Night's Illusion

by Amanda Ashley

  “Why not? You’ve broken other vows since you were turned.”

  There was no accusation in her tone, yet her words cut him to the quick. As a fledgling, he had killed. He remembered his horror the first time he had taken a life. He had considered destroying himself, but suicide was no less a sin than murder.

  “You’re right,” he said quietly. “But defiling her would still be a sin.” He held up a hand to silence her. “Besides, how could I do such a thing without telling her the truth of what I am?”

  “It’s easy,” she said with an airy wave of her hand.

  “It might have been easy for you,” he said irritably.

  “Ah, Giovanni, you will be a good boy until the day you die.”

  “I hope so,” he muttered.

  She rose in a fluid motion. “If you hear anything of Alric, you will let me know?”

  “Yes.” Rising, he scrubbed a hand over his jaw. “Do you think I have anything to fear from him?”

  She raised a brow. “I shouldn’t think so,” she said, and then frowned. “I’m surprised you haven’t sensed him.”

  “Should I?”

  “He is your sire. Of course, you haven’t seen him since you were turned. Perhaps time and distance have weakened the bond.”

  “Perhaps.” He hadn’t thought of the man in a century or more until Angelica mentioned his name.

  “I’ve never known a bond to weaken that much,” she remarked, “but I suppose it’s possible. Well, I’m off.”

  “Give my best to Logan when you see him.”

  Mara smiled. “I shall.” Kissing his cheek, she said, “I hope your girl brings you the same happiness Logan has brought me.”

  “So do I,” Giovanni murmured as she vanished from his lair. “So do I.”

  Chapter 10

  One brow raised, Logan Blackwood regarded his wife as she materialized in their plush Hollywood living room. “You were with Lanzoni,” he remarked mildly. “Why did you go see him? And why did you block me?”

  “I didn’t want you following me.”

  “Why? I thought we weren’t going to have any more secrets between us.” The only reason he knew where she’d gone was because he smelled the priest’s scent on her. “What’s going on, Mara?”

  She settled onto the sofa beside him. “You remember Alric?”

  “Not really.” He had never met the vampire, though he knew of him.

  “I killed someone he loved. I thought he was long dead, since he never came after me. But he’s here now.”

  “In California?”

  “I’m not sure, but somewhere on the West Coast. I doubt it’s a coincidence.”

  “You think he’s coming after you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t tell me you’re worried about him?” She was the most powerful vampire in existence.

  “Not exactly.”

  Slipping his arm around her shoulders, he asked, “What, exactly?”

  “He’s incredibly cunning. And ever since I’ve known him, he’s always had slaves in his thrall to do his dirty work.”

  “You’ve got something better than slaves,” he said, giving her shoulder a squeeze. “You’ve got me and the rest of the family behind you.”

  Mara laughed softly. She wasn’t afraid of Alric, but she was afraid of losing the people she loved. Roshan and Brenna. Vince and Cara and her godsons, Rafe and Rane, and their wives. Kathy and Savannah. Abbey Marie and Nick. And her own son, Derek, and his wife, Sheree. She felt responsible for all of them, she mused, as she added Giovanni to her list.

  For centuries, she had cared for no one, trusted no one. She had killed those who threatened her without a thought, turned her back on Logan, who continued to adore her no matter how badly she treated him.

  He was the only man she had ever loved, though it had taken her hundreds of years to admit it and let him into her life. And yet he had always been there for her, even when she had married another man and given birth to Derek. Motherhood had changed her in ways she had never expected.

  “Mara?” Lifting his hand to her nape, he gently massaged her neck.

  “I’m all right.”

  “You’re worried about the others.”

  She nodded. The vampires she called family had faced danger of one kind or another before and had always emerged victorious.

  Drawing her into his arms, Logan said, “You’ve worried enough. I have a sure way to take your mind off Alric.”

  “I’m certain you do.”

