by Terry Spear
“Your family doesn’t mind you working another job?”
“Not in the least.”
She sighed. “I wish my family felt that way.”
“If you were with my family, they wouldn’t allow you to hunt.”
Smiling, she nodded. “Would work for me. Thank you for taking me in.”
“I won’t be here for very long. A month at the most. You’ll have to make some other arrangements before then.”
She nodded, to his relief. Maybe she’d come to her senses and leave here after all.
“You know Nicolai and his followers are going to be after you now with a vengeance. You shouldn’t have been stalking me,” she said.
“That’s why I have to kill Yorovitch, then leave.”
They walked into the bedroom. He filled her glass, then his own.
When she sat on the bed, he rummaged through a drawer. He pulled out a navy T-shirt and tossed it to her. “It’s all I have that could serve as a nightshirt.”
“Thanks, it’ll do.” The scratching continued at the window. “He’s going to be incensed I stayed with you tonight.”
“Yeah. That means we’ll need to be back here before dark falls every night.”
Crystal sipped her wine, then grabbed the T-shirt. “I’m going to change…get more comfortable.”
“By all means.” Getting comfortable with the huntress totally appealed. The tension in his muscles relaxed. The concept she was a huntress and not a blood bond relieved him in part, but the fact she could carry a vampire’s child distressed him.
Crystal crossed the floor, entered the bathroom, then shut the door.
Her fatigue-clad body looked sexier than hell, despite the slightly baggy appearance of the uniform. The image of her wearing only his T-shirt next sparked an incredible cavemen urge to have her. Man, his brother was right. He should never have touched the temptress. Molten desire burned in his veins. The awareness that a vampire would ravage her…well, her body was meant only for a hunter’s seed…to continue the hunter species. She wasn’t meant to be a vessel for some damned vampire/hunter super being.
He jumped up from the bed and paced across the floor. “Stay away from her,” his brother had warned. Well, kill her if he could. Kill her before she got him killed.
Robert stalked out of the bedroom. He’d always considered himself one of the good guys. Not this time. This time, the situation wasn’t quite so black and white. This time, the choice wasn’t so clear.
After taking a shower, Crystal tugged the shirt over her head. When she couldn’t find a hair dryer, she walked into the bedroom to ask Robert if he had one. He was gone. Her heart beat rapidly. Now what was he up to?
She slipped down the hallway, worry gnawing at her. Robert’s conversation with his brother didn’t make her feel totally safe with him. If Robert got the impression Nicolai had successfully turned her, Robert would undoubtedly kill her. Come to think of it, if she turned into one of those creatures, she’d want him to end her life.
She neared his office. No sign of him there. She came face to face with him in the living room.
He smiled. The dimples denting his cheeks gave him an impish, cherub-like quality. “You look pretty great in my shirt.”
She tugged at the bottom edge. “A little short.”
“I thought it was too long.” He waggled his brows, and she smiled. He held up two bowls filled with vanilla ice cream. Hot fudge dripped over them, topped with a cloud of whipped cream, and a cherry. “Hot fudge sundaes for dessert.”
“Hmm.” She relieved him of one of the dishes. “If I had my doubts about staying with you, they’re all gone.”
He chuckled, the kind of deep, sensuous sound that made her whole body thrill.
When they reached the bedroom, she sat on the mattress, and poked her spoon into the hot fudge. “You don’t steal covers, do you?”
His gaze shifted to her bare legs stretched out on his comforter. He cleared his throat. “I don’t usually have any complaints.”
“From Susan.” She considered the smattering of dark hair that formed a sexy trail down his well-muscled chest to the waistband of his boxers. A definite bulge hidden by the satiny material brought an instant roll of heat to her cheeks. Her gaze shifted to his face, the smile still plastered there. “What about the blond lieutenant who came out of your office earlier?”
“Lt. Eiseley? Strictly business.” Amusement dripped from his voice.
“So what did you tell that redheaded captain who worked in your building about me?”
“You had the wrong office.”
Crystal choked on her ice cream as she laughed. “Did he believe you?”
“Just as much as the private did when he saw all those golden curls of yours about your shoulders. I’d say by Monday the whole company will know about it.”
Crystal sighed deeply. “Too bad we aren’t like normal people.”
He considered her as if he’d never thought she’d say something like that. “If we were, we wouldn’t have had those tactical maneuvers earlier.”
“I suppose not. We’d just have a boring meal of burgers and fries on a date some time.”
He studied her for a moment more, then reached across the bed and squeezed her hand. “You don’t wish you were human, do you?”
“Wouldn’t it be easier?”
“No. Then a vampire that targeted you could control your mind. You wouldn’t stand a chance against their will. At least we can fight back.”
“If we wanted to.”
“Yes, well, I don’t think I could ever understand your way of thinking, Crystal.”
“Doesn’t matter. We are what we are, right?”
“To a certain extent. There’s always room for improvement.”
“Yes.” She set her empty dish aside. When she climbed off the bed, he turned to watch her.
