Owen nearly jumped out of his skin. Dallin had appeared out of nowhere, coming into the room silently. His bright blue eyes were stunning, and Owen found that he couldn’t look away from them, even though he tried. Dallin was a handsome man, with blond hair and a cherub’s face. He didn’t look like a monster, but Owen had seen enough over the last few days to know that he was the most vicious vampire that he’d ever heard of.
Dallin saw Owen looking his way and smiled at him. The effect was eerie, but Owen found that he suddenly had the urge to walk over to Dallin and offer up his own throat to please him.
“Did you find my woman, Simon?” Dallin asked the brown-haired vampire.
“Yes, Sir. And no.”
“I don’t understand.”
“She’s been captured by the Lycans. The filthy wolf-men killed Thomas, but I was able to get away.”
“How did you manage that?”
“Thomas threw his opponent, a light-colored wolf, at a tree and was about to kill him when his companion came to his aid. While they were distracted, I ran. But not before I found out where she is.”
Dallin sat regally on a large throne against the wall, crossing his legs unhurriedly as he waited for Simon to continue.
“The two Lycans, the ones that we fought, they found her in the woods. They didn’t say it, but we could smell their scent all over her trail. Before the first wolf let me go to help his friend, I smelled human all over him.”
Simon glanced at Owen and Beth again, the need for human blood evident on his face. He was hungry, but he restrained himself.
“Did you get their names?” said Dallin. His voice was calm, but Simon fidgeted.
“I know who the light-colored werewolf is,” said Owen. “He’s the one that took me to the woods.” Owen couldn’t hide the smile in his voice when he spoke. He’d been planning on retrieving the girl for Dallin, but he also had a score to settle with the two Lycans who’d left him in the woods to die.
Dallin’s smile widened. He dismissed Simon with a sweep of his arm, releasing the man from the torture of standing so close to the humans when he was starving for blood.
“It looks like saving you turned out to be a good investment. You’ll leave at sunrise, and you’ll take Beth and her husband with you. The villagers will be suspicious of a man travelling alone. But an elderly couple won’t get a second glance. Eat your fill tonight and get some rest. I expect to have my prize returned to me by tomorrow night.”
Dallin stood, walking towards the hall that led to the outer door. He hesitated, turning back to address Owen.
“Once you have the girl tied and handed over to Beth, you’re free to seek your revenge against the filthy wolves. If you survive, you’re welcome here. I can always use more.”
Without another word, Dallin left to feed for the night.
Beth finished spreading the dye throughout his hair, and then left to fetch him dinner. Owen took his meal at the massive table alone, enjoying the silence and trying to ignore the smell of dye that hovered over his head.
Chapter 4
Lizette awoke early the next morning, finding herself alone in bed. She rolled out of bed and pulled on the clothes that Maeve had loaned her, trying to ignore the constant itching of the rough fabric against her skin.
She made the bed before heading to the door, but stopped in her tracks when she heard Sterling and Conrad arguing in the common area.
“Conrad, there’s more to her story. There had to be. Why else would Dallin be so interested in one specific human?”
“Does it matter? We’re bound to protect humans at all costs. What makes her less worthy?”
“She’s not, but I worry that having her here is putting the village in danger.”
“So what do you propose, just turning her loose in the forest and hoping that Dallin stops sending his minions once he has her?”
Lizette’s hand flew to her mouth. She couldn’t go back, and there was no way she could survive on her own. Even if she ran past the village and into the surrounding forest until she came across another town, she would never be able to stop running. Dallin would move heaven and earth to find her.
“No. I’m not saying that,” said Sterling.
“Then what are you saying?” said Conrad.
“I don’t know. I just think we should look at this with an unbiased eye. Having her here is no good, but we can’t protect her if she’s not here. We can’t put her in the village; that would be a disaster.”
“So you don’t have a plan, you just have a problem with Lizette,” said Conrad.
“It’s not her, the problem is Dallin. But you cannot deny that as long as she’s here, no one is safe.”
The shouting ceased, and from her place in the bedroom, she could no longer make out their words. She left the door and sat on the bed, trying to figure out what she should do. They were right. As long as she, Lizette, was in their home, no one was safe. By saving her life, they’d brought danger onto themselves and the entire village they were sworn to protect.
Lizette was lost in thought when Conrad rapped softly on the bedroom door. She pulled the covers around her quickly, pretending to yawn wide as she muttered for him to come in.
Conrad came through the door and sat on the bed. He smiled at Lizette and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
“I need to go into town. Sterling will be here with you. Is there anything particular that you would like me to bring back?”
Lizette shook her head no, not trusting herself to speak. Conrad leaned towards her, kissing her softly on the cheek before standing.
“I’ll be back soon. You get some rest. There’s food in the kitchen and Sterling will be just outside, cutting firewood.”
He strode to the door, leaving almost as quickly as he’d come in. Lizette sat under the blankets for a moment, making sure he was gone. She gathered her things and stuffed them into a satchel before walking out of the room and into the hall.
