Outside. It was the one thing my mind kept shouting over and over, along with chanting I couldn't understand. I could feel a pull yanking me away from the safety of my room. I followed the tug of the unknown through the castle until I stood before a thick wooden door. I pulled it back and stepped across the threshold. The stars twinkled overhead, and I breathed in the fresh Highland air.
And there he stood. Alistair. His body glistened under the star's light. He moved without hesitation, thrusting his sword as if fighting an imaginary enemy—or only one that his memory made real. Each move was made with precision.
The closer I got, the more I could feel his rage which mirrored by own.
27
Leslie
“I can’t fight,” I began. It seemed that as soon as someone turned into a supernatural creature they were supposed to have all of these amazing skills—magnificent lover, overachiever, and be able to leap buildings in one bound. “Lest we forget that up until a few days ago, I was a romance writer. My most active appendages were my fingers, and the most celebrated was my mind, along with all of the craziness that I could come up with.
“Yes, I am well aware of this. I don’t know why I am to waste time teaching you a survivable skill, but the truth of the matter is men will come after you, and you will need to know how to protect yourself.”
I didn’t like that thought. My imagination ran wild and suddenly, this nice castle became a prison; the outside world would come barreling down the street with pitchforks, torches, and crowds marching because of their hatred for me, just like they’d done against Frankenstein’s Monster.
“Oh my gosh, I’m Frankenstein’s monster,” I whispered.
Alistair began to chuckle. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve lived here long enough to be able to vouch for your safety. However, that being said, things can change. Follow me.”
He led me through the armory that housed tons of swords, automatic weapons that I couldn’t identify, and even something that looked like a canon. “I didn’t think we were about to fight the Jacobites again,” I chuckled and pointed.
“Actually, we try to stay out of the political maneuvering of man.”
He placed his hand on a digital keypad and pushed open a thick metal door. Inside, everything sparkled. It seemed more like a jewelry showcase room with everything in glass cases and recessed lighting, than an extension of the armory.
“Close your eyes, dear Leslie, hold out your hand and whisper, “Come to me.” I rolled my eyes at that and ground my teeth. Everyone deserved a chance to be trusted, but I didn’t like that it had to start with me trusting him.
“I am your sire. I have no reason to do you harm, or I would have already done so.”
“True, but for all I know, you’re building a vampire army to take over the world.”
“No dear, we are here to protect it.”
I closed my eyes and did as he asked, and suddenly, something cool rested on my upturned palms. Cracking my eyes open, I stared in awe at the gleaming sword. Its blade was ornately carved with Viking Knot work and glowing runes. In its pommel rested a yellow jasper stone where a magnificent dragon was carved. I palmed the grip, and electricity raced up my arm, setting off my nerve endings.
The sword fit like a key and I was the lock. Holding it opened something within. It zinged me like I’d rubbed my feet too many times on carpet. I could hear my blood humming in my veins, whooshing as it flowed.
“Don’t be afraid. Your sword dates back to the age of Boudicca, the Warrior Queen. It is connecting with you so that you will be the only one who can use her talents. You are the only one who can wield it.”
From all that I knew, the Vikings had never made it to the Highlands, instead they’d remained pirates on the Scottish islands. What was a Viking dragon shifter doing in the center of the Highlands?
Sweet, I thought. Seemed like I was now going to become someone akin to the female Thor! Duh, duh, doon!
My vision blurred, and as if on fast-forward, blips of battle scenes formed in front of my eyes, where this sword gleamed and clanged. I watched as faceless warriors did flips and kicks, all while holding its magnificent grip. The dragon’s image within the jeweled pommel sprung to life.
The images shifted, and the heartbeat grew louder.
It wasn’t my own that I heard.
I shook my head to try and gain clarity.
“Leslie,” it called to me.
“Leslie.” Alistair shook my shoulder. “are you okay?”
“Sure, sure,” I said twice. Once to reassure him and once to make it so I believed it myself.
The idea that I was supposed to just instantly change into this mighty warrior made me feel as if I was submerged under twelve feet of water, drowning. My butt had been handed to me in more ways than one as he laid me flat out on the cave’s floor.
In the deep dusky cave, located beneath the castle, the dark walls were illuminated by lit torches. I stared upward at the stalactites, and listened to all the sounds around me—the bats further back, the water from the Loch’s waves, and of course, the giant ass dragon waiting for me to get up, so he could knock me back down again.
It wasn’t fair that he’d changed from this handsome man with sharp pointy weapons, that I didn’t know the name of without a Google search, into this gigantic dragon that breathed blue fire.
What was I supposed to do with that? Carry around a fire extinguisher and hope for the best? I could still feel the hot flames singe my arm.
“Too slow, Leslie,” he said. I didn’t have to worry about him talking, he always seemed to find a way to speak right into my mind. Man, I missed the days when my mind belonged to me and the demons of creation danced on my shoulders.
It was like fighting a dinosaur. His jaws snapped after me as I jumped and leapt off the cave’s walls, dodged his thick tale, and tried to steer clear of his fiery breath.
