Heart of a Vampire, Book Bundle (Books 1-3)

by Amber Kallyn

  “Nay. But remember, for a thousand years, Connor has taken the job of hunting and killing demons. He’s done it for you. For all of us, our dead clan. Give him a bit of slack for being confused, and see if he doesn’t do the right thing.”

  She shrugged. She shouldn’t care what Connor did.

  She ignored the niggle in her chest reminding her of the love they shared, the emotions she still felt for him when she let her guard down. None of it mattered.

  Life had changed them both. The young, carefree children they’d once been no longer existed. Their love was gone.

  “I need to feed Sean,” she replied.

  Jordan nodded. “First, tell me what Laroche looks like.”

  Her heart fell, her stomach churned. “He’s here already?”

  “Aye.”

  She glanced around the kitchen, wildly, as her thoughts flew. She didn’t have a plan, nothing to assure Sean’s safety. “Maybe we should have left, fled—”

  Jordan stepped closer and took her shoulders in his hands. “Nay. You’ll be safe here. But I need to know what I can, so I can stop him.”

  Her thoughts coalesced. “You won’t be able to do it on your own.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Dear cousin, you forget I have a new clan, full of vampires, warriors. We will kill this demon, and make sure he never bothers you again.”

  His gaze shone with the truth behind his words, but still, Jordan didn’t know Laroche.

  “What do you need to know?”

  “What’s he look like?”

  “Tall, about six and a half feet. He’s a powerhouse, not just in physical strength, but magic. The demon is old, one of the oldest I ever met. He can change his looks whenever he wants, but in reality, he has dark hair, hawkish features.”

  “What else?”

  “He can steal power from other Arcaine creatures—Vampires, werewolves, he even took down a dragon once.”

  Jordan stepped back, leaning against the kitchen island. “Did he ever steal your earth magic?” he asked, all too knowing.

  “Aye. As often as he could. You see, stealing someone’s power only lasts for a little while.”

  “Is that the only reason he wants you back?”

  She avoided meeting his gaze as she lied, “Aye.”

  Jordan sighed. “Very well, then. We are hunting him tonight.”

  “I’m going with you.”

  As he began to shake his head, she added, “Laroche can shift his looks. I’m one of the few people who can see beneath his glamour. You need me, and I need to bring him down.”

  Jordan scratched his chin, considering her. “Will you be able to work with Connor?”

  Her heart skipped a beat, but she replied, “I can do anything to protect my son.”

  “Fine, then. We leave in an hour.”

  * * *

  Ashlyn carried the tray into Sean’s room, her heart softening at his snores. They were fake, but at least he was trying to lighten the mood.

  She put the tray of food on the table by the bed and then sat next to him.

  “Can’t fool you, ever,” he said, slitting one eye open.

  “Mothers always know.”

  He sat up, staring at the food.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  Shrugging, he said, “Confused.”

  She supposed that was better than the alternatives. “You know you can ask me any questions you have.”

  He stopped picking at the tray and met her gaze, smiling. “I know. And it’s all right. It was a shock, but I’ll get over it.”

  She studied his green eyes. “Are you sure?”

  “Yup. Now, are you going to share or are you trying to overfeed me to make me feel better?”

  She chuckled as she reached for some cheese. After a half-hour, talking to him and eating, she assured herself he really would be all right. She left him playing a video game on his laptop and hurried to her room to get ready for the hunt.

  She might not have a plan, but something had hit her, while talking to Sean.

  For the first time, they had help. Others would be with her, facing the demon. She’d noticed the way Jordan’s vampires watched her, treating both her and Sean as if they belonged.

  It was a strange thing to wrap her mind around.

  And for the first time she could remember, her anger at Laroche eclipsed her fear. With the others, they had a chance at destroying him.

  She didn’t quite know what to make of it, but she embraced it.

  And what she’d told Jordan had been true. She could do anything if it meant keeping her son safe, even if the thought of working with Connor made her emotions jump right back on the twisty, turning roller coaster of misery.

