Haven

by Celia Breslin

  “How about we sit?” Adrian suggested, his voice quiet.

  We took opposite ends of the couch. I folded my hands, kept my tone serious and a bit formal when I spoke. “I accept your apology.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But, god Adrian, you hurt me. How could you hide something like this from me? I mean c’mon, vampires?” The pain of that betrayal leaked out into my voice and I bit back anything more I might have said.

  We sat in tense silence. I inspected the flowers on the coffee table. Roses from Tessa, violets from my brothers, poppies from Thomas. Nothing from Jonas.

  Figures. “When did you start dating Jonas?”

  “A few months ago.”

  “Three months?” Interesting and unexpected. “Why did you lie about it?”

  He waved a hand, as if to brush away the pesky time. “I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t mention it.”

  My brow elevated. “A mighty thin hair you’re splitting there.”

  He didn’t reply.

  “Three months.” I stroked my jaw. “So that means, the other night in Heaven, when we were, uh, you know...”

  His brows shot up, eyes sparkling.

  My lips curled. “Yes, that. But when you were talking about trying out monogamy and I asked if you’d met someone special, was it...?”

  He gave me a sheepish grin. “Yeah.”

  “Oh. Wow.” Surprising. Weird. Awkward. “But Jonas is my—” My what? Childhood bodyguard? Mystic mentor? Fangy playmate? “He’s so—” Gloomy. Snaky. Lethal.

  Adrian shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just, do you have any idea what he is?”

  His forehead creased. “We’ve already established the answer to that.”

  “Not the vampire thing.” I flicked a finger at my forehead. “I remember everything now. He’s like a hard-core ancient warrior stuffed inside the body of a delicate-looking pretty boy.”

  Adrian’s lips curled in a sultry smile. “I know.”

  Oh-kay. Violence in a pretty package turned him on. Not going to win this argument. Time for a subject change. “What about Thomas?”

  “I’m not seeing Thomas.”

  “No, I mean what’s the deal?” I jabbed the air between us. “How long have you been doing business with him? How long have you known he was a vampire? And how long have you known he was my uncle?”

  He shrugged. “Long enough.”

  “Gee, vague much? Did he pay you to keep quiet?” I might have loved Thomas as a kid, but so far, the Thomas I’d met as an adult pissed me off.

  “I didn’t come here to talk about Thomas.”

  “Of course not,” I grumbled.

  He scooted closer and stroked my hand. “Babe, I am sorry. Sorry I withheld info, sorry I hurt you, and most of all I’m sorry we’re over.”

  “We’re still friends,” I objected.

  “Yeah, but without benefits.” He gave my fingers a squeeze.

  “Oh, that. I think you’ll survive.” The tension broke and we grinned, but my curiosity about his relations with the vampires remained. “One more thing. You know they can mess with your mind.”

  He nodded.

  “I’ve seen Thomas do it to you twice now. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  “Honestly, no.”

  He wanted to play puppet? “Why not?”

  “It doesn’t happen as often as you think. The two times you’ve mentioned were emergencies.”

  “Says who? No, wait. I know.” Thomas. Feh.

  “Look, once Jonas and I started—”

  “Dating?”

  His lips curled in a lopsided smile. “Sure, dating. Once we were dating, no one dared mess with me.”

  “Except Thomas.”

  “Yep.”

  I thumped my back against the couch in annoyance. Thomas. Always Thomas. Grrr.

  Adrian gave me a sly look and changed the subject. “Alex has been here every night, you know.”

  “What?” Happy shivers tap danced on my spine.

  “Every night,” he repeated.

  “Tell me about him,” I urged, voice breathy.

  “Do I really need to state the obvious?” he teased.

  “Yes, please.” My stomach executed a happy, little flip at the thought of Alexander sitting in this room night after night, watching me sleep.

  Adrian laughed. “Fine. The guy’s into you. Way into you. I’ve never seen him so obsessed.”

  “Obsessed? Is that a good thing?”

  “Oh, don’t take that the wrong way, babe. I mean women dig him.”

  “Of course they do, he’s totally hot,” I agreed.