He didn’t play fight. I’d had enough bruises to prove otherwise.
“I might heal fast, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get hurt.” I pushed up and braced my feet to lean over and try to catch my breath.
“If you can fight me and walk away, then you can fight anyone. Raise your sword.”
My arm shook under its weight. He was in my head, and expected me to listen, obey. Maybe when he bit me, I’d given up any sense of freedom. Did his bite and blood mean that I had to serve him too?
“You know, diamonds are formed with pressure,” he droned on.
“But if you keep this up, I’m going to die—just drop down a die.”
He shifted back to his human form, and I tried not to watch him in all of his naked glory—buns of steel, and ripped abs that any model would envy. Broad shoulders and tall, just like I liked them. Yummy.
I wasn’t supposed to pay attention to him and his golden sun-kissed skin, though. That could only lead to more complications and even more problems that I didn’t need. There could never be an “us.”
My stomach rumbled.
“You need to feed,” he said, never turning to me. He pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, then padded over to the part of the cave that held essentials that others could so easily discover—yeah, a refrigerator filled with freshly produced animal blood, and their carcasses hanging on hooks. He got the meat and I the blood. Blech. Made my stomach turn.
“What does that mean, a nice table at the local eatery? I’d love a glass of Chianti.” The local eatery would only have me looking at the other diners, though, and the Chianti, well, it just wasn’t strong enough to get rid of that horrible taste of blood.
He headed to the refrigerator, opened the door and pulled out a bag of blood.
“Drink. I haven’t had to do it this way in a long time, so I’m still under a learning curve.” He handed me the package and I opened it. The putrid smell of fish mixed with a tang of iron.
“Fish? I think I just threw up a little.”
He grunted.
Could vampires starve? I mean, I’d do anything
for a bison burger with blue cheese, and barbeque sauce, with double-fried fries.
“You must get used to drinking from animals. You are not allowed to drink from humans. Vampires are known to overdrink, especially newly made ones.”
“Can’t we try real food—like what I used to eat? And fish are not animals, they’re seafood.”
He groaned. Today, it seemed that I was getting on his nerves, and this was not sexy at all.
“You’re dead, Leslie. The blood is needed to keep you at least somewhat among the living.”
This was hell, and that extremely gorgeous dragon over there was the devil.
I squeezed my eyes shut, wrapped my lips around the plastic tube and tried to swallow the thick mixture down in one gulp; it stuck to the roof of my mouth and the back of my throat. I gagged, coughed, and tried to use my tongue to lodge it free. Oh. This. Is. Hell.
“Drink up. You still have six more to go,” he chuckled. It was deep and charming, but I would have appreciated it more if it hadn’t been at my own expense.
“You get to eat roasted goat, succulent and very well-seasoned I might add, and drink the best of wines, while I’m allocated fish juice?”
He shrugged. I would have taken it all for punishment if I didn’t think he knew any better. Sort of like the first-time dad who buys regular milk instead of formula.
“Oh, our reputations can’t be that bad. I mean, what harm would it be to slip into town and check it out? I’ve not seen a lot of this place, and if I wish to return to my old life, I need to learn how to be around people.”
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that,” he began, and my stomach dropped. “You can’t return to your old life.”
“Why the hell not? I live in the city that never sleeps and I guarantee they have a better supply of blood than this fish sauce.” I threw my hand out angrily. Did he really think to keep me here indefinitely?
He ran his fingers through his thick wavy hair and I saw again how gorgeous he was. I pushed against that emotion.
“Because you are now beholden to me.”
He moved closer, and closed the space between us. “There have been many women who have wished to tie me down. And now, you have this great honor.”
He had the nerve to smile, a perfect smile. In those eyes, the color of the Egyptian desert sands, I watched something play across them: a mixture of longing, control, and a fleck of anger that was barely hiding under the surface. He wasn’t any happier about this than I was. I guessed his feelings didn’t matter right now either. Before I had time to think about what I was doing, I struck out and smacked him.
“You knew this the entire time, and instead of letting me die, you brought me here to an existence that is nothing more than a horror show? I’m trapped and caged in this place, with some type of LARP play, while you’re playing pretend, being all heroic, but all that we have is this pretend and cursed reality. If the gods have spoken to you, the only thing they’ve done is cursed you, and now you’ve done the same to me.”
I pushed against his shoulders, and rushed by him.
“You will not leave these grounds,” he roared.
“What are you going to do, kill me? Surely, you’d just bring me back.”
28
Leslie
Alistair carried me up the stairs and placed me in one of the plush dining room chairs like I was a beloved princess instead of the super pissed off vampire that I was.
I cleared my throat, and tried to find my dignity. “So, tell me about yourself.” I said it so nonchalant, as though this was part of my plan.
He chuckled and plopped down beside me. His anger all but evaporated. “I'd rather hear about you.”
There was something sexy about a man who could carry me; he wasn’t even out of breath, and his skin was hot to the touch through his satiny cotton dress shirt.
“Oh no, I insist,” I said.