  * * *

  Connor shouted, “What do you mean she’s coming?”

  Jordan smiled mysteriously. “It’s her right. The demon is after her and Sean.”

  “She should stay home where she’s safe,” he muttered, his gut clenching. He didn’t want Ashlyn in any danger. At the castle, she’d be safe.

  He glanced up as she strode through the doorway.

  Her red curls were tied up in a bun. The black jeans and white t-shirt she wore emphasized her every curve. Lust sucker punched him in the gut.

  With swords strapped to criss-cross her back, a wicked looking dirk at her waist, and her eyes fired red with an intense need for a fight, she certainly didn’t look like a woman who needed protecting.

  But that didn’t matter. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe from harm, from being hurt in any way.

  Damn. He’d been a blind fool.

  All he’d seen was his lover with a demon half-breed, not the woman she’d become. Now, knowing she’d spent the last millennia protecting her son—their son—his heart ached.

  “Quit looking at me like that,” she muttered. “We have a job to do.”

  “How was I looking at you?”

  She shook her head, refusing to answer.

  The rest of the group filed in, Shane and Brandon, Dalia and Nora.

  Jordan stiffened. “You are staying home,” he commanded Dalia, his voice full of warning.

  She smiled up at him, and winked. “Love you too, babe. Try and make me.”

  Ashlyn stared at them, her lips twitching.

  Dalia faced the room. “Jordan, Brandon and Shane will take The Roost, with me. You three, Henry’s Bar. We’ll have other warriors around the town, waiting for a call if we find the demon.” Her gaze swung to Ashlyn. “Jordan told me about Laroche. Luckily for us, I can see through most glamour, so both our groups will be covered.”

  Twenty minutes later, they split up, Jordan’s group taking a monstrous pick-up truck.

  Ashlyn walked apart from Connor, as if wanting to keep distance between them as they followed Nora to her bright red Camaro.

  “Nice car,” Ashlyn said, running a hand over the doorframe.

  “Thanks.” Nora grinned.

  Connor crammed into the back seat, his gaze repeatedly drawn to Ashlyn. She sat stiffly, as if she knew he watched her, but otherwise ignored him.

  “So, how long have you been a vampire?” she asked Nora.

  “Long enough,” was the woman’s laughing response. “I like your swords.”

  “Me too,” Ashlyn replied.

  Connor silently groaned. He was supposed to face the demon with two women who were heading into a fight, chitchatting as if they were merely on a shopping trip?

  “Do either of you take things seriously?” he grumbled.

  “Why should we be depressed and gloomy?” Nora asked.

  “He’s an idiot. Ignore him,” Ashlyn replied.

  Connor jerked back against the seat and shut up as they continued to joke with each other.

  Finally, Nora pulled into the parking lot of Henry’s Spitfire Bar. She shut off the engine and got out, striding to the trunk. She slipped a jacket on over her weapons, then glanced critically over him and Ashlyn.

  “Ya’ll
have a way to hide those weapons from the humans inside? Don’t want to freak them out.”

  Ashlyn raised her hands, pulled out a couple pins, and let her hair fall down her back.

  Connor tried taking a breath, but his lungs didn’t work.

  Nora eyed him. “How ’bout you?”

  He forced himself to look away from Ashlyn. “No one will notice my katana.”

  Nora shrugged. “Fine, then.”

  The women strode toward the bar and Connor had to shake himself before hustling to catch up. Ashlyn was making him crazed. Between fury switching cold, replaced by admiration, and a lot of lust, being around her was killing him.

  Chapter Nine

  As Ashlyn walked into the bar, all she could feel was Connor’s gaze burning into her back. She tried to ignore it, but on the drive, with Nora keeping up the light, teasing conversation, she’d been able to relax, even in Connor’s presence.

  Her guard had come down a little.

  It sucked.

  She was aware of his presence on so many levels she couldn’t ignore it. And yet, all she could think about was how he’d turned from her and Sean when she’d told him the truth.

