Oh, this just keeps getting better and better. How am I supposed to handle all of this?”
“Daniel, you will find a way,” Charlotte chimed in. “It is not about you. It is about all of us. We will try to keep an eye on Julie for you. I know the Council is not going to let you go by yourself. I am sure they will send some help.”
“Your mother is right. They are already gathering a group of volunteers who will be at your disposal. The Assembly should be here in a matter of a few days. These are the best warriors we have. Daniel, the Council would not do this unless they felt you were strong enough to handle it.” Thomas walked back to the bar and poured the last of the Cognac into his glass. “I believe in you, and so should you. You can handle this.”
“What about the Rite? You said the Rite must be performed before Julie and I are married. What happens if we don"t find these rebels? Or take care of the werewolves? Do they expect us to put off the wedding?” Daniel roared.
“No. They are willing to make an exception on the Rite. They feel since you two have already submitted yourselves to one another without killing each other you might be safe. Life is a test Daniel; it only counts if you pass.” Thomas declared as he moved to his chair and sat down.
Daniel shifted again beside me. It didn"t take me hearing his thoughts to know he was enraged. He clasped his hands together, but remained silent. I wasn"t sure exactly what to do to help him. At this point, mentioning to him that I could probably take care of myself when it came to Richard was pointless. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as we all waited for him to respond.
Finally, after a few moments, Daniel raised his head and glared at his father.
“What"s the game plan?”
Thomas turned up the glass containing the last bit of Cognac to his lips, drinking it down. He set the empty glass down, then cleared his throat.
“First things first. You say the werewolves are different in some way. We need to find out if they have been genetically altered. If so, then we need to find out who is starting this mess. Secondly, you will meet with the Assembly, and see if you can track down these Dark Wolves before they kill any more of our people. They are rebels and a threat to us. I am sure I do not need to tell you what will need to be done. Thirdly, this situation concerning Julie.” He shifted his attention to me. “We should look at this reasonably. This Richard saved her life, correct?”
I nodded. Daniel growled.
“All right.” Thomas charged. “The chances are he is not going to harm her. As much as I hate to admit it, they do seem very civilized.”
“CIVILIZED?” Daniel roared. “You expect me to just sit back and wait until he does something like…” Daniel rose to his feet. “I am not willing to take that chance!”
“Daniel, I can fend for myself. Please, I think I can handle myself against a vampire if it comes to that.” I offered in my defense.
“We do not know enough about them!” He roared louder. “I want you to stay clear of him!”
“Daniel, he might just be infatuated with Julie because she resembles his deceased wife. Please, Daniel, take another view of this matter. His view. He may be a vampire, but they do show signs of humanity. What would you do if you were in his situation?
How would you feel if it was you who lost Julie?” Charlotte pleaded with him.
“I am not going to take that chance. That is how I feel about it,” he snapped.
“Never the less, you would still be longing for her after all those years.” Charlotte"s voice remained calm in spite of her son"s raging temper.
“I am not going to repeat myself. Julie,” His hand softly locked around my fingers, taking my hand into his, he pressed it to his lips. He dropped down on his knees before me. The softness in his heart showed in those hazel eyes. Slowly, he pressed my hand to the side of his cheek. Closing his eyes, he rubbed it softly against the bristled skin. I watched in awe as he opened his eyes. Those incredibly beautiful hazel jewels deeply peered into mine.
“You do know you are my life, my heart and my very soul. I would die to protect you. Julie, we will make it through all of this together.” Daniel"s expression was as true as his words.
In my heart, I knew Daniel would die for me, as I would for him. No one could ever break the bond Daniel and I had. We were in love. It was a type of love beyond human conception. To be a Lycan and in love, there was no greater feeling and no greater pain.
“Daniel, we will be fine. I"ll be fine.” I tried to assure him. “You are my life as well.”
