by Terry Spear
Thank goodness for inattentive host drivers. Then she stood straighter and squinted. A white convertible and SUV drove slowly onto the bridge, then stopped. Her heart leapt in her chest. Robert and his brothers!
“Oh, oh!” Crystal jumped up and down waving at them. Could they see her? The brothers all piled out of the cars and looked into the water. She ran along the tree-lined shore, sometimes having to step into the water to get around the branches.
“Robert!” She continued to run and shout, stumbling over exposed tree roots and tripping over rocks. “Robert!” They couldn’t leave her behind now.
They didn’t seem to either hear or see her. “Robert!”
The men continued to point at the river and stare into its dark depths.
She must have been a mile downstream still. And trying to get through the forested riverbank slowed her down too much. Her voice grew hoarse with her screams. They had to see her.
She glanced at the broiling water. Nicolai couldn’t drown, that’s why he stayed with the hearse and made the host take her to the surface for air. When it grew dark, Nicolai would come for her again once they retrieved the hearse from the river.
Panic filled her as she attempted to reach the bridge. If Robert and his brothers drove off now, she was sure she’d never make it to Robert’s home safely.
She turned her attention to the bridge. “Robert!”
At the rustling of the pine’s thick, needled branches, she jerked her gaze upward. The sight of three hosts, their hair and clothes soaking wet, stole her breath away. They shoved branches aside and headed straight for her.
40
Something splashed into the river downstream, catching Robert’s eye. His heart dropped. “Down there!” he shouted to his brothers. “Damn, hosts…must be!”
Mark ran for the high-powered rifles.
“There!” Robert shouted as the men headed toward someone swimming in the river. “It’s got to be Crystal.”
“We can’t get there with the vehicles,” Thomas said. “There’s no road.”
Robert shook his head. “Just use the tranquilizer darts on the hosts. I’ll get Crystal.”
He dashed to the end of the bridge, then down the hill. Running along the edge of the water, his heart beat out of control. The two rifles fired, the shots sounding like firecrackers on the Fourth of July. Two of the hosts collapsed on the riverbank. The third host paddled out to Crystal as she attempted to swim against the push of the river.
“Crystal!” Robert shouted. She didn’t seem to hear him over the flow of the river.
He broke branches and slogged through the water at the edge of the riverbank to make headway. Gunfire popped in the air again. The lone host swam for shore, crept onto the bank, then collapsed.
Robert attempted to slow his rapid breathing, fearing she’d drown in the river before he ever reached her. “Crystal!”
When he reached the halfway mark to her location, she looked up from her struggle in the turbulent river, and saw him. Her face brightened with a smile, instantly tugging at his heartstrings and bolstering him.
She dragged herself to the shore. With her energy spent, she collapsed under the trees.
His own adrenaline surged to an all-time high as he half-waded, half ran to her, slapping the needled evergreen’s branches out of his way. Yet his thoughts shifted to that bloodsucker, Nicolai. What had he done to her in the time he’d been alone with her in the hearse? Robert’s throat constricted. He had to force the dark thoughts from his mind. Her safety remained tantamount.
When he reached her, she held her hand up to him and smiled. “Thank God you’re all right, Robert.”
He lifted her in his arms and kissed her cheek. She’d worried about him! His heart soared with the notion. Here it was she who was the one in so much danger. Her body was warm and wet and alive. He never wanted to let go of her, ever. “We had a devil of a time chasing the hearse. By the time we jumped into our vehicles, we lost track of them. We found them again after several minutes.”
He carried her toward the bridge, slowly, trying not to get them tangled in the web of branches stretching out to the river. He hugged her tighter. “Are you all right?”
She snuggled against his chest. “Yes, if you hold me tight like this.”
He had to know. Had Nicolai…
Robert glanced up at the bridge. Samuel and Mark still held their rifles at the ready, just in case more hosts arrived. He imagined his brothers wore frowns and were as concerned as he was about what had happened between Nicolai and Crystal.