Already, the rhythmic sound of someone cutting wood outside echoed through the house. Lizette peeked through a window, dismayed to see that Sterling was turned to face the cabin, obviously keeping an eye out in case Lizette tried to run again. Because the house was built into the high wall of the town, it had only one exit. She would have to wait until Sterling was distracted, or until he came inside to use the facilities. Disappointed, she decided the raid the kitchen for food to take, and to eat breakfast while she waited. It wouldn’t do her any good to run on an empty stomach, and the next town was at least a day’s run east. With the sun well up and the morning half gone, she’d have to push herself non-stop to make it to safety in time.
Sterling walked into the house, sweat dripping down his brow. He eyed her satchel and her clothes before heading into the kitchen for some water.
He returned to the common room, cup in hand, wiping his brow with a damp rag.
“You can leave if you’re wanting to. I won’t stand in your way.”
Lizette blushed, opening her mouth to deny his accusation. Thinking better of it, she kept quiet.
“Conrad will miss you, as will I, but you’re more trouble than any woman is worth bringing you here.”
He took a long swallow of the water, watching her as he did.
“If you leave, it won’t make a difference. The vamps are already venturing into the forest against the treaty. They have big plans, with or without you. The only person you leaving is going to affect is you.”
“I didn’t know. I just ran as fast as I could away from him. I’m so sorry Sterling. If I had known—”
“You would have run anyway. No one blames you for wanting to save your own skin.” He motioned towards the door. “The door is open. Leave if you must, but it won’t change anything.”
When Lizette didn’t move, Sterling continued. “If you choose to stay, I need you to be certain. Commit to leaving or commit to staying, but I can’t defend the village from vampires if I’m busy worrying about you running away. The bigges
t help you can give us is to stay put when we tell you, and quit trying to run away. Once we’ve defeated Dallin and his clan, you will be free to go.”
Lizette’s eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t know what to say. In her short life, no one had ever been kind to her. Hands sitting clasped together in her lap, she hung her head, trying not to cry.
Sterling stood up, grumbling to himself and walking briskly out the door. A quick check out the window revealed that he was now facing away from the cabin as he finished cutting wood for the growing woodpile against the house. It would be winter soon.
Lizette didn’t have the heart to leave; at least not today. Sterling was right; the more energy they had to waste on making sure she didn’t leave, the harder it would be to defeat the vampires when they descended on the village. She knew as well as anyone that Dallin wouldn’t stop once he had Lizette in his clutches. To save herself, she was going to have to do her part to protect the people of Bradenton.
Chapter 5
It was early afternoon when Conrad returned from the town, carrying a heavy brown package over his shoulder. Lizette was in the bedroom drying her long hair and she heard the door open.
“Where’s Lizette?”
“She’s in the bedroom. What’s that?”
Heavy paper crinkled, but neither of the Lycans said anything. Lizette was curious, but she wanted to finish her hair before she went to investigate. Her curly hair was wild enough; if she didn’t comb it before it dried, she’d end up looking like an Angora rabbit.
“I need to hunt, we’re low on meat. I’ll be back before sundown.”
Without another word, Sterling left.
Footsteps echoed down the empty hallway as Conrad came towards the room. Lizette finished quickly, pulling her shirt back over her head an instant before Conrad knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Conrad walked in, heavy brown paper slung over his shoulder. He flopped the package onto the bed.”
“Go on. Open it.”
Lizette grabbed the ends of the tiny bow between her fingers, pulling the twine until it opened and let the paper fall to the side. Before her was several dresses, all finely made and brightly colored.
Lizette ran her finger along the edge of one collar, admiring the ornate stitching that had obviously taken a great deal of time and skill to fashion. She looked up at Conrad.
“Are these mine?”
“Yes. Do you like them?”
Lizette stared at the garments before her. He’d brought her four dresses. The top one was dark-green, the same color as her eyes. She gingerly laid the first dress to the side, gasping at the delicate blue sleeping gown below it. Like the first, the attention to detail on the stitching was superb. She picked up the blue dress, holding it against her face and relishing in the soft texture of the fine fabric.
She set the blue dress on top of the green one, picking up the next one. This one was pale lavender, with dark purple stitching and embroidery.
“Oh Conrad. This is too much. I can’t take these.”
“You haven’t seen the last one yet.”
Lizette set aside the lavender dress, picking the final one up from the bed. It was a house dress, meant for everyday use. But even this dress was finally made and more beautiful anything that Lizette had even worn.
Dark chocolate in color, the stitching and embroidery were done in a soft pink thread. The effect was very feminine and Lizette struggled not to cry.
“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I don’t deserve these.”
With a heavy heart, she packed the dresses back into the wrapping and wound the twine around them.
Conrad placed his hands on hers, stopping her.
“What’s wrong?”
“All I’ve done is bring trouble everywhere I go. I can’t take these. You’ve already done too much for me.”
Tears fell down her face and she struggled to hold them back.
“Of course you deserve them. I bought them for you because I wanted to. You never asked for them, and I doubt you ever would have. You deserve all this and more. Why don’t you see that?”
