Unafraid

by Cat Miller

  He was so sick of explaining his whereabouts. It was bad enough his mother had grilled him for an hour before angrily conceding that he was a grown man that didn’t owe her an explanation. If he wanted to take off for a solitary weekend that was his right. His father seemed to understand without a word that he had been out carousing and didn’t care to tell his parents that he’d been sowing some wild oats.

  “If you must go off the grid, please be kind enough to inform me of your intentions before you disappear. Your mother was a pain in my ass all weekend. She would’ve had the Enclave on high alert if I hadn’t stopped her. I understand your need to browse the available females now before the time of your bonding comes. Just try to keep me in the loop, son,” his father had requested after his mother stomped out of his condo.

  Griffin would have something to say to the security staff in the building. Returning home to find his parents camped out in his living room was not a welcome experience. There was no excuse for the breach of his privacy or the invasion of his home. No one should be given the keys to his condo, not even his parents.

  His best friend, Mason, had even bitched about his disappearance. It seemed his uncharacteristic vanishing act had caused quite a stir. Griffin wished he could talk to Mason about his weekend, but Mason wouldn’t understand his attraction to Tessa. Just like Griffin, Mason had been raised to think of the human race as inferior. They were both future Councilmen and sons of the current leaders of the Vampire Nation. Mason was very recently blood bonded to a female of his parents choosing, just like Griffin would be in the next few years. So Mason was all about family honor and doing their duty to the Nation. Griffin’s obsession with a human, who had knowledge of their people and therefore the power to expose them all to the humans, would be unforgivable.

  He had been reminding himself of the fact that she wasn’t worthy of his constant thoughts for the last two days, but the need to seek out not only her bed, but her company, would not go away. He dreamt of her nightly and woke hard and frustrated, gasping her name. Her sweet scent of vanilla clung to the shirt he had worn to her place and for some psychotic reason he couldn’t make himself toss it in the hamper with the other dirty clothes. All of these things made him feel an unwanted measure of guilt when he looked up into Delphina’s lovely chocolate brown eyes. She was an old friend that wanted more than he was able to give her. They enjoyed each other’s company and very frequently each other’s beds.

  “Good afternoon, Dellie. To what do owe this unexpected visit?” He was about to say ‘unexpected pleasure’ but Griffin hated to lie. As much as he cared for Delphina, he took no pleasure in seeing her today.

  “Don’t you dare Dellie me, Griffin Vaughn! You know damn well why I’m here.” She stepped into the room and shut the door. “You stood me up. You’ve been ignoring my calls. I was worried sick after the kidnapping a few years ago that someone had dragged you off, never to be seen again. I had to call Mason to find out that you’re still alive.” Sincere distress and worry for him bled into her angry rant.

  Griffin felt another stab of guilt for disregarding her feelings, but he did not need the reminder of the loss of his sister, Leann, to suicide after her mate had been murdered by a rogue vampire several years past. Leann and Mason’s older brother, David, had fallen in love and in secret. Both David and Leann already had future mates chosen by their parents for the wealth and connections the union would bring to each other. No one knew of the secret mating until David had been murdered and Leann took her own life out of sorrow and longing to be with the mate she would never see again.

  Both families suffered the loss of a child. Both families found a way to blame the other for the loss instead of venting their anger toward the mysterious rogue who had disappeared as quickly as he had arrived. Without a trace, he was gone. The Vaughn and Deidrick families were left with no one to punish for the crimes so they took it out on each other. Mason and Griffin refused to take part in the silent war. They had grown up together and neither was willing to give up their friendship. Neither family would dare publically accuse the other of wrong doing due to their respective positions on the Council, but the relationship would never be the same.

  Griffin understood Delphina’s frustration, but bringing up his sister, even indirectly, was a low blow. “Delphina, I’m working. This isn’t the time or the place for this discussion.”

  “Is this how it ends then, Griffin? One day we’re together and happy, and the next you toss me aside like an old newspaper you have no use for?” She sniffled and tears filled her eyes. Griffin disagreed with her statement that they had ever been ‘together’ in the way she implied.

  Delphina was a beautiful woman with soulful brown eyes and long, shiny, auburn tresses. Her long, lean body and perfectly portioned breasts were the stuff men dream about. Griffin had told her many times to move on and find a male who could give her the bond she deserved, if not the love she wanted, but she refused. She had been convenient for him until now, so he hadn’t argued over much.

  Griffin made his way around his desk and wrapped Delphina up in a comforting hug. He kissed the top of her head, feeling as if he were holding a cherished friend instead of the lover he had enjoyed so many times. No longer did her closeness fire his blood or make him hard and ready. He had always loved her height because he didn’t have to bend in half to kiss her but now he craved a petite frame that made him feel an overwhelming urge to claim and protect what was his. The floral perfume she always wore now seemed overpowering compared to the natural vanilla fragrance that had been haunting his dreams. Delphina was right. This was the end of their longstanding affair.

  “I’m sorry, Dellie. I never meant to hurt you. I’ve been telling you to move on for a long time. I didn’t intend for things to end this way, but this relationship has run its course. The time has come to let it go.” She stiffened in his arms and Griffin prepared for a torrent of tears. When she raised her face to look at him, the anger flashing in her eyes surprised him.