She took a deep breath and spoke firmly, “He didn’t get to me, Robert.”
He looked down at her face. She smiled half-heartedly…totally angelic. Relief flooded his system all at once, giving him a burst of renewed energy. Thank God. But they weren’t out of danger yet. He squeezed her against his chest.
“We’ve got to…” He choked slightly on the words. He couldn’t believe how much the thought of losing her had gotten to him. “We’ve got to get you out of here. My brothers and I agreed. If we leave and Nicolai follows, he most likely wouldn’t bring his whole family to try to take you back. You’d be safer with us in Oklahoma.”
“I have to kill him here, Robert. You know we’d never make it to your home in Oklahoma before it got dark. They’d ambush us on the road and rip the car apart to get me back. He’s not giving up.”
After several more minutes, they had nearly reached the bridge. She insisted he put her down so she could climb the hill. “Your brothers will think I’m an invalid, which I’m not.”
Her words were spoken vehemently, making him smile. “Of course you’re not.” He let her down, but when she stumbled over the rocky terrain, he seized her arm and helped her up the hill. Her mind told her she was superwoman, but her body was worn out, her legs most likely wearied from the swim. And he would have carried her from here to eternity to keep her safe.
When they reached the bridge, Robert’s brothers waited for them there. All three appeared anxious. Mark motioned for them to hurry. Samuel still watched for hosts, his weapon ready, while Thomas’s brows furrowed as he reached for Crystal’s arm.
“Let’s get her out of here,” Thomas said. “Most likely other hosts have been alerted to come for Nicolai, and ultimately Crystal, too.”
Robert grabbed her up in his arms again and ran for the car. Samuel bolted for the driver’s side of Robert’s convertible while Thomas and Mark headed for the SUV.
When Robert had her safely buckled in the back seat, he climbed in with her. “Go, Samuel!”
Samuel hit the gas pedal and followed Thomas in the SUV.
Robert wrapped his arm around Crystal.
“How did you know I ended up at the warehouse?” she asked, sounding incredulous.
The convertible veered off onto another road, matching Thomas’s speed and maneuvers. Robert kissed her wet head. “We left the house, knowing a host would tail us. He was good. It took us a while to lose him. Then after we ditched him, we headed back to the house. Fortunately, you slept long enough for us to return before you left.”
“You tailed me?”
“We knew you wouldn’t stay put. We assumed they’d lead you to another one of their lairs. Of course, we were hoping it would be Nicolai’s, and we’d nail the bastard for good.”
“You used me as a decoy?” Her voice was slightly raised.
He cleared his throat. “Thomas wouldn’t agree to letting you go with us. We figured they wouldn’t lead four male hunters to one of their lairs. We’d hoped they’d take you to Nicolai if you were alone, and we’d kill him.”
Crystal stared out the window. Hunters shut off their emotions whenever necessary. If the mission warranted, she was expendable. No doubt about it. But she couldn’t shut off her emotions. Right now, her cheeks burned with anger. She attempted to cool her feelings. “Okay, then after everyone eats and has a rest we’ll do it again.”
“They’ll be expecting it. We have to have
another plan.”
“So, what’s the next plan?”
“We want to meet with the head of your family.”
The notion they wanted to meet with her family caused chills to trail down her skin. “Why?”
“It’s only common courtesy to let the hunters in the area know we’re here on business.”
“That’s the only reason?” She didn’t believe it for one minute.
When Robert didn’t respond, Crystal stared at him. “What’s going on, Robert?”
He avoided looking at her while he ran his fingers over her arm, the skin thrilling with his touch.
She took a deep breath. “When you get this audience with my Uncle Max, what do you propose that I do?”
Robert glanced at her.
She raised her brows. “I’m banished from the family. I’m not permitted to see any of them, and they’re not permitted to have anything to do with me.”
