There were other encyclopedia sites with even less information. And all the book sites listed dozens of romantic fiction and horror stories about dhampyres, but what she needed to find had nothing to do with fantasies. She was living the real-life horror story. From what little she already knew of Mateo’s Blood Clan, dhampyres, their customs, vampirism, and their offspring, she was not sure how much romance was involved once three major parts of her body were sucked on by her dhampyre/vampire lover.
All that was left for Mateo to bite was her thigh, and the thought of being bitten there was not something she was ready to remotely think about, yet. The little hairs along the back of her neck were standing on end with that fleeting thought.
There were, however, lots of Internet sites and blogs about so-called real vampires, which claimed legions of undead blood suckers truly did exist all over the world. Nothing came close to describing the type of existence Mateo told her about concerning the secret caves where his clan slept during the day, or the Clan Society who protected their secrets, and most importantly, eternal mates and the dhampyre children born of a human mother and a vampire father.
She glanced out the window and realized it was nearly dark. Mateo would be here soon. She turned off her computer. An odd mixture of building excitement over seeing him again churned in her breast, along with the ever-present apprehension she couldn’t escape now that she knew what he really was, and the important role she would play in his future once he took her up to the mountain.
She shook her head and gave a resigned sigh. When did she start to believe all this craziness? She kept recalling his words from last night.
I don’t know how long I can hold off the inevitable.
Never leave.
Dawn clenched her teeth tightly to keep them from clattering together. How could she just go willing with him when it meant giving up her entire life? How could she not go with him if it meant not being with him forever? It was a hopeless situation.
She grabbed a sweatshirt as the night shadows settled into complete darkness, and went out to sit in the white plastic lawn chair on the little stoop outside her front door. She enjoyed sitting here in the evenings to watch the sun go down. But tonight, she was focused on something more important. From here, she would be able to see Mateo as soon as he drove down her street.
The thumbnail slice of the new moon rose in the velvet black of the sky, and soon afterward, hundreds of tiny stars began to sprinkle the vast expanse overhead. The beauty of the night was lost to her as she stared at the street—anxiously waiting—for the big black truck that never came as the hours passed.
As the early morning signaled the start of another new day, she was slumped down dozing in the chair. A couple, obviously coming home after the closing of some bar or club, woke her up around four with their drunken giggles and loud voices. They staggered past her to an apartment a couple doors away without acknowledging her presence.
She stretched out her cramped body and pushed up from the hard chair once the couple disappeared into the other apartment. She raised her arms over her head and stretched again. Every inch of her body ached from the long hours she sat, and slept, in the uncomfortable chair. A huge yawn escaped her mouth. She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the coolness from the early morning temperature.
Where the hell was Mateo? How odd he hadn’t come to see her last night? Could he really work for the Indian Bureau? Was he out of town on business again? Why wouldn’t he at least call? She refused to think about anything serious happening to prevent him from coming to see her. But it seemed inconceivable he wouldn’t have come to see her—or at least call—after everything that happened between them in the past few days. They had so much more to talk about.
Her fatigued mind was filled with so many thoughts and unanswered questions, but right now wasn’t the time to dwell on them if she had any hope of getting a little more rest.
She changed into a pair of gray knit shorts and a white tee before pulling back the bed covers and sinking into the mattress on her bed. She was going to go to work today in spite of the fact Billy Torres told the school she would be out all week due to illness. It was already Friday, and she had things to tidy up in her classroom before the weekend, just in case she didn’t make it back there next week…or ever again.
With that sordid thought in her mind, she was determined to get a couple hours of quality sleep if she had any hopes of making it through a hectic day at school. Plus, her body desperately needed the comfort of her bed after the long hours she spent scrunched up in the chair outside her door. What a stupid waste of time that had been.
As she drifted off to sleep, her last thoughts were of how she was a complete dumbass to wait outside all night for Mateo. He apparently had better things to do than worry about her. She could be long gone again—to somewhere on the other side of the world this time. For all he knew, she could actually be pregnant with his half-breed child, but did he care?
Apparently not.
Whatever, Mateo Two Moons, hope you had more fun than I did last night, she told herself in a pissy inner voice as she fell into another deep dreamless sleep.
****
How was this possible? She slept until noon. Until recently she never needed an alarm to wake her in the mornings. Her body’s internal clock always woke her in plenty of time to get to work. Those days were over obviously. So much for going to work again today. Her foul mood focused on one person.
Mateo Two Moons was to blame for everything crappy in her life lately. But for some really amazing things, too, she reminded herself as tingling hotness spread through her body. She groaned, and rolled over taking the pillow with her and clamping it down tightly over the back of her head. It didn’t block out the fact she was still seriously pissed at him for not coming to see her last night. Not even a call? Just where the hell was he anyway?
