The Stone Protector (Keepers of the Flame, Book 1)

by Melissa F. Hart

  I was holding onto a throw pillow and I clutched it tightly. “I like them,” I mumbled.

  “I have no idea why humans are so fascinated with vampires, but I suppose I can understand it. But you are a vampire, so what is the fascination?”

  “I'll go make breakfast.”

  I turned to Dylan then and noted the smile on his face.

  “You cook, too? I hope grandmother is paying you enough.” I winced at how waspish I sounded.

  “Excuse me,” he said quietly and walked into the kitchen.

  I didn't need Katrina's disapproving glance to feel bad. What was wrong with me? I wasn't normally that unpleasant, but he brought out the worst in me. With a sigh, I stood up.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, picking up the remote control.

  “To apologize.”

  She nodded and turned back to the TV.

  I sighed again and made my way to the kitchen. I found him busy over the stove, frying bacon and eggs.

  “We've come a long way as a race,” he said without turning to look at me.

  “Huh?”

  “I mean, look at us. We are almost human. We're even eating bacon and eggs and we're a far cry from the vampires the humans are still obsessed with.”

  I studied him from beneath my eyelashes and went to pour myself a cup of coffee from the coffee pot, which had been brewing. “It's called evolution,” I said simply. “They're not the only ones who evolved. We just took several centuries to do so.”

  “Yeah,” he grunted and didn't say anything else.

  I leaned against the counter and sipped from my mug as he emptied the contents of his skillet onto two plates. Ah, he'd already discovered that Katrina didn't take breakfast. He looked up then as though he could read my thoughts, and then looked down again, busy with what he was doing. And maybe he could read my thoughts. I couldn't be certain. Most vampires had that ability but we also could block our thoughts from each other and I’d learned how to do that at a very early age.

  “Look I wanted to apologize about that comment I made. I didn't mean to make you feel bad, it was uncalled for.”

  He looked up again and I could see the surprise in his expression before he quickly masked it. “Would you like to go out tonight?” he asked instead.

  I felt excitement stir inside me, but quickly tamped it down. “What's the point? I've tried every night for the past two nights and there's a protective shield around the house. I can't get out; I'm well and truly trapped.” I shrugged like it didn't bother me much but he must have seen through to my frustration because he flashed a smile then.

  My heart went still, then began to beat in my chest. I couldn't understand what was happening to me. I stared at him as though mesmerized and it was only after I noticed him frown in concern that I realized he'd been speaking to me. I shook the haze from my head and lowered my eyelashes to hide my confusion.

  “S-sorry, I mean I didn't hear you because you did say something, right? I mean I should have heard you b-but...” I trailed off as I realized that I was beginning to babble. OMG, I thought in dismay. This was worse than I thought. I took a deep breath and raised my eyes to meet his with difficulty. “I'm sorry, I was lost in thought,” I said more calmly.

  He studied me for a few seconds. “I was saying that I put the protective shield up so no one could get in. I'm sorry it's keeping you from getting out, but your safety is my primary concern. However, if you don't mind my company, we could go out later in the night.”

  “Talk about Hobson's choice,” I mumbled and was shocked right to my toes when he laughed outright.

  It was the most fascinating sound I'd ever heard. It started deep in his chest, and then came out in a nice-sounding rumble. I felt it right to my toes and couldn't help smiling back in return. This time, he was the one who froze. He stopped mid-laugh and just stared at me.

  “Hey, are you all right?” When he didn't reply, I decided to try again. “Dylan?” This time I got a reaction.

  He blinked slowly and our eyes met across the kitchen. It was like the air around us suddenly went still. All my senses sharpened and beyond the aroma coming from the eggs and bacon, I could smell his very essence. I felt as though I was losing air and took a deep breath. A blend of maleness and fresh pine hit me. I could hear his heart beating and knew he could hear mine as well. I was drowning in his gaze and it looked like he was equally drowning. From where I was standing, I felt his longing, tasted his loneliness and it echoed the longing and loneliness in my heart. Suddenly, I felt swamped with fear and I blinked. Just like that, the spell was broken. We both looked away and while I fiddled with the mug in my hand, he began to set the table for two. When he was done, he cleared his throat and looked at me.

  “Would you join me for breakfast?”

  I raised an eyebrow, deliberately imitating him and looked pointedly at the two places he'd set before turning to look back at him. “Oh? Were you expecting someone else?”

  One side of his mouth lifted in a half smile and he ran a hand through his already tussled dark hair. His eyes twinkling, he shrugged and sat down. “Fine, don't eat then.”

  “Hey, I didn't say I wasn't going to eat.” I protested, taking a seat across from him. I shoved a forkful of eggs into my mouth and for the first time in my entire life, I was grateful for evolved taste buds. My eyes widened in surprise and appreciation. “Wow, this is incredible.”

  “Thanks.”

  We ate in silence and between mouthfuls of food, I studied him unabashedly. Finally, he dropped his fork onto his plate and stared at me with exasperation. I just smiled.

