“You have to see this," he said, pushing from the chair. His hands on her hips steadied her when they rose as one.
“Come with me." Ky took her hand in his after she put the computer on the chair.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” Ky scooped her into his arms to keep her bare feet from harm as they made their way across the patch of land to the waterfront.
They emerged through the copse of trees in time to see four gray fins gliding through the water in their direction. Ky lowered her legs, her body moving in a sinuous slide down his. His arms wound around her small waist, pulling her back against his front.
“Are they sharks?” Lyn asked, wrapping her arms on top of Ky’s.
“No. They are dolphins. Look.” He pointed a long arm out toward the river as one of the dolphins leapt in the air. It spun head over tailfin sending tiny water droplets flying out into the water below. Their wake rippled the calm water, making the reflection of the moon sparkle on the river.
“I thought this was a river and dolphins swam in the ocean.”
“This river feeds into the ocean, so occasionally I have oceanic visitors.” Ky rested his chin on her shoulder.
“Oh look,” Lyn exclaimed when one of the dolphins did another flip. “They are beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you,” Ky whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her face.
She turned in his arms and their eyes met. He could almost drown in the warmth he saw in their chocolaty depths.
“You say the sweetest things, Ky. You really do.”
He caught her chin and took a kiss. A gentle brush of his lips against her. Her hands left his waist, burning a trail up his arms and over his shoulders to wrap around his neck.
Lyn deepened their caress, her lips parting in invitation as she tightened her arms around his neck. Ky willingly accepted her generous enticement. His tongue thrust between her lips to taste her. Their tongues dueled urgently, dancing between their mouths in a waltz as old as time.
He bent her over his arm. Her pliant body rested against his, and molded to his corded muscles. His hand fisted in her hair, holding her head at the exact angle he wanted. She was off balance, entirely at his mercy. Only the strength of his arms kept her from falling to the ground.
Their breath mixed, becoming one. Their hearts raced in unison with passion. Desire flowed between them like an electric current, heating his blood, driving his passion higher until the need made him dizzy.
His lips blazed a fiery trail along her jaw, down the creamy flesh of her throat, coming to a stop where her elegant shoulder met her throat. His tongue flicked out to taste her skin, finding her slightly salted by the night air. Her pulse beat hard beneath her flesh, the sound like the beat of tribal drums signaling his inner beast. His fangs lengthened from his gums. Her blood called to him, begged him to take her. His mouth opened. She trembled in his arms when he scraped his fangs over her throat.
Lyn turned her head, giving him better access, obviously unaware that what grazed her neck were fangs and not teeth. The realization acted like a splash of cold water.
She trusted him, believed in him to keep her safe not only from the monster of her nightmares but from him, as well. If he continued down their current path, he wasn’t sure he could restrain himself.
He found Lyn too tempting. She would allow him to take her here, now, on the sandy shore of their private island, but he could not allow that. He would not be with her until she knew what he was. She deserved his honesty. He refused to make love to her until she accepted him being of the breed.
He feathered kisses back up her neck, following the line of her jaw, until he once again found her soft lips. He straightened their bodies when he broke the kiss.
“We have a big day tomorrow.” Ky rested his forehead against hers, struggling to slow his breath. “Maybe we should try to get some sleep.”
Lyn brought her hand to her kiss-swollen lips, and looked up at him from under her hooded eyes, the expression on her face a mix of confusion and lust. “I-I guess you are right.”
He scooped her in his arms. “You just remember that tomorrow night when I’m bossing you around,” he teased heading for the house.
“Not that I’m complaining, boss, but I could walk you know,” she quipped as she wrapped one arm around his neck.
“You’re barefoot,” he pointed out. “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
“You just remember that tomorrow night while you’re bossing me around.” She threw his words back at him, with a mischievous smile that reached her eyes.
“Woman, you better watch it or I’ll throw you in the river.”
Her eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare!”
He switched directions, heading back toward the shore. She kicked her legs wildly, but his strides never faltered.
“Put me down, Ky…Ky something Robinson.” She stopped struggling and affected an inquisitive look. “Just what is your full name? You never did tell me.”
Ky smiled a lopsided grin, his feet stopping their march. “You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said, turning back around, once again heading for his home. “If you follow my directions tomorrow night to the letter, I’ll tell you my full name.”
Lyn rolled her eyes and pursed her lips, mulling his offer over. “Okay,” she said when they reached the house. “It’s a deal.”
Lyn snuggled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “And just so you know, I would have listened to you anyway.”
Chapter Five
Ky’s hands clamped down hard on the steering wheel, his knuckles bleaching of color. Concern for her safety weighed heavy upon his shoulders while he drove them to the park to face Lyn’s attacker. They rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Though Lyn seemed tense, she had refused to back out of the meeting.
To keep her from having to do this, he’d traced both the email and text from last night in a desperate final attempt to identify the vampire, but his efforts, like before, had been fruitless.
At least he would be there to protect her, and this time his opponent would not have the opportunity to dematerialize. He’d brought special handcuffs made from the one metal harmful to vampires. Once around his wrists the titanium cuffs would prevent the vampire from dematerializing. His plan included surprising the rogue, cuffing his wrists, and taking his head to ensure final death.
