So he continued to talk in a calm soothing voice, “Listen to me, Eva. I’m sure when you’ve had a chance to discuss things with Roy, you’ll find out that your confusion—and the memory loss—is all perfectly normal. It’s just a reaction to the transformation. Look—we’ll sit down and talk and I’ll try to explain what I can to you but first you need to shower and eat something. After that I’ll take you back to the Inn and Roy can fill in the blanks for you. He’s waiting —whenever you’re ready. I’ve asked him to send up some clothes for you but they haven’t arrived yet so— I guess I’ll have to find something else for you to use,” he said as his eyes searched the darkness.
“I was hoping you’d sleep until dusk. That way we could both get some much needed rest before we have to talk about tonight’s activities but—since you’re awake…” he continued to search the room until he spotted what he was looking for. He found the black duffle bag lying on the floor beside the bed. He’d forced himself to make another trip to the Trading Post the other night so he had a fresh supply of shirts, jeans and weapons. Reaching inside, he pulled out another black shirt and tossed it to Evangeline. “I’m sorry but this is the best I can do for now.”
Without thinking, she reached up, catching the shirt in mid air.
“Great reflexes,” he said with a smile. “That’s also part of your— gift.” But she really didn’t look happy to hear it. His heart went out to her. He, more than anyone, knew what it was like to suddenly wake up and find out your not the person you used to be—but something else entirely—and something not even remotely human. “Go get cleaned up, Eva. A hot shower will do you a world of good—and then we’ll talk. You know where the bathroom is. There’s a fresh towel and washcloth and plenty of soap and shampoo. If you need anything else…” he said, feeling a little awkward under the circumstances. “…just let me know.”
Clutching the shirt tightly against her chest while still struggling to cover herself with the heavy blanket, Eva moved slowly towards the open door. Stopping when she passed directly in front of Rick she said quietly, “Thank you—for everything.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you, Eva. Go on now—get that shower. Oh, you are hungry aren’t you?”
“Surprisingly—I’m starving.”
“It’s not surprising at all. You’ve expended a lot of energy as well as calories when you—changed. You’ll need to fuel up again. I’ll have some food waiting for you,” he said as he turned and began walking towards the kitchen.
Her eyes followed him until he was out of sight before she made her way to the bathroom.
While he worked in the kitchen, Rick wondered how he was ever going to control his rising desire for Evangeline in such an intimate setting. What was I thinking bringing her here—alone—with me? Even if I wasn’t some sort of monster it’s been a long—long—time since I’ve been alone with a woman.
Shaking his head, he stepped into the tiny room just off the kitchen where Jaclyn kept the well stocked freezer. He rummaged through its contents until he found a package containing a few small steaks. Pulling a large frying pan from the cupboard, he proceeded to cook Eva’s breakfast. He added in a few eggs and was finished about the same time that he heard the shower being turned off. “Right on time,” he said aloud as he heaped the steaming food onto a large plate. Grabbing a knife and fork, he set everything on the dining room table just as another memory invaded his mind— of another time—another place. There, too, he’d been helping a friend prepare a meal under circumstances just as dangerous as the one he now found himself in. He stood for a moment frozen in time as his mind began to wander.
His friend, Kate, had been attacked by vampires. After he’d help Julian rid her body of their foul poison, he and Adrianna had taken Kate back to his church where they thought they would all be safe. They couldn’t have been more wrong. After settling Kate into bed, he and Addie had gone to the church’s massive kitchen and prepared lunch for everyone. Such a long time ago, he thought as despair threatened to consume him.
He stood, hands clenched—eyes shut tightly—as he remembered with bitterness and all that he’d lost.
“Rick—Rick—–are you alright?”
So focused was he on the past that he hadn’t even noticed that Eva had entered the room until he heard her voice—felt the pressure of her hand on his arm.
“Rick?”