“I’m going to get comfortable. I’m cold.” She lifted the covers and slid under them.
He finished his ice cream, then joined her under the comforter.
“Did you get cold, too?”
He smiled. “I’m sure it was the ice cream.”
She returned his smile. “Right.”
They both watched the thriller on television for several minutes. Then Robert turned to Crystal. “Still cold?”
She raised a brow at him.
“Guess not.”
He faced the television again.
After a few more minutes, he cleared his throat. “I have a better view of the television over here. You could slide over this way and…”
She folded her arms.
“Or not.”
“I thought you didn’t get involved with women…because of your job.”
“I have no intention of getting involved with anyone. Only, since we’re together like this… Never mind.”
“Listen, normally I wouldn’t have anything to do with you, Robert, because I’d be afraid Nicolai would come after you. He will anyway now. But no way do I want to become attached to you. I have a difficult enough time sorting out my own feelings when it comes to who my enemy is or isn’t.”
She continued to watch the television. He tapped his fingers on the bed. She glanced at him. “What?”
“Want some more wine?”
“You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?”
His lips turned up seductively. “I thought you might relax a bit. You seem rather…uptight.”
“I’m not uptight.” She ignored him and watched the heroine scrambling for her life as she attempted to shut the elevator door before the killer got to her.
Robert reached over and touched Crystal’s arm, making her jump. “Movie too scary for you?”
“Jeez, Robert, you’re the one who made me jump!” She frowned at him, then chuckled when he grinned at her. “What do you want?”
“I…well, I feel terrible about deserting you near Nicolai’s home. I want to make it up to you.”
“You have, by allowing me to stay here
. Nicolai would have gotten into my new hotel room before long. You’ve given me a place of refuge for the time being. Besides, you couldn’t help it that you thought I was one of them.” She sighed deeply.
“Yeah, you’re right about that. Not only did you visit him and his brother, you…” He paused.
He looked down at the comforter.
“I what?”
23
Robert faced Crystal. “You stirred up the same kind of electricity in me as a vampire or blood bond would.”
“Yes, well, that’s what confused me about you.”
“So you do feel the same way about me when we touch.”
She turned back to the television. Hell, physically, her body screamed for his touch. But no way did she want to discuss her attraction to him. Although shutting out the feelings was like damming out a hard charging river, it was better for both of them to pretend they didn’t feel anything for each other.
He touched her hand. The sensation set a surge of interest sparking through her blood. When she ignored him, he pulled her over to his side of the bed.
“This is a mistake, Robert.” She knew it was with all her heart. But she couldn’t push him away. She was weak willed, damn it.
“I just want to hold you close.”
Crystal nestled her head against his chest. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. He was delectably warm, smelled like sin, and oh so hard. Her naked legs drew into his, while his fingers caressed the bare skin of her arm, heating her body to feverish levels.
“Robert, we shouldn’t.”
“Shh. I know we can’t do more than this. But I couldn’t stand not holding you in my arms to chase away the nightmares you might have from watching the movie.”
She chuckled. “Ahh. It’s not that you want me to chase your bad dreams away?”
His deep throaty laugh stirred her desire all over again. Fighting her attraction to him was a losing battle. With Robert, no revulsion mixed with the longing that would help to keep him at bay. And yet in her heart she knew a relationship with him or any other man could never be possible. Her aversion to killing put him at too much risk.
She ran her fingers over his lightly haired chest. His breathing rate increased. She whipped up longings in him with a simple touch, making her realize for the moment, she had all the power at her fingertips. Smiling, she cuddled against him with deep satisfaction. She loved the control she wielded. But could she keep her feelings for him in check?
He took a ragged breath. “My brother says you can’t join the family. I believe he anticipated an emotional attachment might develop between us, despite my saying I’d never settle down with a woman.”
“Shh, Robert. You don’t have to explain anything to me. You’re just keeping my nightmares away.”
He kissed her head again and squeezed her tightly against his hard body. Her own body thirsted for his as she snuggled deeper. “He believes my Uncle Walter, the head of our family, would forbid it, Crystal.”
She sighed, trying to separate the longing to enjoy the physical contact between them, but maintain a distance with her emotions. “Because I’d put your whole family at risk. I know. I’m not looking for a commitment from you or any other man.”
His stomach muscles tightened underneath her fingertips. “I’m not talking about any other man being with you, Crystal. I’m talking about us.”
Was he jealous of Nicolai? “There is no us.”
He ground his teeth. “You’re right of course.”
“Damn right. You have a mission here. Kill Yorovitch and return to your family.”
“And you?”
Already he hungered for something more of her. She knew he wanted her to say she had to kill Nicolai. But she couldn’t. Deep inside, she realized if she were to be free from the nightmare, she had to. But when Nicolai held her in his clutches, her willpower took on shades of gray, dissolving her resolve to keep her own identity—her huntress identity.
When she didn’t answer him, he spoke again. “All right.” Disappointment threaded his voice. “Thomas said you’d feel this way. That you can’t help yourself.”