“No one has ever been this nice to me.”
“Not even when you were small?”
Lizette scoffed, “Especially not when I was small. I’m an orphan, and my mother had been an outcast, so I was the lowest of the low.”
“It doesn’t mean you weren’t worthy of compassion.”
“It would be nice if the caretakers at the orphanage thought so, but I spent most of my life begging. They told me each day how my mom had looked at my red hair, whispered “Esther” and died. I was doomed from the day I was born. As soon as I turned sixteen, they threw me out of the orphanage, so I lived on the streets. I made money braving the forest outside the town walls and collecting berries to sell.”
“How did you end up in Dallin’s lair?”
“I was out picking berries, and an older woman came up to me. She appeared out of nowhere. I thought she was lost at first, but she knew my name. Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled a bag over my head. I woke up, and the woman was bathing me, talking about how I was a hope for the new future. She was talking about fattening me up and preparing me for the rigors of childbirth. She took me outside, and the minute she wasn’t watching me, I ran for my life.”
Conrad moved the dresses aside, cupping her cheek and rubbing the tears from her face with his thumb.
“And then I found you,” said Conrad.
Lizette nodded, tears streaming unbidden down her face.
“Do you know why Dallin is so obsessed with you?”
She nodded, her throat catching a sob as she tried to regain her composure.
“When Dallin was attacked by the vampire who turned him, he was engaged to be married. His love was so strong that nothing could keep him away from his Esther, even becoming a vampire. The town’s people chased him out of town, and several attempted to kill him. Esther threw herself in front of him, taking a stake to the heart and saving his life.”
Lizette shuddered as she recounted the tale she’d heard numerous times in her eighteen years.
“He killed half the town that night, draining some of blood and turning other to join his army. He vowed that he would have his revenge.”
Chapter 6
Conrad waited patiently for Lizette to compose herself a little before he encouraged her to continue. He had a feeling he didn’t have half of the story yet.
“What does any of this have to do with you?”
“Esther was my great-great grandmother’s sister. When my mother saw my red hair as a baby, she thought I was the spitting image of Esther. Esther was only nineteen when she died.”
“So, Dallin won’t rest until he has you.”
“Exactly. He’s waited 200 years. He’s patient. He won’t stop until he’s destroyed.”
“That can be arranged.”
“It’s all my fault. If I had inherited my mother’s golden hair none of this would be happening. Dallin has a painting of Esther hanging in the main hall of his lair. If I didn’t know better, I would swear the painting was of me. Do you see now why I can’t take these dresses? Everywhere I go, I only cause pain. No matter what I do, I’m a burden.”
Conrad pulled her into his arms, hugging her against him and kissing her lips.
“You’re not a burden to me. I’m glad we found you.”
She searched his eyes. “Are you?”
“I don’t care what you are, or that you’re the spitting image of a woman long gone from this world. I love you for who you are.”
“You love me?”
Conrad was as surprised by his words as she. He hadn’t meant to declare his love, just to let her know that she wasn’t ruled by her station in life.
“I really do. I don’t know how that happened in such a short time, but I feel very deeply for you.”
She smiled softly at him, her tear-streaked face looking up into his. He kissed her for
ehead and held her close, breathing in the sweet smell of her freshly washed hair.
“Would you try one on for me?”
“Which one?”
“I think the blue one.”
Lizette moved back, looking at his face. He was smiling wickedly, the heat in his eyes unmistakable.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tear it when I take it off of you.”
Lizette blushed prettily. She stood quickly, grabbing the blue dress and ducking into the hallway to change.
She walked back into the room, dress flowing lightly from her waist, bare feet peeking out from beneath the hem.
“I’ll need to buy you some shoes, but the shoemaker makes them custom.”
She opened her mouth, but he held his hand up. “If you’re going to argue, save your breath. I won’t take no for an answer.”
Lizette closed her mouth, poking at the floor with her bare foot, trying to keep the blush from rising in her cheeks. Unaccustomed to receiving anything but harsh words, she really didn’t know what to say.
She stood in the middle of the floor, and Conrad stood. He walked around her slowly, admiring the fit. He congratulated himself on his good eye; the gown hugged her every curve, but softly. The effect was seductive yet sweet.
Standing behind her, he placed his hands on her shoulders and kissed her neck. A shiver ran through her, and she leaned against him. He towered over her and he could see into the neckline of her gown easily. Her soft breasts heaved against the fabric with each breath. He couldn’t see her nipples, but he could see enough.
Hands wrapping around her slender waist, he moved up until he was cupping her breast, his manhood swelling against her backside through the fabric of his pants. He held her breasts, feeling the weight with his hand while he moved her towards the bed.
Kisses trailed down her neck, pulling tiny moans from her throat as he worked his magic with his lips. Lizette struggled to contain herself, fighting the urge to throw herself on the bed and beg him to take her.
The fabric felt delicious against her skin, and her nipples hardened when the fabric rubbed against her under his hands. Heat radiated from her body, and Conrad could tell that she was already ready for him.
Two Wolves For Lizette Page 5