  “Who is it, Griffin? Did your parents finally force that bitch on you? What is her name again, Sarah? Is that what this is about? I know you will be bonded but that doesn’t mean we can’t be together until that days comes.” She practically growled.

  “This has nothing to do with Sarah. In fact I haven’t even seen her in a couple of years. She’s too young to be bonded just yet.” Now that he thought about it, Sarah had to be near twenty. That was plenty old enough for his people. She wasn’t much younger than Tessa.

  “Then who is it? Who are you screwing? You must have someone else. I’m not stupid, Griffin. I know you wouldn’t get rid of a sure thing if you didn’t already have a replacement. Tell me about my competition.” Delphina was right in his face and she looked ready to beat the name out of him. This was a side of Delphina he had never seen before and frankly he never cared to see again. She had always been so accommodating and eager to please. Now he wondered if he had been wrong about her sweet nature. Was it possible she was just another social climber after the prestige a connection to him or his family would bring? Had he been so wrong about her all this time? Her suddenly ceasing tears and the degree of calculation on her face told him he had indeed been fooled. Griffin set her away from his body and went to open the door.

  “I’m not going to argue with you, Delphina. I’m sorry for not taking your calls and I wish things could have been different between us, but here we are, at the end.” Griffin opened the door and stepped back to allow her to exit. Delphina walked to him with a bit too much sway in her hips, grabbing the lapels of his suit jacket and yanking him down for a hard kiss. He didn’t shove her away but neither did he grant her entrance to his mouth. He stood still until she realized he would not participate in the forced kiss.

  “This isn’t over, Griffin. I have put up with your alley cat ways and loved you for too long to let you just walk away. I want you. We can find a way to get you out of that damned arranged union. I know you think you’re protecting me by endi
ng it now, rather than waiting until we are forced apart. I don’t need your protection, Griffin. We’ll get through this together,” she told him with a wide, affectionate and slightly deranged smile. Who the hell was this woman and what had she done with his friend, Dellie?

  “Don’t forget you agreed to escort me to the gala this Saturday. It’s your family’s turn to host and your mother is already expecting me. Don’t force me to make a scene at such a public venue. You may pick me up at seven-thirty. See you then.” She kissed him again and straightened his lapels before strolling out the door with a pleased grin.

  Days later…

  Griffin stood in the hall outside of Tessa’s little studio apartment trying to find the courage to knock on her door. Her scent lingered in the hall and teased him with the memories of how sweet she tasted all over. The last week had been pure torture. He tried to forget her and carry on with work and his family duties but nothing he did helped relieve the longing to go to her. He had even resorted to feeding from an inebriated human before he picked Delphina up for the annual gala. The metabolism of vampires was too high to allow them to get drunk by consuming alcohol, but if they fed on a drunk human, they could find mindless oblivion for a time. Once the human body processed the alcohol and it passed into their blood stream it was ready for vampire consumption.

  This practice was of course frowned upon because it made a vampire just as careless as it did humans. Compared to allowing a wayward human to roam the earth with intimate knowledge of the Vampire Nation, getting drunk was minor. It hadn’t helped at all. He believed his drunken state had actually exacerbated his longing for Tessa.

  He had no idea how he was going to keep Tessa away from his family’s notice and out of the public eye, but he was damn well going to try. After days of debating the merits of returning to wipe her memory clean of all knowledge of his kind, along with the memories of the time she spent in his arms, Griffin knew he couldn’t do it. Nor could he report her to the Council to deal with for him. He planned to enthrall her into telling him exactly where she had gotten her information. If what she said was true and it had all come from dreams, then erasing her memory would do no good. She could just have another dream and bring it all back. That was the flimsy excuse he was giving himself today. The truth was he didn’t want to lose her. He had to give in to this crazy impulse to possess her.

  Finally, he raised a fist and knocked on her door. A moment later Tessa opened the door wearing a completely blank expression. She looked tired and just as miserable he did, but beautiful in a tank top and yoga pants. It shouldn’t gladden his heart that she seemed to be just as miserable as he was but it did. She blinked at him a few times.

  “No,” she said with a sad little shake of her beautiful blond head, and shut the door in his face.

  What the hell? Had she just dismissed him? Oh no. Didn’t she know who he was? Never in his life had he been dismissed. He had been pining for her for days. He would not be ignored like an unwanted salesman standing on her doorstep! He knocked again, more forcefully this time.

  “Tessa, open the door. We need to talk,” he told her firmly.

  “Go away, Griffin. The time for talk came and went days ago,” she said flatly.

  So that was it. He’d hurt her with his silence. Again, he was pleased to know he hadn’t been the only one suffering for the past week.

  “Open the door now, Tessa,” he demanded with just a bit of mental compulsion thrown for good measure. He would speak to her even if he had to enthrall her to open the door.

  “Kiss my lily white ass. I have nothing to say to you. Go away, Griffin.” That bit about her ass might have been interesting if she hadn’t said in such a flat monotone. He understood that she was angry with him, but he would quickly get her past the hurt.