He looked back at the road and furrowed his brow. “I’d intended for you to accompany us. Thomas, being the eldest of my family represented here, would speak. But I hadn’t planned on you staying behind.”
She shook her head. “Can’t be done. My brothers and I have met on the sly a few times in the last four years. But they could be as ostracized as me if any were to find out they had broken the rules.”
A black pickup eased in between Thomas’s SUV and Robert’s convertible. Crystal glanced back. A black SUV followed close behind them.
Suddenly, Thomas slowed his SUV onto the shoulder and parked.
The black pickup passed them by. A man opened his window and poked the barrel of a rifle outside.
Just as quickly, Thomas opened fire on them.
Gunshots popped in the air. The pickup’s tires collapsed, and it veered into the ditch, then flipped over on its top.
Samuel drove past Thomas’s SUV. The windows were open, and Mark and Thomas readied sniper rifles at the SUV pursuing the convertible.
More gunshots penetrated the air. The black SUV dove for Thomas’s vehicle, like a crippled shark headed for its attacker, intent on revenge. Thomas gunned the gas and pulled in behind Robert’s car.
Crystal took a deep breath. “Thomas disabled their vehicles.”
“Yep, the TP maneuver. Thomas developed it back home. We’ve used it successfully a couple of times before.”
“Great teamwork.” She twisted her head around to see smoke rising from the black SUV’s engine. The tires were blown on the right hand side of the vehicle. It leaned precariously to the side like a ship that had lost its ballast. She smiled. Hunting with Robert’s brothers came in handy.
When they arrived at his home, Robert and Crystal proceeded to his bedroom. “Go ahead and take a shower to rinse off the muddy river water in here, Crystal. I’ll use the other bathroom.”
“Won’t the water get cold if we both shower in separate bathtubs at the same time?”
41
Robert smiled and said to Crystal, “All right, then you take your shower first, and I’ll go afterward.”
“Are you afraid of me, Robert?”
He raised his brows and smiled. His eyes darkened as he reached up and held her face in his hands. “You, I’m not afraid of. Losing you, I am.”
“I want you to make love to me again.” Her words were spoken with much more authority than she intended to use. The thought Nicolai could have so easily violated her body was worse than anything she could imagine. She wanted Robert’s gentle touch, his closeness, his loving.
Robert’s face turned gloomy as his brow wrinkled. “I won’t let him get that close to you again.”
“Fine. Make love to me then. Show him you’re the one I want, not him.”
When he hesitated, she pulled away from him, having no intention of begging for his attention. “All right. If that’s the way you want it.” She took a step toward the bathroom.
“That’s not the way I want it.” He grabbed her arm and twisted her around to face him. His voice was deep, and sensuous, and full of longing.
She smiled. “Then share a shower with me. Just…a shower.”
“You’ve been through a traumatic experience. Nicolai’s taking you hostage, the accident, your nearly drowning.”
“Oh, and I’m not in my right mind? Is that it?” She reached up and slid her hands around his neck, pressing her wet body against his.
He hesitated to kiss her, his darkened gaze focused on hers. His conscience and his moral obligations to his family, warring with his more primal needs, she figured. Fine. She kissed his lips lightly, then separated from him, not about to force him to make love to her if he didn’t feel comfortable doing so.
But he was already responding to her touching him and reached back and closed the bedroom door, then yanked off his shirt. “We should just... shower.”
She slipped her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor. “Fine. We’ll just shower.” She slid her fingers underneath the straps of her black lace bra, his eyes riveted to her breasts.
A knocking at the door nearly gave Crystal a heart attack. She dashed into the bathroom and waited for Robert to tell whoever it was to go away!
Robert opened the bedroom door. “What, Thomas?” he asked, irritation dripping from his words. She was certain he figured big brother would try to talk him out of whatever he was going to do next with the enchantress. And she was ready to tell Thomas off.