  He gave me a faux pout. “Rub it in, why don’t you.”

  “Sorry. And your ego is not that shaky. You know you’re hot. Don’t even try to pretend with me.”

  Adrian grinned. “Kidding. I can take it.”

  I thwacked his arm.

  “Anyway, as I was saying. Women offer it up to him constantly, but he barely notices. Keeps to himself, plays the piano and drinks a glass or two of bl—uh, you know.”

  I nodded.

  “Then, one day, he saw you.”

  “At the museum.”

  “Nope, not there.” His expression screamed, I’ve got a great bit of gossip to spill and you’re gonna love it.

  “What do you mean not at the museum?”

  “That was the second time, or maybe the third, or fourth, or fifth, or...” He waggled his brows.

  “What?” I lunged, straddling his legs.

  Adrian laughed.

  “What?” I pinned his arms overhead, against the wall.

  “Whoa, down girl.” He winked.

  “Spill it, dude.” I squeezed his wrists.

  “Damn, you’re strong.”

  “Adrian.”

  “Okay, okay, at the club. He saw you at the club,” he blurted. “And in the park, among other places. He’s a loner. Spends a lot of time walking around at night and you happen to spend a lot of time in his ’hood.”

  I released my hold and hopped off his lap. “Explain.”

  He massaged his wrists. “He lives in the inner Sunset.”

  I racked my brain for a memory of Alexander at the club and came up blank. No recollection of spotting him in the Sunset, either. Adrian was right, I did hang out there a lot, between frequenting my favorite sushi restaurant, hanging at the W-T and evening runs in Golden Gate Park.

  “Can he do the invisible thing?” I asked.

  “What?”

  I waved a hand. “You know, the vampire ghost deal. Like Jonas and Tessa. They were in Heaven the other night, but we didn’t notice them until they wanted to be seen. Can he do that?”

  “I don’t think so. Older vamps have a big bag of tricks. Young ones, not so much.”

  “Oh, he’s young?” That pleased me.

  “Well, yeah, for a vampire, I guess.”

  Interesting. “How old?”

  “You know what? Why don’t you ask him yourself? He’ll be here soon enough.” His bright blue eyes glinted with amusement.

  “What?” I screeched for the millionth time, jumping to my feet. My pulse sped up and heat crept up my face.

  Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. “Wow, you’ve got it bad.”

  I covered my face. “I feel like a teenager.”

  “Aw, it’s sweet.”

  “I’m not sweet,” I pouted, arms settling at my sides. Butterflies deluged my stomach.

  He pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re gonna be fine, babe. You rock. He’s the lucky one. I’ll kick his ass to the curb if he doesn’t worship the ground you walk on.”

  I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed back. We pulled back at the same time and he kissed my forehead. “We’re good now, right? ’Cause I gotta run. Do the biz thing and make us loads of money.”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  He scooped up his suit jacket before heading to the door. “Try to have fun tonight.” He blew me
a kiss. My friends filed in as he breezed out, all of them smirking.

  “Okay, stop.” I wagged a finger in their collective direction.

  “What?” Kai teased.

  “Don’t even go there. But you all do need to go to the place where suddenly you—” I eyed my protective boys. “—like Alexander? And like him enough to let him stay in here every night while I was asleep?”

  “Comatose,” Ren corrected. “We decided he’d make a good guard dog.”

  “Guard dog? I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.” Wow. Defensive and we hadn’t even had a date yet. What did that mean?

  “No, seriously, Rina,” Mark added. “He’s on your side. One hundred percent.”

  I shook my head. Hard to believe my hyper-vigilant boys had pulled such a one-eighty about any vampire in mere days.

  “And you?” I addressed Faith.

  She waved at the door. “He’s waiting for you outside.”

  Cue the stomach butterflies.

  “So, you’re all fine and dandy with me going off on my own, alone, with an undead, blood-drinking stranger who can probably bench press a grand piano?”

  Faith, Kai, and Ren spoke all at once. “Yes, uh-huh, yep.”

  Mark nodded.

  I blinked. “Well. Okay, then.”