  “What?”

  “I'm curious about you.”

  “Curiousness is not a good thing,” he said trying to sound sage. I snorted and he frowned.

  “You know so much about me, a dossier worth of information I'm sure. But I know next to nothing about you and that doesn't seem fair, does it?” I asked reasonably.

  He went back to eating and I had to wait for him to finish chewing before he replied. “I'm here to protect you. You don't need to know anything about me.”

  This time, I gave in to the urge to roll my eyes. “Fine, so you're supposed to be my protector. Isn't that a relationship of sorts, and one which requires some level of trust? How can I trust you when I know next to nothing about you?”

  He gave me a considering look as he chewed and I could see he was surprised that I was more than the bimbo most people thought I was, not like I blamed them. I had thick golden hair which I caught in a ponytail behind my head. It reached down almost to my waist and I was reluctant to cut it for reasons I didn't feel like dwelling upon. Then I'd been told I had these big gray eyes, which even in the mirror looked vacuous to me. Coupled with the fact that I'd been cursed with very generous boobs, I wasn't surprised most people didn't expect me to know the word vacuous.

  He sighed finally and placed his arms on the table. “Okay. What do you want to know?

  Chapter Six

  What do you want to know?

  Even as I spoke the words, I immediately regretted them. I didn't want to speak about myself, but I'd let those beautiful gray eyes get to me. There was no other explanation for why I'd just given her carte blanche with my life. Not like I was going to answer every question she asked, I wasn't that foolish. Then she smiled at me and batted those eyes at me again and I knew I was a goner.

  “How old are you?”

  Interesting. I would have thought she'd have started with my experience or my resume. Instead she wanted to know my age. Well, that I could manage.

  “I'm twenty-one.”

  “Do you have any family?”

  I felt like I'd just been sucker punched. Had I just said I could manage her questions? Man, what an idiot I was.

  “Yes.” I kept my answer short, hoping she would get the message and leave that line of questioning alone. No such luck.

  “Where do they live?”

  “Europe.”

  “Really? You're f
rom Europe then?”

  I could see the excited light in her eyes and I felt like a heel for not giving her what she wanted, but I knew I couldn't.

  “I'm American.”

  She pursed her lips and I had a sudden vision of those lips on mine. I shook myself mentally. Sixteen! I reminded myself sternly. Even if she was of age as a vampire, she was still too young for me.

  “You don't want to talk about your family?” she asked gently, like she could understand. Even though our circumstances were very different, I had a feeling she would somehow understand. But I wasn't in a confiding mood.

  “I don't.”

  “All right then. We won't speak about your family. Instead, tell me about your work. Do you enjoy being a protector? I know it's not an easy life and you're constantly in danger.”

  “We're all in danger,” I told her. “You don't have to be a protector to face danger.”

  “Yes, but most of us don't consciously and deliberately put ourselves in the path of danger,” she pointed out.

  She was more intelligent than I'd given her credit for. I filed this knowledge away somewhere in my mind for future reference. I got the feeling she played up the bimbo part and it would be so easy to underestimate her. I made a mental note not to make that mistake.

  We spent the morning talking about different topics and I found her a witty and intelligent conversationalist. She was so different from the surly teenager I'd encountered the first time we met and as we conversed, I began to see why she'd reacted the way she had. Even though she was reserved and normally quiet spoken, she was fiercely independent and I recognized that determination not to rely on anyone in her. It wasn't anything she said per se, it was just that for the first time in my life, I felt like I'd met a kindred spirit.

  The thought was disconcerting. I didn't want to get attached to her because I knew that once the mission was over, we would go our separate ways. I'd lost too many people in my life; I wasn't willing to add another to the list.

  When there was a slight lull in our conversation, I said an abrupt goodbye and beat a hasty retreat. I could feel her looking at me in confusion and slight hurt, but I needed to get away.

  ***

  Later as I climbed up to her room, I wondered what explanation I was going to give her for the way I hurried off. She had the entire attic floor to herself and when I got there, her door was already open.

  “Come inside, Dylan. Hurry!”

  I heard the excitement in her voice and it echoed the excitement I felt at the way she called my name. It didn't sound any different from how most people called it, but it had felt different. And I knew I was being paranoid.

  I entered the room and discovered she'd dressed in skin tight skinny black leather pants and a black tank top. She had on a biker jacket and was in the process of zipping it up when I came in. she looked up from her task and flashed me a quick smile before focusing on what she was doing.

  I used that time to study her and felt my throat close up at the sight of her. She looked every inch the vampire, from the top of her tightly pulled-back ponytail to the tip of her leather-soled boots. This was like vampire uniform and I was similarly attired myself. But even as she stood there, it looked to me like there was something a bit off about her. It was nothing I could put my finger on, but it niggled at the back of my mind. Trying to ignore it, I pointed to the sky roof above her bed, which was wide open.

  “Are you ready?”

