by Amber Kallyn
Her nails dug into her palm, even through the blanket. She relished the pain as it helped her focus on the thoughts tumbling through her mind.
A knock came at the door. It creaked open. Jordan’s spicy scent swept over her, calming her a tiny bit.
She kept her eyes shut as he moved through the room to her side. The overpowering scent of blood hit, and her teeth extended. One pierced her tongue and she swallowed the sweet taste.
Jordan’s presence eased over her skin like a comforting pressure. “Here,” he said huskily.
She cracked open her eyes. A cup hovered in front of her face.
Part of her wanted to refuse, but when her gaze locked on his neck, Dalia knew she was doomed.
He helped her sit up, his touch only enflaming the fire beneath her skin. She took the cup, her hands so shaky, red liquid spilled and dribbled down the side. It spattered onto the blanket, leaving dark red blotches.
Feeling equal needs to cry and to throw something, she took a deep breath and drank. The blood was delicious, sweet and thick. It hit her stomach and the blinding pain eased.
Jordan took the cup and placed it on the nightstand before sitting next to her. His heat caressed her. His thigh pressed against hers through the blanket.
Her hunger changed to the startling heat of desire.
She looked him over, enjoying the way his slacks tightened across the muscles of his legs, how his dress shirt only enhanced his chest and biceps.
Strength.
Protection.
Her gaze traveled over his face, his square jaw, wide lips, blue eyes showing a matching interest.
She licked her lips. His gaze snapped to her mouth and his hands curled into fists. Sparking tension filled the air.
Jordan surged to his feet uncomfortably. “We must talk. Come, this isn’t the place.” He strode to the door and out into the hall.
Dalia blinked as desire faded to a simmer. She’d been attracted to men before, but never with such intensity. Shaking her head to clear it, she stumbled out of bed.
“Come,” Jordan ordered again.
His orders were getting to be tiring. But after a quick glance in the mirror to make sure her hair wasn’t sticking up all over the place, she left the bedroom.
He led her through the endless maze of hallways, all filled with people who stopped to stare. Whispers followed their progress.
Jordan strode through the kitchen, nodding to a man at the stove, and through another door. Dalia followed him outside. Surprised, she studied the beautiful garden. Flowers bloomed everywhere, filling the air with their perfume. She’d never even seen half of the varieties growing here.
The cool night air brushed over her heated skin. It helped her thoughts slow and become more manageable.
The single path soon branched out in three different directions. Another maze. Jordan took the left one and soon they were in a circular clearing.
In the middle a huge fountain flowed. A mermaid rose from the center. Her tail was delicately crafted, scales painted in a rainbow of colors. Her hair had been artfully chiseled to tumble over her shoulders and cover a bountiful chest. Water spouted from a conch shell in her raised hand.
Jordan sat on one of the stone benches facing the fountain and waved her to his side. She perched on the far end of the cold seat.
The man from the kitchen entered the clearing, holding a wide silver tray. He bowed to Jordan, then waited. At Jordan’s nod, the guy laid the tray on the bench near Dalia. Then he left, not sparing even a glance her way.
With a flourish, Jordan whipped off the cover, revealing an array of meats, cheeses and breads. “Eat.” He watched her closely, his expression hard, his voice indifferent.
Startled, she met his gaze. He studied her as if she were a stranger. “We eat. It helps sustain our humanity, among other things.”
“So how come I can’t just eat food?”
“It is how we are. We also need blood to survive.”
She couldn’t look away from his darkening gaze as she reached for a piece of roast beef and nibbled at it. The flavors exploded in her mouth and it was all she could do not to wolf it all down. It was good, better than anything she’d ever tasted before.
He tilted his head. “Would it be easier if I turned away?”
“Yes,” she replied with relief as her stomach churned greedily.
He left the bench to stand in front of the fountain and watch the water flow. Dalia ripped into the food, glancing at his back every once in a while to make sure he wasn’t spying on her piggishness. She couldn’t help herself. The burning in her belly was nearly consuming. Finally, only crumbs remained. She pushed the tray, the metal scraping lightly on the stone bench.
He looked over his shoulder, then returned to his seat. “How do you feel?” he asked after a long moment.
“Fine.”
He raised a brow. “Still hungry?”
Yes, but the desire for food was gone. “When will the need to jump on other people and bite them disappear?”
“Most fledglings take months to gain some control.” He shifted on the bench. “With you, I can’t say. You are different.”
“And you won’t tell me why.”
“I don’t know for certain.” His tone held a strange note. He had some ideas, even if he wasn’t sharing them with her.
Too many questions with no answers in sight. It was too much, the confusion, the strange hungers. This man who turned hot and cold at a switch.
She stared at the fountain, not really seeing it. “How long have you been a vampire?”
“A very long time.”
She glared at him. “Do you ever give a straight answer?”
His shoulders tightened. “Just over a thousand years.”
“Seriously?”
He matched her heated glare.
“Sorry, it’s just... that’s a long time.”
“Aye. I know.”