  ~ * ~

  We strolled down the corridor headed for the side-entrance carport where Alexander awaited me. I glanced down at my first date clothes—provided by Faith—for the thousandth time. Black, v-neck, stretch knit tunic over skinny jeans tucked into black wedge-heel boots. Stylish and comfy. A charcoal, empire-waist coat held my ID, keys and cell phone. The keys jangled with every step. Like my nerves.

  I’m going out with a hot, undead guy. My heart skipped at the thought.

  Doc Scott stopped us near the exit. “Carina, I’d like you to stay.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  “You were unconscious for four days. A little caution is warranted.” His fingers stroked his ID badge. Nerves?

  “I feel fine, doc. Don’t worry.”

  His somber expression didn’t waver. “You’re human.”

  “Meaning?”

  His hand sank into the pocket of his white hospital coat. “Don’t underestimate the physical consequences of power.”

  Ah. That again. “I’m fine doc. Honest. No sign of this power everyone is obsessing about.”

  “Yet. But please understand your body can only handle a certain amount of stress before it...” He didn’t need to finish.

  “Message received, doc. Thanks for the concern.” I gave him a quick hug. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I hope I don’t see you anytime soon.”

  He gave me a grave nod and strode down the hall.

  Outside in the half-circle drive, Alexander leaned against a black Porsche with tinted windows looking every bit the sexy rock star. Sunglasses, uber hip black blazer with slanted pockets and riveted sleeves, gray designer tee, distressed slim-fit jeans, and square-toe black boots.

  I sucked in a breath. My vampire has mad style. My fingertips tingled with want. Touch him everywhere. Mine, mine, mine.

  He dipped his head, gazed at me over his sunglasses, and boom—stage fright attacked. I fumbled to secure my coat’s three large buttons, my sudden case of nerves making me clumsy with couture. So unlike me. I dug deep for some of my trademark swagger and came up empty.

  “Damn,” I muttered.

  Mark and Ren gave me rough pats on the back then stalked to the cement columns bordering the driveway, putting them on either side of Alexander. Kai snuggled up to Faith, smirking.

  “Not one word,” I warned.

  “What?” he mocked.

  I scowled.

  He grinned.

  “Rina.” Faith extricated herself from Kai and led me over to a large potted palm in the corner. The leaves waved in the wind whipping around the building. A typical, chilly and foggy summer afternoon in San Francisco, except for, oh right, I had a date with a sexy, undead guy.

  Can I go through with this?

  “Want us to take you home?” Her soft voice eased my angst.

  I hugged myself. “No. Just give me a second. A week ago, I didn’t know vampires exist and now I’m about drive off to who-knows-where with a mega-hot, super-powered member of the undead club. A little worrisome, right?”

  Faith patted my arm, seeming to know there was more to my conflict.

  “But damn, Faith.” I glanced at Alexander. “Look at him. He’s so frickin’ sexy I can’t think straight.”

  A cough interrupted us. Alexander removed his sunglasses, gaze on me. His lips quirked.

  Heat suffused my cheeks. “You can hear us, can’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “Great. Super strength, super speed, super hearing. Anything else you want to share with us?” To my credit, my voice remained steady despite my mortification.

  He tapped his nose. “Super smell.”

  My face burned hotter. I prayed for an earthquake to crack open the ground under my feet and swallow me whole. Alexander straightened and walked toward me. Correction, he took two normal speed steps, then flipped on the hyper drive and appeared in front of me.

  An embarrassing, girlie yelp escaped me. He gave me a heart-stopping smile.

  My lips curled upward in response then drooped when Ren and Mark trained their guns on him.

  “Stand down,” I barked.

  The men complied but weren’t happy about it. I stalked to Mark and gave him a what-the-hell look.

  “Sorry, Rina,” he apologized. “It’s that speed thing. Makes me jumpy.”

  Hard to argue after my sissy squeak. Alexander remained motionless now and I appreciated his attempt to appear harmless. My first date jitters diminished.

  I pointed at his Porsche. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Of course.” His blue eyes hit me with a heated gaze. He donned his sunglasses just as the wind decided to tousle his wavy brown hair.