I closed myself off and quelled my anger so I could study him without question. I knew I needed to keep my emotions in check. What was done, was done. I ran hot one minute and cold the next. Alistair was an enigma. Sure, I didn’t know if I even liked him, but he so reminded me of my hero, Ewan Macleod—just like he’d stepped right out of one of my books, but so much better. For a moment, I forgot myself and only wanted to lick his abs. That thought must have transmitted quite strongly.
“Licking abs?” he asked.
I'd never been one to blush, but I'm sure he felt my embarrassment. I looked away.
“Are there no secrets here?” I asked. Why did it feel like I was strolling through a thorn-filled nightmare? I leaned forward. “Are you a devil, a demon sent to torment me?”
He threw back his head and the laughter that erupted happened to ease the tension.
“I can't do this.” He waved his hand and what at first was a table to seat twenty reduced to an intimate table for two. “Is this more to your liking?”
“You can wield magic?” I asked.
“Yes, my dear, and you can as well.” I looked down at my hands and saw them closed together, as if I’d clapped and made the table shrink.
He reached for my hand, and a snap of energy raced from me to him. The attraction, no matter how crazy, was there, but I knew I needed to keep my distance. He might be nice to look at, but that didn't mean he wasn't insane, that this wasn’t insane.
Yet the flashing thought of buying expensive boutique lingerie sure did get the libido pumping. I’d come across so many decadent designs during my research, but right now, I’d be happy for him to throw me across the table and stake his claim.
My gaze rested on his lips.
I crossed and uncrossed my legs to get comfortable.
“Um, what’s happening?”
“The mating ritual,” he began, and placed his hand on my knee.
I pulled away. “You have to be a little more specific.”
“By saving you, my soul was split, and through my blood, you were able to return to your body, and my blood powered your body’s movements. Since your body is endued with that from me, it automatically seeks my touch and… connection.”
I squinted. “Are you saying that since I’m your vampire, I’m now going to want to bone you all the time?”
“Bone?”
“Sex, sleep with, shag, have sexy time?” This was Gran’s dream and my nightmare. I didn’t do one-night stands, and the only emotional connection I had with him was anger, but that didn’t stop me from imagining ripping his clothes off and finding out how strong our connection could be.
“Can’t believe you want to talk about fur coats and knickers.”
I couldn’t roll my eyes hard enough. For all that he was, beast or not, he was still a man, a ridiculous, funny man.
I waited until the mirth died down. “What happens if we have sex? Strings, or no?”
I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to kill him or screw him. My hormones pushed to one extreme while my building rage the other. Both emotions sang louder and louder in my ear; each wishing to woo me to their side. Devil. Sexy devil. It was a wash.
“Our bond will get stronger from what I have learned from the reading, but I don’t know as I’ve tried to avoid things of this nature at every cost.”
Oh my gosh! He wasn’t overjoyed about this either, and I thought it was just me. It must be terrible to have all of this pressure on your plate, and then be so alone.
I batted my eyelashes as I’d seen done in one of those old Elizabeth Taylor movies that Gran liked to watch and leaned forward, as if interested. “It must be so hard to be you, and so… alone.”
Ding. Ding. Ding. We have a winner.
Surrounded by beings, he was still alone, unable to form a real connection with anyone, and so the equivalent of a deadly blind date persuaded him to save me. He put his desires on the line to save me from death, and to keep me with Gran. That was pretty honorable, right?
“I know you don’t wish to be here, and although your ship is gone, I wish I could tak
e you to town and get you back to your life.”
“If you could, you’d do that? Even with the deadly costs of it all?”
He nodded. “I was raised to be honorable. What good would it be for you to remain here if you are to be unhappy? What good could come from your being here if you do not desire to be here, to be here with me, and as the seer of the Order? But alas, I cannot.”
His question was too complicated.
Reason said that I needed to find a silver lining: This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You could have everything, all the information you need for your books right here, if you stay. But at what cost? In New York, I barely had a dime to make ends meet, struggling with the ever-rising cost, but here, everything could be served to me on a silver platter.
The more I considered his options, the more I considered him as part of the equation.
“Come, you have had a night worth forgetting.” Alistair rose, but I stayed seated. “Let me show you back to your room, and tomorrow, you can decide as to what it is you’d like to do. But, surely, your life back in New York is missing you.” When he realized I wasn’t planning on going back to my room, he sat back down.
I wasn’t ready to let those thoughts go, and be distracted by pretty words. Instead, I stared down at my hands; hands that had ached for the art of craft through paper cuts, carpal tunnel, and too many carbs. The idea of returning to New York, especially with my tail between my legs, didn’t appeal to me. I could almost hear the gossip at the local coffee shop—another mid-lister dropped. Until I found a way to break out, and bring my characters and world to life, they’d be right. I loved my readers, and I didn’t want to let them down by not continuing the series either.
“Let's see how things are tomorrow. Maybe… maybe I can rearrange my plans. I was planning on working on a book—”
“Yes, set in the Highlands. I can be your personal guide.” He seemed excited about that possibility. He practically glowed!
“And what of your wife?” I don't know why I threw that question out there, but men like him barely came unattached, and I didn’t like forming bonds with unavailable men.
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