She looked at the man to her right and stammered. “I—think I’m dead. That can’t possibly be right. Can it? I’m too young to die.” When he didn’t respond right away, she shoved her horrifying reality to the back of her mind and pointed to Lucian. “He..he’s a vampire. I…I just saw him leap ten feet in the air. He’s got fa…fangs and red eyes. And…and oh, God, that means he drinks people’s blood.”
The man put a hand on her shoulder and said in a steady voice, “Calm yourself, Rana.”
Her regrets and fears suddenly disappeared, and her mind registered the fact that Lucian was a vampire from a logical perspective instead of an emotional one. She stared at the old man. He looked like a casual on-looker in his blue jeans, red sweater and red baseball cap over a thatch of silver hair, but when she looked closely she saw an ethereal glow surrounding his entire body. Was he an angel? How else could she explain the feeling of calmness that passed over her at his slight touch and unhurried command?
Lucian felt for her pulse again. He wouldn’t find one. She realized with gut-wrenching finality, she was dead and her blossoming relationship with Lucian was over. Which is probably a good thing because I think he and I would’ve had two entirely different views on the expression, ‘taking me out for dinner’. I’m fine with being an appetizer, but not the main course. A sudden morbid thought struck her. If she was dead, did that mean she’d see Jack again?
The old man shook his head. “You must go back.” He spoke as if he’d read her mind.
She gasped and shook her head in fast jerks. It wasn’t that she wanted to stay dead—far from it—but the idea of facing Lucian right now wasn’t something she was ready for. Emotions were overruling her self-preservation instincts. “No. I can’t.” She pointed to the unconscious woman in Lucian’s arms and then to her own chest, her finger sliding right through herself.
He smiled and his wrinkled face became even more creased. “Technically, you’re not dead. You’re in limbo. You must go back, Rana. Lucian needs your help.”
“But…but you’re an angel, right? Why would you want me to help him?” She sputtered with frustrated anger. She refused to let the sadness in Lucian’s face as he held her limp body affect her. “He’s evil.”
The old man gave her a patient look. “I’m not an angel. I’m a…Gatekeeper of sorts. Do you know what the name Lucian means?”
She shook her head.
“It means ‘Man of Light’.”
He sighed at her confused expression. “Even the darker side has varying degrees of evil, Rana. Lucian is the light in the darkness that can spring up within vampires if they aren’t held accountable. And that’s what vampires are—just another group of people, who are different from you. Lucian is needed, but he resists. You need to help him find his way and accept the position of Vité at the vampires’ council meeting in two days time. His leadership is necessary to steer the Kendrians on the right path.”
When she started to interrupt, he held up his hand and continued, his blue eyes meeting hers. “But in order to accomplish this goal, you must remain pure until he takes the oath of leadership.”
She’d been watching Lucian stroke her face as the man explained her task. The Gatekeeper’s last words drew her attention. “Pure?”
He nodded. “You mustn’t let Lucian make you a vampire.”
Rana snorted and rubbed her neck against imagined neck bites. “No problem. I like the sun too much and the idea of drinking blood makes me nauseous. Plus, who wants to live forever?”
His chest rumbled with suppressed laughter. “Vampires do eventually die. They just age very slowly, over centuries.”
She looked at him, hope blooming. “If I do this? If I help Lucian, will I be able to live my life?”
He shook his head. “I can’t change what has happened, Rana. Your life is over, but you can help Lucian. He needs someone to help him right now.”
Her heart ached that her life had been cut short, but not everyone gets a little bit more time, let alone a second chance to do something for the greater good before they leave this world. She set her lips in a firm line. “Okay, I’ll do it.” Lifting her hand toward him, she asked, “Could you remove this ring before I go back. The scent it emanates seems to…um…attract Lucian quite a bit.” Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
The old man shrugged. “I’m sorry. You have to go back as you came. I can’t interfere.”
“You already have. You’re sending me back with an expiration date!” she snapped. Even though she was angry, her heart ached when her gaze landed on Lucian. He was rocking her in his arms, holding her close as if he truly cherished her.