I paused shortly, searching his eyes. “I couldn"t stand the thought of losing you. I will be at your side no matter what may come. Nothing, I mean nothing will tear us apart. Not even death. Where you go, I shall follow,” I promised.
Daniel turned to Thomas. The night had ended for us. His hand softly locked around my fingers. He moved me past Thomas and Charlotte. Pausing by his father"s side, Thomas laid one hand on Daniel"s right shoulder. Only one nod passed between father and son before we made our exit.
Once inside the car, Daniel and I remained silent. It was clear we had no other words to say about the situations we faced. As the car moved along the dark road, my eyes watched the shows of the night. The vague shadows hidden in the darkness behind the trees drew my full attention. What lurked in those dark shadows? Werewolves?
Vampires? I wondered. It may even be part of our own clan. The ones that waited patiently, looking for some sign of weakness to attack at just the right moment. I could only hope not.
Lycans were the protectors of man, the human race. At least, this is what I had been told. Who could have the strength to protect us from ourselves? If this civil war was as bad as Thomas feared, then we were all in danger. I shifted in the seat slightly, nervously contemplating our danger. Maybe the only ones who were safe were the humans.
“I think tomorrow,” Daniel broke the silence, “I am going to give Jason and Heather a call.”
Jason and Heather McLaughlin were our Lycan friends from Scotland. They were not Scottish. Actually, Jason was a purebred Irish pup. I shook my head as I reflected on our first battle together. Jason walked out onto the patio where Daniel and I had been waiting for them. He was dressed in a full Irish kilt, complete with face paint. It was all I could manage to hold back a laugh. Daniel even asked his dear friend if he was going to make us watch him sacrifice an animal, and drink its blood before the battle. Jason, stood squarely on his feet, adjusted his kilt and raised one eyebrow. With a sly grin on his face, he announced we would not have to witness such an event. However, he reminded us we might have to watch as he danced naked around the fire. I did miss them.
Heather was a petite woman, who, at no more than five-foot four, dragged me away from Daniel during that moment I dared only to remember. If it had not been for them being with us, we probably would have killed one another that night. Not in the angry way. Our passion exploded on a level beyond rage. I trembled slightly at the memory. Daniel and I had become cautious ever since, controlling our passions. We learned how to control our full desires, being satisfied for the moment with our intimacy. However, there were deep desires that still raged inside of us both.
Daniel pulled the car to the front of our house. I stepped out and walked to the front door, pausing as I waited for Daniel. He moved up beside me, and we walked into the house together. He closed the door behind us as usual and promptly locked it. It was a full night, and I was exhausted mentally and physically. All I really wanted to do was have a good night"s sleep. I hoped that my dreams would be good ones, ones that did not include Richard.
CHAPTER FOUR
It was Sunday morning. Our weekend mornings typically started the same.
Showering, dressing and a trip to Charlotte"s for breakfast, the same routine as yesterday. However, this morning was a little different. Daniel called his mother and informed her that we wouldn"t be coming over for breakfast. He wanted to stay home and work on researching Miller"s project, looking for any clues t
hat might lead to his speculations concerning the werewolves.
Despite my lack of skill in the kitchen, I managed to pull together a satisfactory breakfast for my wolf man. A steak and cheese omelet with semi burnt toast. So I wasn"t the best when it came to toast. At least the omelet turned out pretty good even with scorched marks of its own. One would think because I owned a kitchen built for a chef, I would learn how to cook. One would think, that is.
My father was particularly fond of a well cooked meal. He was a great cook, when he wanted. I remember as a child he mentioned to me the kitchen was designed by my mother. It was my father"s gift to her. The 64-inch large gas/electric double oven stainless steel stove, a built in total refrigerator were all complemented by a built in freezer. Everything in the large kitchen was stainless steel, something he thought would look appropriate. I suppose he was right. The black countertops over the ginger stained wood cabinetry were set apart from other kitchens. Not to mention the sage green painted walls with white tile that contained painted green fern. I think my father meant to bring the outside in to this house.