  “Trust me.” Stretching out on the sofa, he pulled her down on top of him, his hands gliding over her slim body as he teased her with his lips and his tongue. He had known her for centuries, yet he never tired of looking at her, holding her. She was the most beautiful, sensual, powerful woman he had ever known and as she poured her love over him, he knew he could ask nothing more of life than to spend the rest of his nights in her arms.

  Just as he knew that, should anything happen to her, he would follow her into the Afterlife rather than spend the remainder of his existence without her.

  Chapter 11

  It had become a habit for Johnny to walk Cassie home. Now, as she removed her apron and slipped on her coat, she found herself smiling in anticipation. He was so easy to be with, to talk to. He made her feel important, as if she mattered. As if she was worth caring for. As if she was somebody.

  Humming softly, Cassie left the bar. She felt a rush of disappointment when she didn’t see him. After waiting a few minutes, she started walking home. Hearing hurried footsteps behind her, she turned, expecting to find Johnny.

  Instead, she saw Lynx and two of his buddies.

  “Where are you off to in such an all-fired hurry, sweet cakes?” Lynx asked as he grabbed her arm. “Off to meet that old man you’ve been hanging out with?”

  “Let me go!” she cried, trying to wrest her arm from his grasp. “What I do is none of your business.”

  “No?” His lip curled in a sneer. “Well, I’m making it my business. I don’t like a girl who teases ‘yes’ and then says ‘no.’”

  “I never did that!”

  “Either way, tonight, you’re mine,” Lynx said, pulling her down a side alley. “Or should I say ours?”

  “No!” Although she doubted there was anyone around to hear her, Cassie opened her mouth to scream for help, only to let out a harsh sob when Lynx slapped her.

  Cassie struggled as best she could, but she was no match for three men. Tears of fear and rage burned her eyes as two of them dragged her down on the ground, then pinned her arms to her sides. It was pitch-black in the alley, the night quiet except for her useless struggles. She froze when she heard Lynx unzip his jeans. Oh, Lord, he was going to do it! She let out a cry of denial as his weight settled on hers and then, to her surprise, her arms were free. Over the pounding of her own heart, she heard the sound of several muffled blows, followed by a strangled cry, and a garbled plea for mercy.

  When someone pulled Lynx off of her, Cassie scrambled to her feet and sprinted toward the mouth of the alley.

  She didn’t look back.

  Giovanni saved Lynx for last. After the would-be rapist’s companions were dead, he sank his fangs into the kid’s throat even as the words “Thou shalt not kill” rose in his mind. But he felt no guilt, only grim satisfaction that these three hoodlums would never terrorize Cassie or any other woman again.

  Safe at home, Cassie double-locked her door, made sure the windows were secure, then changed into her sweats and curled up in a corner of the sofa with a cup of hot chocolate, but her hands were shaking so badly she had to set it aside.

  What had happened back there? One of the guys had been begging for mercy. It was obvious that someone had attacked them. But who? She blew out a long, shuddering sigh. Whoever her protector had been, she was grateful. She had never been so afraid in her life.

  She flinched when someone knocked on the door. Was it Lynx? Had he come to finish what he’d started?

  “Cassie? A
re you in there? It’s me.”

  “Johnny!” Relief washed through her as she scrambled off the sofa, opened the door, and threw her arms around him. “I’m so glad to see you.”

  “Is something wrong?” he asked, stroking her hair. “You’re shivering.”

  “I was attacked.”

  “Are you hurt?”

  “No, they just scared the crap out of me.” Taking him by the hand, she led him to the sofa, sat, and pulled him down beside her. And then she frowned. “Are you?”

  “No. Why do you ask?”

  “There’s blood on your shirt. And on your lower lip.”

  Without thinking, he said, “It’s not mine.”

  Her gaze searched his. “Whose is it, then?”

  Giovanni wiped his mouth. “Cassie, please let it go.”

  “It was you, wasn’t it? In the alley.”

  “Yes,” he admitted reluctantly.

  “What did you do?”