“I’m fine, Eva—really,” he said stepping away from her. “Sit down. Eat your food while it’s still hot. I’ll take my—nourishment—in the kitchen and then I’ll join you.” He had to leave—put some distance between them. The memories of the past, of Adrianna and all that she had meant to him still haunted him. Never, in his wildest dreams, did he think he would ever care for anyone as much as he had for Addie—until Evangeline had come into his life. And now she was here—alone— with him. He felt a strange lurch in the pit of his stomach as he stared at her. Her long hair was damp, hanging well past her shoulders. It’d golden color was in direct contrast to the black shirt she now wore. Thank god I’m tall; he thought when he noticed the shirt stopped just inches above her knees. My shirt—that’s what she has on—that and nothing else.
Desire flooded through him—the vampire within fighting for control—longing to take what it wanted from the near naked woman standing across the room from him. I need blood—lots of it, he thought as he moved quickly into the kitchen, ripping open the door of the refrigerator, blocking Eva from his sight. Grabbing two more bags of the precious liquid, he slammed the door shut and moved out of sight. Deciding not to act like the monster he was, he poured the ruby liquid into a goblet then drank deeply. His sanity returning, he listened as she sat down at the table and began to eat.
Eva had felt the strangest sense of loss as she’d watched him walk away from her. She realized he needed blood and assumed he didn’t want to ruin her meal by drinking it in front of her. Little did he know that it wouldn’t have bothered her at all—not now. She sat down at the table, the smell of rare steak basking in its own bloody gravy making her mouth water. Lord, she was starving and had half of her meal finished before Rick came back into the room with a steaming cup of coffee.
“Good—you’re eating. Finish it all. You need the energy. I wasn’t sure how you liked it cooked but I assumed you’d want it…”
“This is perfect,” she said as she finished the last bite. “And you brought hot coffee to finish it off. Bless you,” she said with a smile as she reached for the steaming cup. “Ahh,” she whispered as she took a sip. “Starbucks has nothing on you, Rick Ferrante. Where did you learn your culinary skills?”
“Back at the parish—I was quite the cook,” he said with a forced smile, fighting against the melancholy rising within him. Get over it, man, this is your life now so you’d better make the best of it. If you can’t accept what you are then how will you ever be able to help her accept what she’s become—and she will need your help. Being a single man living alone I had to learn to fend for myself or starve, although there were a lot of parishioners who would bring me a treat from time to time.”
“I’m sure there were.” Eva said with a smile. “And I’ll bet they were all female.”
“Pretty much,” he said, returning the smile.
Eva gasped in surprise. God, he’s really something when he smiles. “Hmm, yes—well…”she said feeling a little embarrassed at the way she was gawking at him. Your acting like a love struck teenager, Evangeline. Snap out of it! She pushed back her chair, reaching for the dishes so she could take them to the kitchen.
“Leave them, Eva.” Rick said as he pressed her hand with his own. A spark of electricity traveled through him as he touched her. They both felt it. He could see it in her eyes. “We need to talk,” he said as he withdrew his hand.
She knew he was right but she’d hoped to have a little more time to prepare herself for what he was ab
out to tell her. Oh well, no use putting it off any longer. It certainly won’t change anything, she told herself as sat back down in the chair. She stared at him, her eyes a mixture of sadness and acceptance.
“Do you remember anything about your transformation at all?”
“No—nothing. Like I said, all I remember is the beast ready to attack you and then—I started running towards you. After that, it’s pretty much all a blank.”
“Okay, I’ll try to fill you in. I saw you running and when you saw the werewolf leap into the air you must have panicked. I’m not sure, Roy understands these things far better than I, but I think your adrenaline was so high at that moment that it triggered the change. I seem to remember Roy saying something to that effect just the other day. You had to have a reason to accept what was happening inside your body…
“And you’re being in danger was that reason?”
“Yes—I think so,” he said, catching her eye for a moment before looking down at the tabletop.