She gave a disgusted grunt and rolled onto her back. Angrily, she kicked the blankets away from her feet and sat up. There was no use lying here whining about not seeing him last night. He would surely be here tonight, and she had plenty of things to do until then.
Showered, with her long blonde hair pulled up on top of her head in a messy bun, and snacking on a tuna sandwich, Dawn made an impulsive decision to go to Mateo’s condo. It was probably no more than five minutes away if she drove there, but it sure seemed considerably farther when she escaped on foot from Billy Torres the day before yesterday. She still felt a little bad about that episode. Billy was merely Mateo’s wing man. Hopefully, he wasn’t in trouble with Mateo because of her attempted escape. Besides, here she was, and it had all been for nothing, anyway.
Still munching on her sandwich, she grabbed her purse and headed out the front door. She climbed into her pickup and drove toward the condo where Mateo told her the nightmarish things she was still having a hard time accepting. Driving to the lavish condo complex today felt really strange for some reason.
Daytime was beginning to seem strange. All that mattered now was nighttime when she would see Mateo…hopefully.
She parked on a side street. For some unknown reason, she felt it was best if it wasn’t obvious she was here. As she walked through the empty little playground the negative pregnancy test popped into her mind. Of course, she reminded herself, the instructions included with the test recommended she take a second test to be sure.
She shoved the infant swing defiantly as she passed where the cute little blonde girl played. Maybe she should just take that second test when she got home—just to have it settled once and for all. And there would not be a next time unless they used protection, she told herself firmly. Even dhampyre babies should be planned.
There would be a next time, right? Where was he last night, anyway?
Her feet felt a bit reluctant walking up to the front door. She was recalling the sheer terror she felt when she charged out of here barely forty-eight hours ago. She was convinced she was running for her life. What a waste of time and emotion. Mateo was her destiny a
nd she would never try to leave him again.
Just standing here at his front door, even though she knew he really didn’t live here, made a longing ache inch its way through her body and settle heavily in her heart. She wanted more time with him…here and not in some ominous world on top of the mountain. There just had to be a way to make this work, didn’t there?
The door was locked. She knocked, just in case. No one answered, of course. On the off chance there was a key hidden somewhere, she picked up the corner of the rubber scrolled welcome mat on the stoop in front of the door.
“Ha!” she said when she spotted the long silver key on the cement under the mat. Good thing she wasn’t here to rob the joint. She unlocked the door and replaced the key back under the mat before entering the empty condo. Standing in the foyer she relived the last time she had been here. It was almost the same time of day, only then she was sneaking out instead of sneaking in. The condo was filled with the afternoon sunlight streaming through the tall windows. But today it was deathly quiet.
She walked into the kitchen. The flowers in the glass vase on the island were wilting and the fruit in the bowl was not looking much better. A sense of sadness crept over her. Mateo had gone to such great lengths to make this place welcoming and comfortable. But she had not appreciated any of it. Did he really think she would just be able to accept everything he told her without freaking out just a little bit? Or…a lot?
She wandered to the large curved stairway and stared up at the second floor. As she walked slowly up the stairs she imagined what it would be like to live in this beautiful place with Mateo; to live here like a regular couple. Like real ones. She would teach school and come home to him every night. They would do all the things regular couples did in the evenings, then go to bed, make love, take showers together, or long romantic bubble baths. After sleeping wrapped in one another’s arms, they would wake up, make love again before having breakfast together and heading off to work.
A wistful smile curved her lips as she stood in the doorway and looked at the king-sized bed with the elegant navy blue velvet spread. She wanted a regular life so much with Mateo. But that sort of life was the fantasy.
She walked to the huge closet and pulled back the mirrored door. His shirts and pants were still hanging there along with the new garments obviously meant for her to wear when she was here. There was something so normal about seeing ‘her’ clothes and his clothes hanging together. She reached out and removed the white silk shirt she recognized as the one Mateo had worn on their first date. Holding it up to her face she drew in a deep whiff and closed her eyes as a faint trace of his manly cologne and natural musky scent filled her senses.
“Oh, Mateo,” she said as she rubbed the silken material against her cheek. “Why does this have to be so hard? And so damn scary?”
With a sigh, she replaced the shirt on its hanger and put it back in the closet. She slid the door shut and turned away. Maybe, somehow, a miracle would happen and they could still figure out a way to make this work without going to the caves on the top of the Superstitions for the rest of forever.
It was late in the afternoon when she returned to her apartment. She stopped by the public library and checked out some older books about vampires and the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine she had seen referenced online when doing research yesterday. There might be something in them that would tell her more than she found online. It just didn’t seem possible clans of vampires, or dhampyres, could exist for centuries in the Superstitions without someone—somewhere—knowing something about them.
Hours later, she switched on the lamp sitting on the end table beside her couch as the last of light began to fade outside her windows. Her eyes felt heavy and tired. She had been reading through the library books and still was not able to find anything about half-breed vampires or legends of the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine that could relate to the things Mateo told her about his clan. Only the references to the gold mine being guarded by evil spirits and supernatural demons made Dawn wonder once again if they really could have something to do with vampires instead.