He pulled into the dirt parking lot, shut off the engine, then watched Lyn wind her long hair up on the back of her head and secure it with a clip. Her pink tongue darted out to lick her lips in a nervous flick.
She looked beautiful, dressed in a yellow sundress and matching sandals. He’d requested she wear her hair up, knowing that the exposure of her graceful neck would provide a distraction to the vampire. If she was going to have to lure the vampire, then her mate was determined to make sure they only had to do this once. She needed to distract the monster long enough for Ky to snap the cuffs around his wrists.
Ky exited the car, making his way around the hood to open the passenger door. Lyn took his proffered hand, allowing him to help her from the car. He noticed her legs trembled and heard the pace of her heartbeat increase, as she took in the thick night air. He tucked her under the safety of his arm, his lips brushing her temple with a kiss.
“It’s going to be all right, honey,” Ky breathed beside her ear. “I’ll be right here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He needed to believe that. He had never been so sincere in all the centuries of his life. If he failed to take one thing into consideration, it could cost her life and that price for his failure would be far too high.
****
Lyn wrapped an arm around Ky’s waist and pressed against his side, trying to find comfort in his words. She could not doubt the genuineness of his tone and knew, without a doubt, he would keep her safe. If she didn’t believe it she wouldn’t be
here, but things could go amiss. Best laid plans, as the saying went. She swallowed the lump in her throat, but it did nothing to help her twisting stomach.
“I know.” Her voice sounded shaky, even to her. She met his eyes. “I have faith in you…”
“But,” he prompted.
“But things can go wrong, Ky.”
Ky laced his fingers in hers, and led her along the wooden boardwalk that wove a trail through the trees. The boards, weathered from years of exposure to the elements, creaked under their feet. The pine and Banyan trees closed in around them creating a canopy of grayish-green. Spanish moss hung thickly from the foliage, swaying like ethereal limbs, reaching out, grabbing at them as they walked beneath the trees. The sight sent a shiver up Lyn’s spine to raise the tiny hairs on her neck.
“Let’s go over the plan one more time,” Ky offered. He pulled his fingers from hers to massage the tension from the nape of her neck. “You’ll wait by the statue in the clearing.”
“How will he find me? The email didn’t say where in the park I would be.”
“Don’t worry. Finding you will not be a problem for him.” Ky quickened their pace, their time growing short. “Before I hide, we’ll use your phone to call my cell. I’ll hear the moment he arrives, and I’ll come to get him.”
Lyn nodded, her free hand clasped her small purse to her side, protecting the phone within. “I forgot to charge my phone. What if it dies before he gets here?”
Ky drew tiny circles on her nape with the pad of his thumb. “I charged both of our phones before we left the island. They are fully charged.”
Daelyn breathed a sigh of relief. She should have known he could be trusted to take care of the finer details. Ky never missed a thing. From the way he knew she liked ketchup on her meatloaf, to the toothpaste she preferred to use, Ky noticed everything about her and did his best to make her feel comfortable while staying in his home.
He’d been a perfect gentleman, almost too perfect. It would be easy to lose her heart to him. She’d wanted him the minute she awakened in his home to find him looking down at her, but now she was falling hard for the man. He made her laugh, made life fun. Charming and brave, he was the kind of man a girl wanted to spend the rest of her life loving, and she was no exception. She’d begun to fall in love with him, and the way he looked at her confirmed he cared for her too. Once they put this mess behind them, she intended to keep Ky in her life.
“You’ve thought of everything.” Lyn gazed up at him with love in her eyes.
He gave her a weak smile that did not quite reach his light blue eyes.
“I hope so.” He tilted his chin toward the aged patina statue of a shirtless male worker holding a shovel. “We’re here.”
Lyn sat on the concrete base of the statue. “So we are. This is it.”
Ky caught her chin in a gentle grip, tipping her face to take a kiss. “Remember, the second you see me, run down that boardwalk, jump into the car, and leave.” He placed his keys in her hand. “Do not go to your townhouse and do not tell me where you are going. I’ll call you when it is safe, and we’ll meet.”
Lyn nodded and pulled the phone from her purse after she dropped his keys inside. She punched her speed dial, and Ky’s phone vibrated.
Taking his phone from his pocket, he hit the “talk” button but spoke directly to Lyn. “Put your phone back into your purse. Be careful not to accidentally turn it off by bumping it.”
She worried her lower lip between her teeth, and he bent to give her a reassuring kiss on her brow. “I’ll be only seconds away, Lyn. Make sure you greet him in a loud voice, so I’ll know he is here. The minute I hear your voice, I’ll be here.”
“I trust you.”
Lyn wrung her hands in her lap as fear gripped her stomach in a tight hold. She could do this, she could. She had to.
If only she didn’t have to wait alone. Someone next to you always made it easier to have courage. But Ky was a cop, and catching bad guys was what he did, so if he thought this the best way to proceed than she’d trust in the plan like she trusted in him.
She glanced at her watch and her heart leapt into her throat. Sometimes time passed too quickly. “You better go before he sees you.”