  Giovanni groaned. He’d been so anxious to make sure Cassie was all right, he hadn’t taken time to check his clothing for telltale stains.

  “Johnny? Tell me the truth.”

  “I should go.”

  She laid her hand on his arm, staying him when he would have risen. “Is Lynx all right?”

  “ No.”

  “And his buddies?”

  He shook his head.

  “Are they . . . ?” She couldn’t say the word, didn’t even want to think it.

  “They laid their hands on you,” he said quietly.

  Cassie stared at him, horrified by what he had done. He’d killed them all. Maybe he’d had no other choice. Maybe it was self-defense. She hoped so, because, otherwise, it was murder, and she couldn’t condone that. And yet . . . and yet, right or wrong, she couldn’t be sorry that Lynx and his friends would never threaten her or anyone else again. She had no doubt all three of them would have raped her, just as she was equally certain that Lynx would have silenced her forever rather than take a chance on leaving her alive to go to the police.

  “I should leave,” Johnny said again.

  “Please stay.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”

  “Cassie.” He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’ll only bring you trouble.”

  “That’s a chance I’m willing to take.”

  “There are things about me you don’t know.”

  “You said that before.”

  “And if you did know, you’d run away, screaming.”

  She stared at him, her brow furrowed. Had he done something in the past even worse than killing Lynx and his friends? If so, she couldn’t imagine what it might be.

  “I don’t want to leave you,” he admitted. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But I’m afraid if I stay, I’ll ruin your life.”

  “Johnny, we’ve been seeing each other only a short time, it’s true. But I’ve loved every minute of it. I know what you did tonight was wrong, but you probably saved my life. In fact, I’m sure of it. I . . . I don’t care what else you’ve done.”

  He shook his head, inhaled a deep breath, and blew it out slowly. Against his better judgment, he was going to tell her the truth. If she couldn’t handle it, if he sensed she might betray him, he would wipe the knowledge from her mind and never see her again.

  She looked at him expectantly.

  “You can never tell anyone else what I’m about to say.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “I mean it. Sharing this with anyone else could put your life in danger. And mine, too.”

  Oh, Lord, she thought, he’s a convicted felon. Or a terrorist. No, he didn’t seem the type. Maybe he was in the witness protection program. Or worse. Maybe he had a wife and five kids. “Just tell me.”

  He took another deep breath, then said, “I’m a vampire.”

  Cassie stared at him. She never would have guessed he’d say that. “Yeah, right, and I’m the Little Mermaid,” she muttered. “If you don’t want to tell me, then just forget it.”

  “It’s true.”

  She blinked at him, momentarily at a loss for words. Why would he concoct such an outrageous lie? Why would he say it if it wasn’t true? And what if it was? She lifted a hand to her throat, trying not to stare at the dried blood on his shirt.

  “Cassie, are you all right?” She looked as if she might faint.

  “I don’t know.” She felt suddenly light-headed. It couldn’t be true. Vampires didn’t exist. And yet, he didn’t look like he was joking. “You’re really a . . . what you said?”

  He nodded, his expression somber.

  “Like the ones on TV?”

  “Not quite, but basically, yes.”

  Cassie clenched her hands in her lap to still their trembling. “Are you going to drink my blood?”

  His gaze slid to the pulse throbbing in the hollow of her throat. “No.”

  “Isn’t that what vampires do?”

  “Yes. And I’m not saying I don’t want to drink from you, but I won’t.” He smiled faintly. “Unless you tell me it’s all right.”

  “People give you their permission?”

  “ No.”

  She fell silent.

  He could see her turning things over in her mind. He drank blood. He wouldn’t take hers unless she said it was okay. But he didn’t get permission from others. So . . .

  He watched comprehension dawn in her eyes.

  “You just take it,” she said slowly. “Does that mean you . . . kill them?” Silly question, she thought. He had just admitted to killing three guys less than an hour ago. She glanced at the blood on his shirt, remembered the blood on his mouth. She had assumed it came from the fight, but now she wondered if he had taken their blood. She stared up at him. Vampire.