The silence stretched between them, but it was comfortable somehow. She slowly relaxed and began to enjoy being outdoors beneath the night sky, even if it was hard to see past the towering trees and their interlacing the branches. She’d never seen trees so large. From what she could tell, they surrounded the whole castle.
“How is there a castle like this in Arizona?” she asked, gazing at the gray stones towering above them.
He shrugged. “It came from my homeland.”
“Scotland?”
“Aye.”
“Why?”
His eyes narrowed, flaring a bit of red. “It reminds me of the past.”
Interesting. She wouldn’t have pegged him as sentimental.
Jordan rubbed his hands together, then changed the subject. “Tell me the last thing you remember before you woke.”
“I stepped out of my parents house, heading for the garage. I was thinking about my friends, and some shoes I wanted to buy. Then nothing until you.” She paused. “Is memory loss common?”
“Nay.”
She tugged at a strand of hair. “I’m just all sorts of unusual, I guess.”
Jordan snorted. Dalia looked up and caught his fleeting grin.
“You never told me why Thomas kidnapped me, or why he turned me into a vampire.”
He shifted on the bench to face her. “He was a Master vampire who didn’t follow the rules. There were many he took and held, doing unspeakable things. Humans he kept around for food.”
Her heart stopped for a second. “I was... dinner?”
“Aye. So it seems.”
“I’m almost glad I don’t remember.”
“It would be better if you did. There are many questions I need answers to.”
She laughed bitterly. “You think you have questions? Try waking up and finding yourself a creature you’ve never believed existed.”
“I have done so. I do understand how you feel.” His eyes softened and she lost herself in the sympathy and shared remembrance.
Her pulse sped up as the tension changed, sensual onc
e more.
An electric spike flowed between them.
Her canines lengthened as all her senses sharpened. His scent filled her. Awareness of his every movement, his every breath, surrounded her.
His eyes darkened. His presence expanded with his every breath, commanding her attention, filling her mind with nothing but him.
“What is this between us?” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
The spell broken, she turned from him, breathing deep. “Lust?”
“Nay. It is more.”
What was more than lust? She didn’t even know him, but her body certainly wanted him.
Running her hands through her hair, she tried to change the subject. “So, if I was Thomas’ food, why did he make me a vampire?”
Jordan stood, his shoulders tight, and strode to the side of the fountain, tucking his hands in his pockets.
When he finally faced her, his jaw was clenched, lips pressed tight. “Thomas didn’t turn you.”
She blinked. “What?”
He pulled his fisted hands from his pockets as he ground out, “I am the one who changed you.”
Chapter Three
Dalia’s mind froze as her body went numb. “You?” A sharp pain struck her chest and she rubbed her knuckles over her breast bone. The crushing weight of betrayal pressed at her from all sides. “Why?”
“I had no choice.”
She swallowed the pain. Jumping to her feet, she stared at him. “There’s always a choice. No one asked me if I wanted to be a monster. If you freed me from Thomas, why didn’t you just let me go? Let me go home. Away from all this craziness?”
“It was this or death. You would not have survived.”
The image of her family exploded in her mind. When shame at the thought of them seeing her like this bloomed, fury replaced the numbness. “You should have let me die.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
Jordan stepped closer, raising his hand as if to touch her. Instead, he let it fall back to his side. “I don’t know.”
She growled at him. “That’s not an answer.”
“There’s something about you that calls me.”
As the air filled with the soft reminder of desire, she glared at him. “You did this so we could have sex?”
He blinked and jerked back. “What? Nay. Never.”
A red haze covered her vision, and she barely heard what he said. “Good. Cause we will never have sex. I’m not some play toy.”
His face hardened as if she’d insulted him. “All is well then, because I have no desire to have any sort of relationship with you.”
The pain in her chest solidified. She couldn’t stand here arguing with him or she’d do something stupid like slap the asshole. Her anger rose, taking control. She didn’t like anything she was feeling. Her emotions swirled, a rollercoaster ride she didn’t want to be on.
She wanted, needed, the comfort of home, to be surrounded by warmth and love. Not the cold darkness of this place filled with monsters.
Monsters like her.
She spun and raced away from Jordan and all the pain, stumbling through rows of flowers to the forest nearby. The long stone path twisted and turned. She pushed by other people, barely seeing them through the red haze still covering her vision, made blurry as tears of frustration spilled.
No one tried to stop her.
It seemed like forever before she found her way deep into the shadows of the trees. The serenity of nature only made everything worse. The ugliness of what she’d become glared in the face of such beauty.
She ran faster, pushing herself past the stitch in her side and the ache in her legs. Branches whipped against her skin. She welcomed the pain. Embraced it.
It helped hold back the frightened, lost voice screaming from deep in her soul. She didn’t know who she was now, or if there would ever be an escape from this insanity.
* * *
Jordan listened to the sounds of Dalia’s flight into the forest. The wind carried her soft keening cries to him. His chest ached with regret. Not for turning her, but for something else he couldn’t quite name.
