andrew’s deaths played in her mind like a slasher film. She fisted her hands on the table, pushing aside the painful memories.

  Megan touched her right hand. “Not all vampires are like the one who killed your mother and friend.”

  “No. I guess not.” A hesitant smile tugged at her mouth. Her fists loosened. “Some can stay up until noon.”

  “Not that late,” Megan said, leaning back enough to rest her palms on the table. “But the antivirus helps.”

  “Do they usually inject themselves at night or just before sunrise?” Did changing when he took the
injection explain why Gerard had still been awake at noon?

  Megan frowned. “At night when they first rise. But Gerard missed his injection yesterday evening so he borrowed some of Vincent’s to keep from missing a dose.”

  Leaning forward, Amber gripped Megan’s hands. Excitement quickened her pulse. “Gerard was still awake when I got up. At noon. He didn’t stay awake long afterward, but he was awake.”

  “Oh, God.” Megan paled. She tugged her hands free and leaned back against the chair. “I followed stimulant dosing protocols for mortal adults—a single dose in the morning for an immediate effect with extended action into the evening. I just reversed it because vampires are awake at night rather than during the day. I wanted to extend Vincent’s normal waking hours so he could see the sunrise. So, I suggested he take the injection upon rising. It seemed to…work.”

  Her voice trailed off. Her shoulders sagged. She looked as if she’d failed him when nothing could be further from the truth.

  “Megan, the vaccine worked. He was able to see the sunrise. Injecting him with an experimental drug was risky enough without playing around with the dosing schedule.” But she understood Megan’s disappointment. After every completed mission in Iraq, Amber had had doubts about its success. She always wondered if there had been something she could have done differently—something that might have made a bigger difference or prevented another death.

  Megan’s shoulders slumped. A soul-deep sigh escaped. “The antivirus is more than just a stimulant. It’s designed to boost immunity to the vampire virus. Reversing the mortal dosing schedule for stimulants seemed logical. But vampires experience a longer Delta sleep cycle than mortals. That’s the deep stage of sleep where DNA repair occurs. In vampires, it’s a more complex repair that rejuvenates the body on a cellular level. I should have considered its boosting effects on the vaccine and tried giving him the injection at night before he fell into the regenerative sleep.”

  “Why would you have thought of it before if the vaccine was working?”

  “Because it could have been working better,” Megan said with a note of self-disgust. Something else she and Megan had in common. They were both too hard on themselves.