“Such feistiness from someone who was arguing to stay dead a couple minutes ago.” The old man chuckled.
She flicked her gaze back to him, still unsure how she would handle facing Lucian. The thought made her stomach clench. “You’d be feisty too if you’d just discovered vampires exist, been hit by a car, only to find out you’re dead, but can’t die yet, because you have to help a reluctant vampire become the leader of his people. And oh yeah, you’ll have to do all that while keeping those fangs at bay. I’d say I have a reason to be a tad vehement.”
Laughing outright, the Gatekeeper’s blue eyes twinkled. “You’re exactly what Lucian needs right now.” Before he sent her back into her body, the old man warned, “I’ll heal your wounds, since you can’t help Lucian with a crushed pelvis.” When her jaw fell open, his lips quirked. “How about I spare you the long list of your internal injuries.”
*
Rana sucked air into her lungs in a long, painful gasp. Lucian looked down at her, shock reflected in his expression. “Rana?” He touched her cheek and then slid his hands over her arms and legs, looking to see if anything was broken. “It’s a miracle,” he whispered, returning his gaze to her face.
Jerking from Lucian’s grasp, Rana scrambled away like a crab, wincing in the process. She was going to be one big walking bruise. Hey, Mr. Gatekeeper, I thought you said you’d heal all my wounds. I hurt like hell! She looked at her burning leg where the asphalt had torn her pantsuit. A streak of road rash dotted her thigh. As she moved her hand to touch it, a gash on her palm began to burn. Maybe that last “hell” comment wasn’t the best choice.
“You’re hurt.” When Lucian reached for her again, she shrunk away.
The wounded look in his eyes went right to the pit of her stomach, but she needed to be strong. He’d led her to believe he was something he wasn’t—a normal human being.
As if he’d read her thoughts, Lucian spoke softly, “I’m still the same man, Rana.”
“No, you’re a vampire.” She slowly stood up on shaky legs. “A little something you forgot to mention while nuzzling my neck.” Angry with herself for even caring one bit that she was hurting him, she looked around and noticed they were alone on the road.
Spreading her arms wide, she said, “Isn’t that lovely! The guy who hit me just took off. And where are the witnesses? No one saw him plow me down?”
“I told him to go home.”
She looked at him in surprise. “What? And he just listened to you?” she asked, taken aback. Then it hit her—scenes from all those old vampire movies ran through her head. “You compelled him to leave, didn’t you?”
Lucian nodded, regarding her with watchful eyes.
She opened her mouth, ready to yell at him, but snapped it shut. What was the point? Technically, other than a few bruises, she was fine. After rubbing the dirt off her torn pantsuit, she put her foot back in the shoe she’d lost while tangoing with a four thousand pound vehicle, then turned to limp back to the nightclub.
“Where are you going?” Lucian asked.
“To call a cab,” she said, mumbling, “preferably one with spongy bumpers.”
“I want you to come home with me where you’ll be safe,” Lucian called from behind her.
Rana stopped and faced him with a snort of laughter. It was either that or breakdown in hysterics. “Safe from whom? This K
raid character?”
She walked right up to him, eyes locked. “What about you, Lucian? When you get really hungry, will I be part of your meal plan, too?”
The insulted look in Lucian’s eyes, before he masked it with a blank stare, made her regret her harsh words. She waved her hand wearily. “I’m sorry. Being hit by a car has made me a little crabby. Can you just take me home?”
With a grim look, he nodded as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. While he called Ian and asked him to take care of Dwayne, Rana thought, Great, that good-looking Ian guy was a bloodsucker, too? Shaking her head, she followed Lucian to his car.
*
Lucian walked Rana to the door, expecting her to slam it in his face, but as she crossed the threshold, she called over her shoulder, “Come in and take off your shirt.”
He wasn’t sure he understood where she was going with her request. She seemed angry, not amorous. He remained outside her door, wary, studying her.
“Come on.” She waved him in as she walked down the hall.
Lucian pulled off his shirt, grimacing at the gouges in his shoulders. He followed her into the bathroom.
She pointed to the closed commode. “Sit.”