  Jordan’s words whispered in her mind. Give him time? Another chance to show he wasn’t a complete jerk?

  She didn’t know if she could.

  As they took a table at the back of the bar, she tried to put as much distance between them as possible. Nora helped by keeping up the conversation, even though her gaze was shrewd and alert as she scanned everyone in the room.

  Sitting with her back to the wall, Ashlyn did the same. There were two men at the bar itself, their backs to her, who she narrowed in on.

  Barely able to make out their reflection in the mirror, Ashlyn tried not to stare.

  She didn’t feel Laroche’s power, didn’t smell him, but he could hide both of those as easily as his true looks. Though she felt confident seeing through his glamour, hiding his power was more intrinsic to his magic, something she might not be able to pierce. She couldn’t rely on those senses.

  “I don’t think he’s here,” she said.

  Connor nodded, and continued to watch the people.

  A waitress stopped at their table. “Hiya folks, I’m Rae. What can I get you?”

  Nora smiled at the burlesque woman. “Whiskey if you please.”

  “Certainly, darlin’.”

  Connor ordered the same.

  “I’ll just have some water,” Ashlyn replied.

  “Aren’t you a cheap date,” Nora said with a grin.

  The waitress left, and Ashlyn continued to scan the crowd, looking for any telltale sign of Laroche or his demons.

  As the waitress brought their drinks, the scent of sulfur rose, choking the air. Ashlyn straightened, while Nora rubbed the hilt of the dagger at her waist. Connor froze, watching the doorway.

  A girl entered, perhaps twenty or so. She was a tiny thing, though the minimal clothing she wore proclaimed her all woman. Long blonde hair was tipped at the end with blue. Her gaze shone pure red as she looked over the bar.

  “Demon,” Connor muttered, body tense as if to leap.

  “You know, they’re not all evil,” Ashlyn snapped.

  He glanced at her, eyes wide with disbelief, then shook his head. “Every one I’ve met.”

  “Then perhaps you should get out more,” she growled.

  The girl sidled through the tables, and sat on a bar stool in between the two men Ashlyn had been watching.

  Connor started to stand, but Nora clamped a hand on his arm. “We wait. We watch. You can’t go over there just because she’s a demon.”

  “You two. You really think she’s not associated with Laroche?”

  “No,” Nora said.

  At the same time, Ashlyn replied, “Nay. But regardless, we need to see what’s going to happen before we act.”

  Connor mumbled something under his breath. His fangs peeked between his lips and his eyes blazed red, but he stayed in his seat.

  Ashlyn concentrated on the woman at the bar, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang at the sight of Connor’s deep hatred for the demon.

  She needed to remember this moment, his reaction, the next time her emotions rose to confuse her.

  He would never accept her son.

  She could never accept who Connor had become.

  The woman at the bar scooted closer to the guy on her right, talking to him so softly, Ashlyn couldn’t make out her words.

  The man nodded, his face lighting, and she figured the gist of the conversation.

  The guy stood, hand on the girl’s back, and they started to leave the bar together.

  “Me thinks someone just found dinner,” Nora stated.

  “Let’s go,” Ashlyn replied, already rising.

  “It’s about time,” Connor grumbled as he led the way to the door.

  Outside, Ashlyn sniffed the air. The overpowering scent of sulfur said there were more demons than just the girl.

  “Be careful,” she whispered, heading along the side of the bar.

  Connor tried to push past her, to lead the way.

  She glared at him until he sighed, resigned, then continued on, with Nora between them.

  At the corner of the building, the smells grew so thick she nearly gagged. Memories of dark dungeons and demons who enjoyed torture and pain flittered through her mind. She clamped the door shut on that dark, depressing room in her soul.

  Peeking around the corner, she spotted the girl and the man she’d culled from the bar patrons. They were heading across the parking lot, toward the thick, shadowy forest.

  Connor reached her side and glanced at the demon. “Let’s go.”

  “We wait. They’ll see us if we go now.”