She put the books on the corner of her oval coffee table and stretched her arms over her head. It was completely dark outside. Mateo should have been here by now. She grabbed the TV switcher and began to scan the guide on the screen to see what was on tonight.
It sure wasn’t the first Friday night she had spent alone. So, why was she feeling like she was going to die if he didn’t call or come to see her? Call him, an inner voice suggested. Um? No. He knew where she was; she had no idea where he was, and she was too stubborn to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was dying to see him. She pushed the channel button on her switcher.
Dracula’s Bride was just coming on. She chuckled out loud when the title popped up in the TV guide on her screen. She’d pass on that one tonight. She pushed the off button on the switcher. Concentrating on a movie was going to be impossible, anyway.
Mateo really wasn’t going to blow her off two nights in a row, was he? Why would he do that? Was he testing her? Waiting to see if she would come running up to the Superstitions again to see him? Well, he’d be waiting until Hell froze over.
Wasn’t she supposed to be his destiny; his end-all-forever-everything? Did vampires change their minds about possessing an eternal mate? Maybe he decided she was more trouble than she was worth and he was out looking for a new forever-everything.
Bite me, Mateo Two Moons. Oh wait, you already did…several times. A cynical snicker escaped from her mouth.
Joseph Red Feather’s guitar chords began to sing from her cell phone. The breath stopped short in her throat. She grabbed the phone from the coffee table. “Hello,” she said in a squeaky tone of voice.
“Hello, beautiful,” Mateo’s deep voice echoed. There was a pause. “Are you okay?”
“Great,” she lied as her head filled with the words she would really like to say to him…I’m seriously pissed you didn’t call or come to see me last night. Eternal mate here, remember? And where are you tonight, damn it?
“How are you?” she asked curtly.
“I’m good.” There were a few seconds of silence before he spoke again. “I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Her heart felt as if it had just sprouted wings and was fluttering around in her breast. All her previous anger disappeared before the first flutter. “A d-d-dinner? Date?”
“Yes, a date for dinner.” He chuckled. “And dress up. We’re going into Phoenix, okay?”
Breath...speak...be sane, she instructed herself. “Okay. After the sun goes down?” Really? What time should I be ready? Now, that would have been the usual response. Of course, the question was extra stupid because he couldn’t come out of his cave until the sun went down, anyway.
Another chuckle came from Mateo’s end of the receiver. “Yes, after the sun goes down. See you then. Oh, and Dawn?”
“Yes?”
“I love you.”
“I love you,” Dawn answered softly. She held the phone to her ear for a moment after he hung up. A formal dinner date. In Phoenix. With Mateo Two Moons. It sounded perfect. Just perfect.
Chapter Nineteen
Forcing himself to stay away from Dawn was more difficult than Mateo imagined it would be. He had every intention of being with her last night and again tonight, but things were not going so good in his village.
The previous evening, when he had awoken from his daylight slumber, he learned Rafael’s mate, Lydia, had gone into labor with their latest dhampyre. His grandmother and mother, as well as Anton’s mate, had been attending the birth as was the custom of his clan. For the first time in their history, something had gone horribly wrong.
As he returned from the bottom of the mountain where he had gone to get cell service so he could call Dawn to make their dinner date, he saw his grandmother waiting for him. Her poignant smile tugged at his heart. He forced a weak grin when he walked up to take her out-stretched hand.
As they entered the sacred circle where they would perform the primitive curing ceremony, he saw his own parents standing beside the pit where a massive fire roared. They both wore their finest ceremonial gowns, and were as impressive looking as his grandmother.
He drew in a heavy breath and smoothed down the front of his heavy leather ceremonial shirt. In traditional Apache fashion, it was decorated with striped raccoon tails and brightly colored ribbons. In his hundred years, he had only worn this shirt and the matching leather leggings a dozen or so times before. Those times had been happy occasions when Anton and Rafael each brought their mates to the village and when each of their children had been born. Wearing them now felt so uncomfortable.
He watched his grandfather walk up to the fire pit as another strong sense of pride washed through him. Drago was without a doubt the most extraordinary man he had seen or known. He, too, wore his best ceremonial shirt and leggings, but he also wore an elaborate headdress made of eagle feathers and porcupine quills.
Mateo’s mother motioned for him to come to stand beside her as the ceremony was about to get underway. Tonight, they would pray to the Gaan, the Apache reference to spirits of the mountain, for guidance. Then, they would ask the Apache God, Usen, to take the spirit of Rafael and Lydia’s stillborn dhampyre son to the Apache afterlife. Although these ancient ceremonies were traditionally conducted when someone passed away in the Apache tribe, they had never been performed by Drago’s Clan before now.
Superstition Page 20