“How do you do it, Rick—how do you just blindly accept what—you’ve become?”
She heard his deep sigh as he sat in the chair across from her. “I’m not so sure I have accepted it, Eva, but I try to make the best of it—most days anyway. And things will be—bearable—for a while then, just when I think I’ve got everything under control—that I can live this life that was forced upon me without regrets—the memories come flooding back and I’m reminded of everything that I’ve lost. I had a good life. I had a vocation I loved, good friends that I’m now a danger to, and…” he stopped for a moment, the intensity of his feelings getting the best of him—again. “Sorry,” he said as he forced himself to smile.
“You have nothing to apologize for, Rick Ferrante, not to me anyway—believe me, I understand perfectly.” Eva said as she took his hand in hers. This time he didn’t pull away. He needed this. He needed her—a kindred spirit—one of the few who could really understand who—and what—he was going through. As he looked at the woman before him, Jaclyn’s words came rushing back to him and he suddenly knew how he might be able to help her daughter adjust to what she now was. “A very wise woman once told me that what happened to me was a blessing in disguise.”
“A blessing?”
“My feelings exactly, but think about it, Eva. Until a little over a year ago I never knew that vampires, werewolves or any other monsters actually existed. To me they were something you saw at the movies on a Saturday night. Then reality hit and I learned the hard way just how helpless I was, how defenseless all humans were, against the horrors that are roaming this earth as we speak. Your mother showed me how my transformation, how the vampire I’d become, with all its strength and power, could be used to fight the very monsters that took my former life away from me.”
“But…”
“No, Evangeline—let me finish. I thought I could help my friends—fight the creatures we were up against with my faith alone—and a few blessed trinkets. But it wasn’t enough, not against the kind of evil we were facing. My faith wasn’t strong enough and I lost the most precious thing in the world—my life—my soul. In the end it took great spirituality and a group of immortals to bring down the darkness that had descended upon us. I can’t change what I am; Eva, but, if I have to live with this curse then I’m going to use it to my advantage. If that’s what my maker wants of me—acceptance—then He has it—and I’ll use the powers and skills I now find myself gifted with to rid this world of as much evil as I can—until my life is ended—again. It’s the same for you, Evangeline. Do as your mother would want. Look on this new life inside of you as a gift. I know she did—and at least you still have your human side to revert back to. Your mother passed this gift on to you. Accept it and use it well. Roy and the pack are waiting for you to come to them. They need you, Eva. They need their leader—their alpha. Don’t let them, and Jaclyn, down and, I promise you, I’ll be here to help you any way I can.”
“But I have a life in New York. I have…” Eva started but she knew her argument had no validity—not anymore.
“You have friends—and people you love. I know, Eva, and believe me I understand how you feel. But knowing what we’re up against, knowing the kind of evil that’s hunting us down, do you honestly think you can help anyone, especially your friends, as a simple human being? Oh, you might be able to take out a few of those bastards with an automatic weapon and a couple of silver daggers but what happens when the weapons are gone? No human can stand against these creatures and you know it. But, as the Wolf Mother, you and the pack you lead can do some real damage.”
“Look—I hear you, Rick and I know everything that you’re saying is true but—I’m going to need a little time to adjust to all of this. I wish someone—my mother or even my father—would’ve given me some sort of warning—prepared me in some way for what was inevitably going to happen to me. She was my mother, Rick—and she lived this life. How could she just leave me to fend for myself when she knew I’d have to face all of this eventually? It’s not right—and it’s not fair.”
“Nothing in this life ever is, Eva and your parents thought they were doing what was best for you at the time. Your father wanted to protect you from something he really didn’t understand. And your mother, well, I’m sure she didn’t plan on dying so soon. She knew about you, Eva. She monitored your every move but while your world was—normal—she respected your father’s wishes and stayed away. Had she lived through this nightmare, she would’ve contacted you when the time was right. Then she could’ve taught you gradually about your heritage—eased you into it. It wasn’t her choice to die, Eva.”