  I had to remind myself to breathe.

  Seven

  Alexander drove onto Sacramento Street heading east. “I’m hungry. Want to grab a bite?”

  Hungry? Bite? I considered him warily. “Sure.”

  “You eat meat? There’s a place on the Embarcadero. Serves a great steak-frites. Among other things.”

  “Sounds good.” I relaxed. Food for me, other things for him. The perfect location choice for a date with a vampire. The thought of watching him drink blood didn’t faze me. I’d been there, seen that with Jonas and crew when I was a kid.

  “How’s your head?”

  I touched my hair. “Fine. Not even a twinge.”

  “Your memory?”

  I studied his profile. Was he probing? “All there. Like a packed file cabinet.”

  “Ah.”

  “Want to hear something funny? From my repertoire of recovered memories?”

  He nodded. “Hit me.”

  “Thomas used to read me bedtime stories when I was little. His favorite was the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. He also played dolls with me. It was the only way I’d agree to go to bed.”

  Alexander laughed. “No way.”

  “Way,” I grinned.

  “And Jonas?”

  “Ha, what you see is what you get on that one. Cranky. Gloomy. But fiercely protective. I always felt safe with him.”

  “Really?”

  I massaged my wrist. “Yeah. I know. Funny to admit that after the other night.”

  “So, you care about them.”

  My hand stilled at his careful tone. He is probing. “Of course.”

  “Even though they’re...” His fingers squeezed the steering wheel.

  “Bossy bullies?” I teased, trying to keep it light. But I knew what he wanted. “Yeah, I love the bastards. Alive or undead is irrelevant.”

  Alexander relaxed his grip.

  “That’s not to say they don’t have some mega apologizing and explaining to do. Boarding school suck
ed.”

  He chuckled and we fell into a comfortable silence. The car sped through the Broadway tunnel, past North Beach and onto the Embarcadero, heading toward Pier 39. Before we neared that glossy tourist attraction with its many shops and restaurants, the car pulled into a drive I would’ve missed in the dense fog.

  A dark, hulking building took shape in the gloom. It looked more like a gutted factory or serial killer’s hangout than an eatery. A red-alert knot in my stomach replaced my happy, first-date glow.

  The car crawled through the pitted, gravel parking lot. A few others peppered the foggy world, and several motorcycles lined the building. We stopped in a spot overlooking the water. Boats bobbed in the gray bay, barely visible in the fog. Late afternoon seemed more like evening.

  A dark, sinister evening.

  My fingers delved into my coat pocket for the phone. Should I text the boys for an extraction? Mark and Ren were likely tracking me on GPS and lurking nearby, given their protective ways.

  Call it a day or stay and play?

  Alexander removed the sunglasses he didn’t need in this gloomy weather and winked. “Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it looks from the outside.”

  I melted. Stay and play. I exited the car. The smell of barbeque blew past on the wind. “Is that...?”

  Alexander joined me, hand extended. “Steak. Fresh off the grill. C’mon.”

  I hesitated, remembering the pleasure and extreme pain of our touch.

  He wiggled his fingers. “I think you’ll be okay now.”

  I bit my lip to suppress an embarrassing giggle. Warmth washed over my cheeks, yet again. Blushing again, dammit. I need to stuff my inner teenager back in her box. I squelched the giggles. “Why are you so sure?”

  “Call it a hunch. C’mon.”

  I shook my head at his proffered hand, caught between eagerness and anxiety. The wind gusted again, bringing with it another tangy whiff of food. My stomach growled.

  His lips curled up at the sound. “Ready now?”

  I took his hand. We didn’t explode. Nor did our crazy, magnetic attraction overwhelm me with feral need. Oh, I wanted him, but for the moment it seemed my higher functioning was in control, keeping us safe from a public sex frenzy. We could experience a sweet, first date. Yay.

  He drew me along the side of the building toward the back. I savored his fingers curled through mine. I want to touch way more than his hand. My pulse sped up, but I kept a tight leash on my lust. I glanced at him through a curtain of hair blown across my face by the breeze. Another wink. He knew. I suspected he felt the same.