I placed the plate of overly cooked food in front of Daniel. His eyes traveled from the folder to the olive colored stoneware plate. Half-heartedly, I expected him to grab his fork and dig in. With a little resistance, I held back the urge to ask if there was a problem, giving him a little time to adjust his view of the breakfast.
Daniel stared at the plate for a moment. Finally, he picked up his fork, while I waited patiently for his response. I think the moment he poked it with the fork was the moment I decided I would take it away from him. As I reached over to snatch the plate from him, he grabbed it with both hands.
“What are you doing?” he exclaimed in a little higher pitched voice.
“You"re poking at it with your fork like it"s not dead yet,” I seethed.
Daniel pulled the plate out of my hand. We both stared at the plate as red bloodlines dripped down onto the plate from the omelet.
“You were saying?” Daniel"s lips twisted into a grin. “Did you actually cook the steak before you added it to the eggs?”
I stood there and glared at Daniel in disbelief. No one told me that you had to cook the meat before adding it to the omelet. Tears welled in my eyes. I knew that my career as a chef had ended before it began.
Daniel"s humorous expression continued as he set the plate back down on the table.
He turned to me, wrapped his long arms lovingly around my waist and then pulled me closer to him.
“Sweetheart, it is okay. You did your best. Actually it smells really good.” He held me close to him as the tears streamed down my face. “I will eat it. Don"t worry.”
The last thing I wanted was for Daniel to eat a half cooked meal. Even if the eggs were scorched a bit.
“No,” I sniffed. “I"ll just toss it in the trash and try again.”
“Julie,” he began as he stood up. “Really, it is all right. I like my steak a little tartar anyway. Please just sit down.”
I pulled up a chair across from him and sat down. Daniel walked through the kitchen to the refrigerator. I couldn"t imagine what he was looking for. The coffee creamer was sitting on the counter. I had already set his favorite jelly on the table to complement the burnt toast. Daniel raised his head and backed away from the refrigerator. Then I saw the revolting item in his hands. It added the absolute insult to injury for any cook. Ketchup. I watched as he proudly marched back to the table, seated himself and promptly opened the top and squirted the red goo on top of the omelet. I cringed at the sight of the ketchup as it piled high on the eggs.
I pushed myself away from the table and stood up. I refused to watch as he dug into the culinary disaster with a fork.
“You never put ketchup on anything your mother makes,” I mumbled as I headed out of the kitchen.
“That"s not true!” he called out behind me.
“Like what?” I called back to him as I reached the living room.
“Meatloaf! I always put ketchup on her meatloaf!” he yelled back to me.
I let out a growl as I made my way through the living room to my father"s office. If my memory served me correctly, Daniel never liked meatloaf! I inhaled a deep breath, fighting back my tears of rejection and plopped down behind my computer. At least I could try to put my focus on something other than this morning"s breakfast debacle.
It only took moments for me get lost in balancing my accounts and transferring money. I was consumed with the thought of one day actually hiring an accountant to do these things, but for now, I still had the financial reports to review from the companies in which my father owned stock. This wasn"t my favorite chore. From the looks of everything, the companies were still making money, and I was still collecting a sizeable return. The money was electronically posted into my account. Thank goodness my father gave Thomas temporary power of attorney to handle all the legal matters as well as financial ones until I understood what I was doing. Thomas did a great job setting up the new bank accounts and having my name added to each account.
I looked up as Daniel appeared in the doorway. My emotions had stabilized, no more tears. I had even let go of the breakfast incident.
“I am running over to the office this morning. I want to see if I can find any computer files that may give me a little more information on Miller"s project,” he stated, as he had my full attention.
“Did you find anything?”
“Nothing more than what we already know. Brendan Phillips may be our only link to find out more. I will see if I can track him down. Hopefully before something happens to him and the Department of Defense starts climbing all over our ass.”