He lifted an eyebrow at her imperious tone but complied without comment.
Rana pulled down alcohol and cotton balls from the cabinet above the sink. He grasped her wrist when she moved to apply the cleanser to his wounds. “I’ll heal just fine.”
She met his gaze, her own fearful at his touch. He realized her tough act and sarcastic comments were bravado. She was terrified of him. Sarcasm and anger he could deal with, but this…this fear from the woman he loved, it stripped him bare.
He rubbed his thumb over her wrist, holding her gaze. “It’s me, Rana, Lucian, remember?”
Her pulse beat faster underneath his finger and she closed her eyes. Was it from fear? With all his vast powers, the one he didn’t possess—the ability to read minds—he’d kill for right now just to know what she was thinking.
Rana’s eyes flew open. She jerked her hand from his grasp and put the alcohol away. When she turned back, she refused to look at him again. “You can go now.”
“Rana.”
She closed her eyes once more. “Just go, Lucian.”
He set his jaw as he stood and pulled on his shirt. “I’ll leave your home as you requested, but I won’t leave you unprotected.”
As soon as she closed her front door behind him, Rana leaned against it and sank down to the floor, tears trickling down her face. She cried until her head hurt.
Wiping away the tears, she lifted her head, sniffling. She’d begun to really care for Lucian. For that matter, if Kraid hadn’t interfered, she’d have already slept with the man. She sighed. I guess I should be thankful for “evil-guided” favors.
Rana stood on unsteady legs and headed for her bedroom to change into a gray sweatshirt and navy lounging pants. Returning to the living room, she flipped on the light. She was too keyed up to go to bed just yet. Eyeing the stack of books, her gaze landed on the book on vampires.
How timely. Her lips twisted in a wry smirk as she reached for the book, then sat down. If she was going to help Lucian, she had to learn everything she could about vampires as quickly as possible.
After a couple of hours of reading, she felt she understood his vampire background a little better. Supposedly they have very low tolerance to sunlight, they must drink blood to survive, they have the ability to manipulate your thoughts and memories, they’re incredibly strong, they can turn a human into a vampire if they take blood from the person three times within a few days time, and oh, yeah, vampires might not be immortal, but they live for centuries, so they may as well be.
She yawned and looked at her watch. It was one in the morning. Standing, she stretched and turned off the lamp. As she passed the bay window, she froze when she saw a man’s shadow against the glass. Her heart thumped hard until she realized it was Lucian. He’d never left.
Unlatching the door, she leaned outside. He turned from his position leaning against the window. “I said go home, Lucian.”
Arms folded and ankles crossed in a casual stance, Lucian’s gaze remained steady on hers. “And I told you I’m not leaving you unprotected.”
Rana flipped her hand. “What are you going to do when the sun comes up? I’m assuming you can’t handle full sunlight. Am I correct?”
Lucian slowly nodded.
There was no way she’d be responsible for another death today. Her own was enough. Sighing, she beckoned him. “Come in, then.”
Lucian flashed a wide smile and moved toward her.
“But you have to leave as soon as evening arrives, got it?”
He dipped his head in acknowledgment while a sexy smirk played on his lips. She gritted her teeth at his knowing look, then walked back toward the guest bedroom.
Rana was conscious of his heat as he followed behind her. The animal magnetism he projected made her skin flush. A shiver passed over her and her heart rate picked up, its steady beat changing to a more fervent pace. His step was so quiet she didn’t know he was so close until she opened the door, then quickly turned.
“Here’s your room—”
His hard chest brushed against hers, making her very aware of her tingling skin beneath her sweatshirt. The vampire thing may throw her mentally, but her body still reacted to him. Lucian put his hands on her arms to steady her. She hadn’t bothered turning on a light, so only the moonlight lit up the hallway, casting it in a soft glow.
He touched her cheek, his fingers lingering at the edge of her jaw line. Rubbing his thumb across her lower lip, he said, “Good night, sweet Rana.”
Rana swallowed hard, then walked to her bedroom. As he started to shut his door, she poked her head back out into the hall. “The window in your room has a room darkening shade on it. It’ll be pitch black if you pull it down.”