  “So?” he asked, his voice thick with anger. “It’s not like I can’t take them in a fight.”

  Nora spoke up. “If we kill them all now, how are we going to find out where Laroche is?”

  Connor grinned, his fangs sharp and deadly. “Easy.”

  He dashed from the side of the building, crossing the parking lot with silent, catlike grace.

  Shrugging, Ashlyn nodded to Nora and they followed, keeping to the shadows.

  The demon lazily strolled through the lot with the man.

  At the edge of the forest, they caught up to her. She gasped as three vampires, all with weapons in hand, appeared around her.

  “Sir, you’ll need to return to the bar,” Nora said.

  “But—”

  “Now,” Connor stated.

  The guy swung around. When his gaze fell on Connor, his eyes widened and he glanced from him to the girl, and back. Turning, he strode away, muttering, “Damn vampire business.”

  The girl grinned. “Don’t know what vamps want with me.”

  Connor stepped forward, bringing his arm up. He held his katana, the blade glinting in the moon light. “Laroche.”

  The girl hissed and spun, darting into the trees.

  Ashlyn followed, Nora and Connor right beside her.

  In the shadows of the forest, the girl’s flight was slow, loud. She wanted them to chase her, right into the arms of the others Ashlyn could smell.

  Dodging around a tree, Ashlyn came face-to-face with a demon. He looked like a fifteen-year-old boy, except for the glowing red eyes and the mouthful of shark-like teeth.

  She swung her sword at his neck, but he jumped out of her reach. Nora flashed by them, heading for yet another demon who’d appeared.

  The boy raced at Ashlyn, hands tipped with claws as he swung, trying to slice her sword arm.

  Grinning, she slid out her second sword, and faced him with both weapons.

  He blinked, then his eyes widened and he whispered, “Ash-y-lyn.”

  So, Laroche had prepared his minions.

  She swung her blades, one at his head, the other at his legs. The kid moved quickly, but she was an old vampire, and he had nothing on her.

  Her left sword sliced into his calf and
he tumbled to the ground, screaming.

  Ashlyn approached, laying her blades on either side of his neck. “Where is Laroche?”

  The boy’s gaze darted above her head.

  Pain ripped down her back as another demon dropped from a tree, his claws slicing through clothes and skin.

  She grunted, used to holding in the sounds of agony. Spinning, she slashed her swords at the new threat, a man of about thirty.

  He was quicker than the boy. Power rose around them, making the air zing with static and pricks of electricity as he called his magic.

  Hellish flames sprung from the ground at her feet, licking up her legs. She dropped one of her swords as she jumped, grasping the nearest branch with her free hand.

  Swinging her body, she let herself fly through the air. Her boots slammed into the man’s chest and he smashed into a tree.

  Calling her own earth magic, she whispered to the power around her, then turned his flames against him.

  They flickered blue from her magic, then zipped along the leaf-strewn ground, leaving a scorched path behind. As the bluish-red fire touched his feet, the man screamed.

  The flames crawled up his body as he contorted in agony. His mouth opened in silent screams as his skin blackened.

  Ashlyn turned, not wanting to watch the fire consume him.

  The boy was gone.

  A hand fell on her shoulder and she spun, blade up.

  “What the hell was that?” Connor demanded.

  She glanced back at the body-shaped pile of black ashes on the ground, then shrugged, ignoring the sting of the lashes down her back. Her mind clouded as the poison from the demon’s claws began making its way into her blood. “Where’s Nora?”

  “Watching our demon.”

  After grabbing her other sword, she said, “Let’s go.” She followed Connor deeper into the forest.

  In a small clearing, Nora sat on a boulder, staring at the girl from the bar. The demon was trussed up, glaring and screaming curses.

  Connor reached her and lifted the girl by the arm. “Where is Laroche?”

  She spat in his face.

  He raised his katana, letting the tip rest along her throat. Blood welled from a shallow cut as she tried to wiggle away.

  Nora rose, and closed the distance until she was inches from the girl’s face. “You can answer the question, or you can die.”