Ky shook his phone. “Don’t forget, greet him the minute you see him. Loudly.”
He turned to leave, heading for a copse of Banyan trees. Their thick trunks and roots twisted around each other forming a thick gray mass which would conceal him nicely.
“Good luck,” she called after him, watching him go. “Remember your promise to me. You’re taking me to the Litha Festival. No excuses.”
Ky gave her a smile over his shoulder then disappeared from her view in the thick foliage. She squinted in his direction. Damn, I can’t see him at all.
Fear settled over her and her heart seemed to drop to her toes. The three-quarter moon hung in the sky, casting its unnerving light upon the trees to create ghoulish shadows over the area. A cool breeze blew over the land, bringing with it the musky smell of moss and earth. Tree branches and Spanish moss swayed, changing the shadows below. They seemed to come alive, like spectrally thin forms moving in the night. Daelyn shivered, more from the nightmarish images around her than the draft.
I wish he would just get here, she thought to herself.
Chapter Six
The vampire materialized into the park, and sent his senses out through the thick forest to find his prey. She was the only being in the park. Waiting for him—for death. His mouth watered at the thought.
She’d eluded him for the past week. He’d gone to her home several times, taken some of her clothes hoping to track her by her unique scent, but neither yielded any results. He’d given up on finding her but then his luck changed, and he received her email.
He started down the boardwalk, his pace purposely slow. The vampire let his senses flow over the marshy land, in search of anything unusual—any sign of a trap. This had been a little too easy. Her contacting him, offering to meet. It was almost as if she had a death wish, wanted him to find her. And that made his instincts scream in warning.
His eyes darted from side to side, keeping constant watch. He flowed with a grace of his kind on silent feet, careful not to give his location away as he made his way over the wooden boards.
Acute senses noted every detail of his surroundings, he continued to move forward, stalking his prey. Animals stilled and crickets stopped their chirping. Sensing a predator more deadly than themselves, the bull gators ceased their gurgling mating roars at his approach. Birds flew from their nests, diving through the trees to escape the evil permeating the area.
A wicked grin came to the vampire’s face.
Fly away cowards. Fly from Raziel in fear.
He loved the power he wielded over life and death. He commanded death, giving it when the mood suited him. The helpless little one that waited now was no better than the other creatures in this place. Her species was beneath him. Vampires should have domain over the earth. His mate had agreed. Memories of her flooded his mind.
The two of them had hunted a remote Romanian village almost to extinction one summer. It had been glorious until the village priest—Victor had been his name—discovered their daylight hiding place. He woke one evening to find the man staking his wife.
“But I made sure he suffered, Adriana,” Raziel whispered to the heavens. “Oh how Victor suffered at my hands.” The memory of the fear in the priest’s swollen eyes and bloodied body brought a smile to his face.
The breeze brought her scent to him and his fangs pushed from his gums. He could smell her fear. The adrenaline it produced would mix with her blood to make an intoxicating combination. Her blood had been delicious the last time he’d sampled it. After a week in the hospital, her blood would be at a full volume. He would take his time, drain every last drop before leaving her body to the gators. He licked his lips in anticipation.
When he rounded the corner, his prey came into view. She sat under the statu
e, her legs bouncing with—he took a deep breath—apprehension.
The waiting ratcheted her anxiety. He could smell it. He watched her shiver, her skin pebbled with goose bumps. The sound of the nocturnal creatures stilled into a haunting silence. Her gaze flew to the night sky, tracking the birds as they darted between the tree branches to flee.
His eyes paused on her long, exposed neck, watching her pulse pound hard under her flesh for a moment before he pulled his gaze to her face.
“Hello, Lyn.” Raziel’s voice dripped with menace.
Her eyes darted from the sky to lock with his. She paused, staying motionless like the proverbial deer in the headlights. “Juan,” she yelled, knowing no other name by which to call him. “You are here.”
Good Lord. Did she think him deaf? He cocked his head to one side. His eyebrows narrowed in confusion over his steely eyes as he pushed a hand through his sandy blond hair. “You don’t have to yell, darling. I can hear quite well. And I have a confession to make. My name is not Juan. It’s Raziel.”
He watched her eyes dart over to a copse of Banyan trees, surprised she had not commented on his revelation regarding his name. Was she looking for something? Someone? He turned his head in the direction of her gaze and sent his senses flowing in that direction.
Tackled from behind, the force of the blow knocked Raziel from his feet. He threw his hands out in front of him to catch himself, hissing when the skin on his left wrist began to burn. A pair of handcuffs dangled from his arm, white wisps of smoke wafting around the metal.
****
Ky materialized and landed on top of the vampire, pinning him beneath the heavy weight of his body. The male squirmed beneath him to buck him off. He reached out to capture the vampire’s wrist and managed to get one cuff on the vampire. It would be enough to keep him from dematerializing, but it wouldn’t do much to stop him from being able to fight. If he couldn’t get his other wrist captured, this could get ugly fast. Ky reached for the debauchee’s other arm, but Lyn’s attacker bucked and twisted beneath him, leaving Ky no choice but to forestall his venture to capture his arm in order to keep the rogue on the ground.
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