“No one can truly know what I feel. Not unless you switched mindsets with me and faced the turmoil I encounter when I’m with him or others like him.” She couldn’t help the edge to her voice. She couldn’t help what she felt about the vampires, either. It was the way she was…the abnormal gene had made her that way, she guessed.
Robert’s grip on her loosened. She was losing him. But she knew for both of them, it had to be that way despite wishing otherwise. She kissed his chest freely, assuming she had nothing to worry about because he no longer desired her.
Instantly, he pushed her away from him and forced her back against the mattress. He was severing their connection, and her heart ached with the rejection. But only for a second. To her surprise, he rolled partway over her. His leg wedged between hers. His fingers combed through her hair. But then he waited…for what? She parted her lips to speak, to discourage him. But the words refused to spill off her tongue.
He slid his hand underneath her T-shirt and rested it on her abdomen. Would he touch her breasts? They tightened in hopeful anticipation. Instead, he pulled his hand away as if he’d been burned. What was wrong now?
He kissed her lips with the faintest touch. “You need someone to keep you safe, Crystal Anderson. But it can’t be me.”
When her own family cast her out, it had cut deeper than any wound. And now, she was being rejected again. But somehow the hurt was more profound as her heart ached with the dismissal.
He pulled away from her. The separation sliced her from his lifeline. Instantly, she sank into a gloomy pit of despair. She desperately tried to sequester the emotions into a back room. Feelings like these could easily get her killed. She wasn’t one to give up, but this kind of emotion could undo her.
“I’ll sleep on the couch tonight. If you need anything, let me know.”
“Thank you.” She choked on the words. His gaze shifted from her to the floor as if her upset disturbed him. Getting a grip on her emotions proved more difficult with every passing day.
“Done with the television?”
“Yes.” Her voice was pitifully soft. She didn’t want him to know how much his rejection hurt her. She didn’t want anyone to know how much she craved someone to love her.
He turned the television off and padded away into the darkness. She fought the urge to dissolve into tears. He meant nothing to her. He could mean nothing to her…or his life was forfeit.
Sometime later in the night, scratching at the window woke Crystal. For a moment, it didn’t register. Then she realized it had to be Nicolai.
She crawled out of bed and turned on the side table lamp. Her gaze shifted to the curtained window. Black velvet drapes hid the creature from her.
Without another moment’s hesitation, she crossed the floor to the window. After pulling the curtains aside, she clutched the wand to the blinds in her grasp. She paused, her heartbeat quickening.
She wasn’t sure why she had to see him. Was it because Robert didn’t want her? And neither did her family? She wasn’t a mountain man who could live alone for years without companionship. But it wasn’t until Nicolai, and now Robert had come into her life, that she realized how much she missed human…well, when she really got right down to it…male companionship.
With resolve, she twisted the plastic handle to the blinds. Darkness still painted the night sky. But Nicolai was nowhere in sight.
Then suddenly he appeared. She gasped at his startling action. Shivers racked her body. He placed his hands on the glass, willing her to let him in. His ebony eyes drew her closer. He drank in her appearance like a dehydrated man crossing the desert viewed an oasis.
She longed to be touched by him, to be comforted. No one truly wanted her but the bloodsucker.
He lowered his hand to where the latch rested on the window. She reached out and touched it, knowing very wel
l he wanted her to unlock it for him. The cold metal caused a shiver to run down her spine. All she needed to do was open the window and let him in.
She looked back at him.
His lips moved without making a sound. Crystal. His brow furrowed. Obviously, he held his anger under tight restraint. His inability to control her mind made her more powerful than him in one respect. Robert was right. It was better being a huntress than being human.
She met Nicolai’s gaze, full of longing. He touched the pane again. This time she reached up and placed her fingers against the cold glass to touch him. His lips turned up slightly as the wrinkle in his brow faded.
24
With a heavy heart, Crystal turned away from Nicolai. After crossing the floor, she slipped back into bed. Hoping he’d see she didn’t sleep with Robert, she had every intention of trying to protect Robert further. Although she feared her efforts would prove futile. Even so, Nicolai seemed to take some comfort in her being alone as he continued to watch her, no longer scratching to get in.
Despite knowing he could see her just as well in the dark, she left the lamplight on. The illumination provided her some sense of solace. She pulled the soft covers to her chin.
For some time, her gaze rested on Nicolai. He stood straight and tall, dressed in all black, except for his moon-white face. Hadn’t he fed? Probably too focused on getting her in his grasp instead. The glass between them kept her safe like the iron bars of a cage at a zoo protected her from the tearing teeth of the tiger.
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
Sometime later, the scratching woke her again. She opened her eyes to find darkness cloaked her once more. She reached over and turned on the lamplight. The curtains were closed again.
Robert groaned as he rolled over in bed. She turned sharply to see he’d rejoined her. He leaned over her as he attempted to reach the lamp’s light switch, his hard body warming her.