“I know that but it doesn’t make things any easier. What do I do now—where do I go from here? What do I know about leading a pack of wolves? I’ve never even heard of an alpha or the Loupe Garou before. Hell—I could get us all killed.”
“You won’t—and you have Roy to guide you. Like I said, he’s waiting for you to come to the Inn so he can explain all the physical changes that you’re going through—that and the politics of the pack. He was Jaclyn’s right hand man and he’ll be yours too, Eva.” Just then there was a knock at the door. “I think you’re clothes have arrived.
Rick was gone only a few minutes, returning with a bag of Eva’s clothes and her purse and gun.
“He also had someone drive your car over. He said he’ll be waiting at the Inn whenever you’re ready to talk.”
“Great.” She took the bag and went into the bathroom to change. She entered the dining room just as her cell phone, buried inside her purse, rang loudly. “I have a feeling I’m going to do a lot of talking today.” When she looked at the phone she saw Shaniqua’s name. “Excuse me, Rick, I need to take this call.” He nodded, stepping into the bedroom to give her some privacy.
“Hey Shani.”
“Where the hell have you been, girl? I called and called you. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine—it’s—it’s a little complicated down here right now but nothing you need to worry about. Just fill me in on what’s going on there?”
“They’re having Al’s funeral tomorrow—full police dress. You’ve gotta come, Eva. They can’t bury him without you here.”
“They won’t have to. No-one—and nothing—can keep me away. Look, Shaniqua, a lot of—strange—things have been happening here so I’m going to have to come back afterwards.”
“What—what’ya mean?”
“I’ll explain everything to you when I get there. I have to run a little errand but I should be on the road within the next hour or two. I’ll call you when I get to my apartment and Shani—be very careful. Trust no-one and keep your eyes and ears open.”
“Always, see you in a bit, girl.”
Eva flipped the phone shut and walked towards the darkened bedroom. Even without her heightened senses she would still know where he was. She could feel him—sense him s
tanding by the window staring—at nothing. When he heard her enter Rick turned his head to the side as she came up behind him.
“Everything alright?”
“That was Shaniqua. Al’s funeral is tomorrow. I have to go home.”
“Of course you do and, again, I’m so sorry, Eva, for what happened to your friend but…” he moved away from the window turning to face her, “… going back to the city could be dangerous. If the murders here and the murders in New York are connected you could be walking right into a trap. It might be wise to take some of the pack members with you. It took all of us working together to destroy the beasts that attacked us here. There’s no telling how many more are in the City and you’ll be on your own. Eva…” he started to plead when he saw the stubborn look on her face, “…at least talk to Roy—he can better advise…”
“No Rick, I need time to prepare my friends for—the new me, if that’s even possible, before I bring anyone else into the mix. I’ll be fine—it’s New York—my home turf.”
“Still…”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. Stepping closer, she noticed he looked drained and tired. “You haven’t had any rest tonight have you?”
“It’s morning, Eva. That’s when I sleep. I’ll get all the rest I need after you’re gone.”
“Then—I guess I’d better be going. I’ve kept you long enough. I’m going to talk to Roy then I’ll be leaving right after. Call you when I get back?”
“As soon as you get back,” he insisted.
“Okay—I’ll see you —soon.” She turned to leave but then thought better of it as she leaned in and kissed Rick lightly on the cheek.
“Eva…” the word was barely out of his mouth before she was in his arms. He gathered her against him, his mouth coming down hard on hers. He pulled her closer, his hands tangled in her long hair. He couldn’t get enough of her as his tongue parted her lips, kissing her hungrily.
She answered him with a hunger that matched his own, her body molded against him, their passion rising out of control. See how willing she is, the beast within him taunted. Take her, she’s yours. Her blood smells sweet—rich—take her—take her blood—you know you want too.
A Soul in Torment Page 30