Lucian smiled his appreciation. Thanks for thinking of me, he whispered in her mind. The mental contact was both intimate and seductive.
“Don’t do that,” she snapped. Straightening her spine, she quickly pulled her head in and shut the door behind her.
Lucian sat on the bed in the guest bedroom and heard Rana washing her face and brushing her teeth. He couldn’t believe how such a simple routine affected him. He was jealous he couldn’t watch. He inhaled deeply, smelling the toothpaste she used as it mixed with her own innate scent. His body hardened in response to the stimuli. Leaning back against the headboard, he closed his eyes and soaked in her soft sigh and the glide of the sheets against her silky skin.
Rana was so much more than he ever could have hoped for in a mate. She wasn’t beautiful in a classical sense, but her face was interesting and animated. She drew him in whenever she spoke. He delighted in her inner strength and her wicked sense of humor. After today’s horrors, all he wanted to do was hold her close and conquer all her fears. Settling in the bed, he mourned the loss of tonight—what should have been their first “official” night together.
*
Kraid had her pinned to the ground, his fangs exposed. “When I’m done draining your body, I’ll rip that lovely neck of yours to shreds,” he sneered. “What’s Lucian going to do with a dead corpse, hmmm?” Kraid leaned closer and she couldn’t move. All she could do was scream until her lungs burned. “Lucian!”
“Shh,” Lucian said soothingly against her temple as he held her in his arms. “I’m here, Rana. It was just a dream. No one will harm you.”
Rana clung to him, the remnants of her dream, the fear, the terror, still very real in her mind.
Lucian ran a calming hand down her hair, gathering her close. Finally, the tremors stopped and his stroke turned more sensual than soothing. Rana closed her eyes and drank in his intoxicating, masculine smell. He’d removed his shirt, but he still wore his pants. His skin felt warm against hers. Here in the dark, she didn’t have to look into his eyes and be reminded he was a vampire. She imagined he wa
s the Lucian from her dreams even if just for a few moments.
His hand dropped to her shoulder and touched the strap of her sleep shirt, sliding it down her arm, his lips tracing its path. Heat curled in her belly, and adrenaline kicked into high gear, setting her heart off at a rampant pace.
“Your skin is so soft,” he murmured against her shoulder.
She put her hand on his bicep, reveling in the feel of his hard muscles.
Lifting her hand, he stroked his tongue against the gash on her palm, then set it on his bare shoulder. Rana was enraptured by how much the protective gesture pulled at her heart. Lucian’s hand slid from her shoulder down her side. When his fingers gently brushed her breast through the silky sleep shirt, she leaned into him as he urged the bud to a hard, sensitized peak. Rana gasped at the thrilling vibrations thrumming through her body. It felt so much more electric when it was real.
Wait! What was she doing? She couldn’t do this. Rana stiffened and pushed his hand away.
“Rana, I care for you very much.” He sounded hurt…almost in pain. “Please don’t let this change us.”
His plea broke her heart. She closed her eyes, unable to face his tortured expression or her own tumultuous emotions.
Lucian cupped her face in his hands and touched his lips lightly to hers. Her body ached for him. His heat. His touch.
But she was on borrowed time. She couldn’t let herself fall for Lucian. Nor could she let him believe they’d have a happy-ever-after. It was best to let him think she didn’t care for him.
Pushing him away, she conjured an emotionless tone, “Thank you for rescuing me. Again. Good night, Lucian.”
It was hard to read his expression in the dark, but she thought she saw disbelief and an edge of anger in his eyes. He lifted himself from the bed, then stood beside it for a long agonizing moment. She waited, holding her breath. If he pushed her, she didn’t think she’d be able to resist him.
“Good night, Rana,” he said in a tight voice, then turned and walked out of her room.
Anger coursed through him. He wanted her. She wanted him. He knew she did. But she pushed him away. Why? Because he was a vampire?
Love's First Bite: Bad Boys and Alpha Vampires Boxed Set (6 book bundle) Page 53