  “You will come and open this door now, Tessa!” He put every bit of compulsion he had into forcing her human mind to comply with his demand to open the door. He was tired of standing in the hall looking like an idiot while he talked to her door.

  “Did you just try to make me open the door? Was that some kind of vampire mind trick?” Shit, she had said that too loudly. He scanned the hall for witnesses but no one had heard her slip. “Well you can go to hell! I’m not letting you in, so go back to wherever it is you’ve been! You’re not welcome here!”

  Griffin was stunned. His power, whether telepathic, telekinetic or social, had never failed him before. His name had always been enough to open any door. She had felt his mental push but easily deflected it. She did not know he was a powerful male and a future leader of his entire species. Griffin suspected she wouldn’t give a shit if she did know. His influence in a society she had no part in meant nothing to her. It only made him want her more.

  He would have to earn back her trust. For the first time in his life his money, his position in the House of Vaughn, and all of the vampire guile he possessed meant absolutely nothing. Griffin would have to win her respect on his own merit. A shiver of self-doubt ran down his spine. What if it was too late to fix this? Thankfully, he did have an ace up his sleeve. Using his extrasensory gift of telekinesis he flipped the lock and opened the door. Tessa screamed.

  FOUR

  Tessa could hear the frustration in Griffin’s voice. She knew he was used to being obeyed by others. He had been very vague about his life, but the quality of his clothing and his proper speech gave him away. He was bossy and rude, but she didn’t care. She enjoyed seeing his nostrils flare and his eyebrows rise every time she challenged him or denied a request. He liked it. Griffin had enjoyed trying to bully her into granting his wishes. There was something going on in his head that even she could tell was new for him. He demanded her total submission, but she refused to give in completely. Even when she allowed him to spank her and play dominant games in bed, she’d still been topping from the bottom. He may have been doing the spanking but she was in charge, instructing him on how to play the game. That was all over now. She hadn’t heard a damn word from him.

  After their weekend together, Tessa had foolishly believed that she had formed some sort of bond with Griffin. She ached for him when he left and she waited anxiously for him to return. He hadn’t and after a few days she accepted that she would likely never see him again. The fact that he’d changed the subject when she asked if they could go out on a real date, and he hadn’t left her any way to contact him, should’ve been a clue to his intentions.

  It was obvious she’d imagined the connection between them. She was a novelty for him and nothing more. So, why was he at her door now? She wanted to know but didn’t think her heart could take it if he used her and disappeared again.

  “You will come and open this door now, Tessa!” he demanded. Suddenly Tessa needed to open the door. She had to open the door to let Griffin in right now. She walked toward the door before the anger came rushing back into her mind. Hell no, she wasn’t letting him in so he could hurt her again. Wait. Had he just tried to put the vampire whammy on her?

  “Did you just try to make me open the door? Was that some kind of vampire mind trick?” No answer. There was silence from the hall, so obviously he had tried to force her. That bastard tried to use vampire super juice to manipulate her!

  “Well you can go to hell! I’m not letting you in, so go back to wherever it is you’ve been for the last week!” Tessa was pacing and desperately wishing her place was bigger because there wasn’t anywhere to go. It was still quiet in the hall so Griffin must have done as she asked and left. That hurt too. Damn it! She wanted him to leave, didn’t she? She didn’t want her heart crushed again but now that he was gone, she wished he would’ve fought a little harder to stay. But really, what did she expect? A guy like Griffin didn’t need to stand around dark corridors, begging for a woman’s attention. He probably picked up a new piece of ass as soon as his feet hit the sidewalk.

  The thought of him with another woman had her guts in a knot and the backs of her eyes burning. Damn it! She would not cry again! But it was
too late to call back the tears. She wiped frantically at the tears that just kept coming and cursed the gift that allowed her to see the future. She flopped down on her tattered easy chair just before she heard the click of the locking mechanism on the dead bolt flip. The door swung open.

  She screamed in angry frustration. She couldn’t help it. How was she supposed to fight with a man that cheated by doing shit like disappearing for days, attempted mind manipulation, and used his vampire juice to open locked doors? Griffin stepped through the door, looking perfect, and her heart skipped a beat. His deep blue eyes bore into her and he ran a hand through his sable hair, making the fine white highlights in the front stand on end.

  She did what any sane woman would do when her home was invaded by a vampire. She picked up the nearest object, a floor lamp, and chucked it at him before she reached for something else to throw. She lobbed several books, a can of air freshener, her shoes, and an open can of soda before she realized there had been no crashing noises, no grunts of pain, or curses coming from Griffins direction.

  She looked up to find him standing there mutely watching her temper tantrum. All of the items she had thrown at him were hanging suspended in the air between them. Even the soda that escaped from the can hadn’t hit the carpet. It looked like the picture you see of astronauts on the shuttle. The liquid floated like brown bubbles. The can and the liquid floated past her to the sink, while the rest of the debris gently floated to the ground without as much as a sound. She stared. Holy shit. Griffin had some serious telekinetic vampire voodoo.

  “I’m sorry, baby. Just let me explain,” he pleaded. She couldn’t take anymore. The dam burst.