Brandon stepped from the shadows, the towering Viking wearing his usual look of disdain.
“Do you want me to retrieve her?” the guard asked.
“No.” Jordan sat on the edge of the fountain. “Let her run. Everything she’s learned has been a shock.”
Brandon scowled. “I don’t like this. She should be watched.”
“She’s no danger.” Yet, to his surprise and confusion, he realized she was. To him.
Brandon slipped into the shadows, moving back toward the castle.
Jordan sighed. Dalia’s accusation that they were monsters burned in his gut. Was that how she truly saw him, or was it emotion? She was so young, innocent.
The urge to protect her had been growing since he first saw her.
He still didn’t understand what about her compelled him. And she was so much more vibrant now that she’d woken. He could sense her no matter where she went. She affected him on deep levels he’d forgotten existed.
He certainly hadn’t turned her for sex though, as she’d accused. The very idea fired his anger. He’d spoken the truth about not wanting a relationship. His responsibilities were more important than his personal life.
The vampires of his clan expected him to lead them, keep them safe, help them solve their problems. His first duty was to his people. As King, he had to put them above himself.
It had never been a problem before. He would make certain it wasn’t now.
The familiar scent of lilac perfume drifted on the breeze and he schooled his expression, turning to watch Fionah glide toward him.
He studied her face, trying to determine her mood.
She sat by his side, sending him a shy smile and took his hand in hers.
“How are you tonight, sister?” he asked, relaxing. She was the child again, at least for now.
“Fine.” She rocked side to side, her shoulder bumping his. “I thought you were going to have dinner with me tonight?”
“I apologize. My duties took longer than expected.”
She sighed. “They always do, brothair. You’re a king. You should order your people to do stuff, so you can have fun sometimes.”
He shrugged, knowing argument was useless.
Her hand tightened on his and she stopped swaying. He glanced into her eyes as the change finished.
She blinked as if awakening from a dream and glanced around the garden. “Where’s your new vampire? I heard you brought her out here.”
“Aye. Dalia’s in the forest.”
Fionah’s eyes drifted closed and she tilted her head. “Running away?”
“She won’t go far.”
Her grip on his hand tightened more. “I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“This girl. She’s unusual.”
“True, but there’s nothing to worry about.”
“You seem to be... well, it concerns me.”
“Have you had a vision?”
“Nay. Not recently.” She giggled, always a strange sound when she was in this mood. The sound was a cross between a crow squawking and an infant squalling. “But one never knows when they’ll come upon me.”
“All will be well then.”
She let go of his hand to run her fingers through the water. “I fear not, but perhaps. We will see, I suppose.”
“Something else worries you.”
She stared at the ripples in the water. “People have been talking.”
“People always talk.”
“They say you look at her differently.”
He stiffened. “I do no such thing.”
“Men.” She shook her head as she sat up and met his gaze. “I just worry. Remember your previous love and all she cost us.”
Jordan locked his emotions down and told her, “I will never forget. But Dalia is not my love.”
Fionah’s eyes grew dr
eamy. “Perhaps.” She leaned over and kissed his cheek before standing and heading deeper into the gardens.
He watched her go, thoughts spinning. He could never figure his sister out, not even after a millennium by her side. Part of it was the visions she’d had since a young girl. She could see the future, sometimes others’ pasts. Uncontrollable and unchangeable, the visions had slowly driven her slightly mad.
Her words worried him though.
Certainly he was drawn to Dalia. But he would let it go no further.
Haunting words of love and fate drifted to him on the wind. Shocked, he straightened, turning to stare at the forest.
Nay. She couldn’t be his fate. He had no time or inclination for a mate. And he would have nothing to do with the treacherous emotion called love.
* * *
Dalia tripped over an uncovered tree root. She sprawled on the leaf-strewn ground. The air punched from her lungs. Sharp sticks and rocks dug into her legs and belly. Curling into a ball, she let tiredness sweep through her. Her thoughts spun, jumbled and painful.
A husky growl came from a bush to her left. A wolf stepped into the moonlight. It was more than twice as large as any she’d ever seen in the back-country of Montana on her family’s ranch.
The huge wolf shook its shaggy, whitish-gray fur. It’s bright blue gaze, full of hunger, locked on her. It growled again, lips curling to show long, sharp teeth.
She scrambled to her feet, unwilling to stay on the ground like prey. She sidled to the nearest tree, putting her back to it. “H-hey, wolfy.” Her voice trembled.
Another wolf stepped out of the shadows, just as overgrown as the first. Its fur was a reddish-brown but for one startling bright white paw.
Its blue eyes locked on her. Both wolves inched closer, their growls loud in the silence of the forest.
“You don’t want to eat me. I’m scrawny.” She inched to the side of the tree, glancing over the ground for a weapon.
The first wolf jumped.
Dalia raced around the tree, putting it between her and the wolves. Near her feet lay a thick branch. She swept it up and waved it at the wolves.
The white moved to her left, the red to her right.
She held the branch tighter. “Why don’t you guys go find a nice deer or something.”