“Daniel, we"re not connected to any of Dr. Miller"s work. Why would they even trace it back to us? DalMar rejected his proposal,” I reminded him.
“Yes, I know. But, there is still some slight chance they would link his research to DalMar. I cannot take that chance. I will be back home in a few hours,” he said as he dashed away out of sight.
Why was he so worried about DalMar? Could Daniel"s research actually be linked to Dr. Miller"s? Then the thought occurred to me, Daniel never really told me where he obtained the DNA he used for his research. It was something I was going to look into the first chance I had. For right now, I had reports to finish.
It couldn"t have been more than a few minutes, thirty or so at the most, after Daniel left, that the doorbell rang. It was probably Charlotte coming over to bring muffins because Daniel and I didn"t make it over for breakfast. I pushed myself back from the computer, and headed out of the office door.
As I made my way into the living room, I glanced up and my heart froze in my chest. It was Richard. I swallowed hard and pushed myself toward the front door.
Through the glass, I could see him clearly in the daylight. He was so damn breathtakingly beautiful. It made no sense to me how one person could be so utterly gorgeous, even if he was a vampire.
When he caught sight of me, I watched as he slowly removed his sunglasses. I was already stunned to see him standing in front of the door with black jeans and a dark grey sweater. The sleeves were pulled up to his elbows, showing off the paleness of his skin.
My thoughts were shaken as I allowed my eyes to travel over his seemingly well-built body. His sexy appearance was enhanced by the way he combed his sandy blonde hair straight back. My heart fluttered again as I watched his lips curl into a smile. I guess it wouldn"t have been so bad if I hadn"t expected the worst out of him. My dream still lingered in my mind, flashing before me as I made my way to the door.
Hesitantly, I grabbed the door handle and opened it. What on earth did he want? I inhaled a deep breath, preparing myself the best I could. No mishaps this time. I was sure of it. If indeed this vampire had me on his menu, I would at least be prepared to defend myself.
“Hello.” I managed cordially.
Richard"s gaze roved over me then his eyes settled back to mine. “Hello, Julie. I hope I"m not disturbing you.”
&
nbsp; My heart raced, and the palms of my hands beaded with sweat. The muscles inside my body trembled at the sound of his deep alluring voice. I wasn"t sure if it was the smoothness of the tones, or the luxurious way he spoke my name. Either way, it was very sultry and sexy. His voice had an odd effect on me, one of which made me uncomfortable. The sound of his voice sang melodies to my soul, reaching deep inside of me. It called out and awakened something deep within me. Just being in his presence evoked a certain desire within me. There was an uncontrollably alluring aura surrounding him. It drew me to him like a moth to a flame.
“A-a-actually,” I stuttered. “I was… um…was um, working on a few office things.”
I shook my head to gain better control. “Was it something in particular you wanted?”
His lips twitched into a smile. I could only guess what he thought. From now on, mental note, watch what you say to a vampire. I always managed to say the wrong things to Richard. If I recalled correctly, the second time we met I had offered him something to drink! Now, I realized, I had the audacity to ask him if there was something in particular he wanted. Damn it! Of course there was!
“Well,” he softly purred. His voice was silky and sultry. “For starters, may I come in? I would like to speak to you concerning your little werewolf problem.”
Hesitating, I opened the door for him. For reasons I couldn"t explain, I allowed him entrance. At the same time I said a silent prayer he would behave himself. He stopped, paused for a moment, eyed me carefully then walked past me.
“We can talk in the office. That is, if you don"t mind,” I stated flatly. I was sure he could hear the fear in my voice. Probably even smell it.
Richard followed me through the living room to my father"s office. I immediately went to the desk, sat down and grabbed a folder. At least I felt a little safer with the dark cherry desk between us. Like a desk could offer me protection from this vampire.
Richard however, lingered in front of my father"s massive book collection.
“Your father? He was a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe.”
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