Thomas’s gaze shifted to Robert’s bare chest. “Seeing how you need to change out of your wet clothes, Samuel wanted to know if you had anything we could fix for lunch.”
“Pizzas. Go ahead and shove one in the oven. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Thomas said, “Remember what we discussed, Robert.”
“I remember,” he said tersely.
“You’d have more willpower than me then.”
The bedroom door clicked shut, and Crystal quickly turned on the shower. She stripped completely and climbed into the bathtub. Her legs and arms were streaked with mud. No wonder Thomas had been reluctant to make love to her. She grimaced, then grabbed a bottle of liquid body wash, and poured it generously on her hands, then began to lather it up all over her skin. The tea-scented fragrance of peaches filled the shower, and she purred with pure pleasure. Then the thought occurred to her…why would he have a woman’s body wash in his shower? Susan?
Wondering what was taking Robert so long, she peeked out the curtain. He wasn’t in the bathroom. Coward. He wasn’t joining her. Disappointment filled her.
“You’re not all through, are you?” Robert asked as he walked into the bathroom, naked. Her gaze shifted down his fit and trim torso. His full arousal beckoned to her, and her cheeks grew hot. She looked back up, and he smiled.
“Came to join you.” He stepped into the shower, then ran his hands over her soapy skin. “Got any more soap for me, or did you use it all up?”
She chuckled. “It’s super sudsy…and feminine.”
His ears turned slightly red. He cleared his throat. “Previous owner must have left it behind.”
“You mean Susan? Well, she can return for her soap, but she’s not getting anything else here. In the meantime, while she doesn’t need it, there’s plenty more in the bottle.” She reached for the container, but he pulled her in close to his body and rubbed against her.
“I’ll just share some of yours.”
He ran his capable warm hands over her breasts and nuzzled his face against hers. “I thought I’d lost you for good,” he whispered, the pain evident in his voice.
His touch stirred longings in her, dangerous desires. She wanted him more than she had ever wanted anyone in her life. Trying to get her mind off sex, she ran soap over his back and nodded. “I thought I’d never get myself out of that predicament and never see you again. You can’t know how thrilled I was to catch sight of you running along the river’s edge to get me.”
He touched every inch of her body, exploring it, sending her hormones into hyper-drive. How could a hunter
make her feel so alive all at once? No one had ever made her feel like he did. Robert had to be the right one for her, and yet the notion stabbed at her heart that he would be endangered, if he took her in permanently.
What if other vampires like Nicolai learned she was different and wanted her, too? And what of Robert’s uncle? If he said no to their union, Robert couldn’t become an outcast like her, too.
“Robert,” she said cautiously, “I want you to make love to me with all my heart, but it doesn’t mean I want a commitment from you. I mean, just the contrary.”
He laughed. “Yeah, well, all the ladies want that with me.”
“Susan.” She wrinkled her brow. “She wants your body.”
He smiled broadly and cupped her soapy breasts with his hands, then massaged them making her wet with anticipation. “Yeah, but yours is the only one I truly want.”
She rested her head against his chest. “Yes, but after that—”
“You’re worried about my family agreeing. We’ll take it one step at a time.” He tilted her chin up. His dark eyes were smoky with desire. “My family should approve first. With anyone else, it wouldn’t matter. But with you—”
“Yeah, you don’t have to say another word. I’m different.” She couldn’t help that her tone was angry. She was tired of being considered an outcast because she wasn’t the same as other hunters.
“That’s what draws me to you, Crystal. I can’t stay away from you, and I can’t leave you behind. Thomas says he believes it’s because we’re perfectly matched. I’m not giving you up.”
She squeezed his buttocks. “We’d have to always watch our backs, Robert. Your life would be so changed from what it is now. You don’t realize how being cut off from your family—”
He kissed her lips to silence her. She wrapped her arms around him and parted her lips. Their tongues touched and tangled.
His arousal pressed hard against her waist.