  She nodded expectantly and her eyes sparkled. “Thus far, I can say it's the only thing that's great about being a vampire.”

  That struck me as odd and I turned to look at her. “You don't like being a vampire?”

  “Who does?” She shrugged carelessly. “It's not like I had much of a choice on whether I wanted to be immortal or not.”

  “You want to be mortal?” I sounded incredulous. I couldn't imagine it.

  She looked away and worried at her lips before asking quietly, “Don't you think it would be nice to be normal for once?”

  I actually thought about it. Normal? What was that? It definitely wasn't a state I'd ever experienced. Even born to a completely vampire family as I'd been, I had felt like a freak, an aberration of nature. I didn't think normal existed and I told her as much. She just shrugged and gestured up to the sky roof.

  “Have you removed the shield?”

  “Not really, but I've made it so that you can pass through.”

  She rolled her eyes, “Why, thank you, kind sir.”

  I couldn't help smiling at her slight British accent. It was almost unnoticeable but became stronger when she was upset, and now when she'd been using sarcasm.

  She walked to the foot of her bed and like a bullet, shot out of the roof. I shot out after her and saw that she'd already gained some distance. I made sure she was within sight but gave her the space I knew she was craving. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did.

  I moved in the air and watched as she cavorted, moving with grace and abandon. It was not flying exactly. Vampires don't fly. But we have the ability to move through the elements to get to where we're going. Besides, since I discovered I could teleport, it wasn't an activity I'd practiced for a long while. But watching Luanne, it was almost like she was dancing in the sky. From where I was, I could feel her joy and excitement, and it was contagious.

  I allowed her to swirl and dance around in the night sky until she wound down, then I made to move toward her. All of a sudden, I couldn't explain it, but I felt a burning urgency to get to her. My instincts had saved my life on more than one occasion and I wasn't about to ignore it now. Thank goodness I didn't. A few seconds more and I would have been too late.

  Chapter Seven

  The sense of freedom and exhilaration I felt when I was up in the air was second to none. Then my insecurities faded, the fact that I was seen as weird in school didn't mean anything to me when I was up in the air. I was one with everything around me and it was the only time I felt at peace with myself. This time was no different even though I was acutely aware of Dylan not too far away from me. I appreciated the fact that he was sensitive enough to give me some space and just let me be, but I couldn't shake how tuned in to him I felt.

  I finally slowed down and knew the instant he headed for where I was. I stood still, feeling the wind on my skin even as I hovered in the air, and waited for him. But just before he got to where I was, I felt the stone on my pendant begin to tingle. Suddenly, it heated up and became incredibly hot. I knew instantly that something was terribly wrong. The stone had never heated up to that degree before and as I rubbed on it, all my instincts on high alert, I felt the first fission of fear. With one part of my mind, I registered the fact that though I felt the heat from the stone, it wasn't burning me. Instead I felt like I was absorbing the heat.

  “Luanne?” Dylan had come to where I was standing and he was also as alert as I was.

  I opened my mouth to answer when I felt a searing pain on my right arm. I opened my eyes wide in shock.

  “Quick, head for the house!” His command and the urgency in his tone pierced through my confusion and I turned toward the direction of the house but I hadn't moved at all when I discovered my path was being blocked. There was a row of leather-clad vampires blocking my way; I knew they were vampires because I could feel their aura even though they were all masked. I turned to Dylan and that was when I realized we were surrounded.

  I hadn't realized I'd moved but suddenly my body was touching Dylan's. I felt my heart pounding in fear. Wave upon wave of terror flowed over me as I gazed upon the menacing presence of the masked vampires. There was no escape.

  Suddenly the row of vampires in front of me parted and a vampire walked through. He was roughly the same height and build as Dylan, but I felt the strength and power coming from him. He had piercing blue eyes and hair the color of corn. It fell over the lapel of his leather jacket, creating a sharp contrast. I could tell that he was one vampire who had seen several hundred years and wondered what he wanted
with me. I didn't have to wonder for long.

  “Farley, I see you're here. I'm impressed.” His voice was a deep bass and had a gritty tone to it, which still managed to sound smooth and fine. Kind of how I would expect high quality whiskey to sound, if it could speak.

  Farley? I wondered, slightly puzzled. Who was he talking about? I felt Dylan go absolutely still beside me and I knew the man was referring to him. How did the man know Dylan?

  “Lord Morrison, it's been a while.”

  “Hasn't it though? Now hand over the girl and we'll be on our way.”

  “Ah, I wish I could, but you know that's not possible.”

  “This is bigger than you Farley, and I know you're not a fool. Hand her over.”

  “That would be over my dead body.”

  Lord Morrison flashed a smile and shook his head. “Still as stubborn as ever, eh? I know you're an excellent Protector, Farley; I trained you myself. However, you're not that infatuated with your own prowess, surely. I have you surrounded; you are overpowered, thirty to one. I would hate to have your blood on my hands.”