  “No. I hypnotize my prey, take what little I need, and send them on their way, none the wiser.”

  Prey. The word conjured images of lions bringing down helpless zebras and gazelles in the wilds of Africa.

  Giovanni shook his head. He never should have told her. “Listen,” he said, getting to his feet. “Think it over tonight. If I don’t hear from you tomorrow . . .” He shrugged. “I’ll understand and I’ll never bother you again.”

  He was out the door before she could think of anything to say.

  * * *

  Giovanni prowled the dark streets, hating what he was, what he might have just lost. In hundreds of years, he had never felt this way about a woman. Not even Maria Elena had touched his heart the way Cassie did. Cassie. She eased his loneliness, made him feel human again. Made him laugh. He never should have told her the truth. He’d been a fool to think he could have any kind of lasting relationship with a mortal woman. Sure, the DeLongpre/Cordova coven had all found mates. But, sooner or later, those mates had become vampires, willing or not.

  He was almost home when Mara appeared beside him. He swore under his breath. “What do you want now?” he asked crossly.

  “It’s nice to see you, too. Are you out of your mind? Why on earth did you tell her the truth?”

  “She deserved to know. I doubt if she’ll want to see me again after tonight, but how could we have any kind of meaningful relationship when she doesn’t know who—or what—I really am?”

  Mara nodded thoughtfully and then frowned. “You smell of death.”

  “I’m a vampire,” he said bitterly.

  She snorted softly. “You don’t kill your prey. What happened?”

  In as few words as possible, he told her about Lynx and his companions.

  Mara muttered a very unladylike expletive, then said, “You shouldn’t feel guilty for taking out the trash.”

  Giovanni laughed in spite of himself. One thing about the Queen of the Vampires, she always knew what to say to make him feel better.

  Chapter 12

  Johnny was a vampire. While eating lunch, Cassie tried to reconcile her recollection of the gentle man she had come to care for with her image of a blood-
sucking creature of the night, but she just couldn’t do it. For one thing, she didn’t believe in vampires. For another, he didn’t act like one. Vampires were nothing but old wives’ tales from centuries ago when people were ruled by myth and superstition, when innocent women were burned as witches, and twins were thought to be evil and shunned or killed. Thank goodness, those days were long gone.

  And even if it was true and he was a vampire, he was still the nicest man she had ever met. The few men she had dated had only wanted one thing from her and when she said no, she never saw them again. Except for Lynx. Of course, the bar didn’t cater to the best clientele and she had little opportunity or means to mingle with the kind of men she’d hoped to date. And then, along came Johnny, sweet and polite, willing to confront Lynx and his buddies to protect her.

  She spent the rest of the afternoon doing her laundry and cleaning her crappy apartment. And all the while, she heard his voice in the back of her mind—I’m a vampire.

  What if it was true? Would she be making the biggest mistake of her life if she saw him again? Perhaps a fatal one?

  Finding her cell phone, she selected his number. It rang five times and then a recorded message kicked in: “You’ve reached Father Lanzoni. Please leave your number and I’ll return your call as soon as possible.”

  Vampires slept during the day.

  She shook her head. She was letting her imagination run away with her.

  She’d never seen him eat—or drink anything but red wine.

  “Stop it, Cassie! Enough is enough.”

  An hour later, she called him again, and an hour after that, and an hour after that. She heard the same message every time. Well, maybe he’d gone for a walk, or to the supermarket, or a movie or maybe he was . . .

  Sleeping in his coffin?

  Hoping some fresh air would clear her mind, she put on her running shoes and headed for the park. Next time she called, she would leave a message. One way or another, she had to know the truth.

  * * *

  Giovanni rose with the setting of the sun. As one of the ancient ones, he could be awake during the day if need be. But he didn’t deserve to live in the light. He was a creature of darkness and that was where he belonged.