Keepers of the Flame (Trilogy Bundle)

by Melissa F. Hart

  I love you so much, Dylan. You complete me. You are the other part of my soul.

  I saw the shock go through him, then his eyes lit up with pure joy.

  My darling Lu, you have no idea how much that means to me.

  I gently stroked his face and smiled. My heart was so full I felt it would burst. I had no idea love could be like this. Or that letting another person in could be so filling.

  Neither did I.

  Well, we're in this together, right? I asked with slight apprehension.

  All the way, babe.

  Good. I really do love you, Dylan.

  I know and it means the world to me.

  We kissed then, holding onto each other like we'd never let go. And we probably didn't intend to ever let go of the other, at least I knew I didn't. I lay my head on his chest and he stroked my back. Even with the cloud of the kidnappers hanging over our heads, I felt safe and warm all over. I wasn't sure what was waiting for us in London, but I had hope. Hope that Katrina would be okay. Hope that we would both come through the ordeal unscathed. And hope that our love would grow. Hope is a very strong thing and riding on its wings, and I finally fell asleep.

  TO BE CONTINUED IN BOOK THREE: The Flame Keepers - Book 3

  The Flame Keepers

  Chapter One

  I was back in London and everything looked as strange as it did familiar. I had not been back in close to four years, since I was thirteen, actually. As we drive away from Heathrow International Airport, I gaze out of the window of the black Bentley, but I don't actually see anything. My thoughts are far away. Lost in a time and place, I've done everything in my power to bury it from my mind. But now that I've been forced back here by the kidnapping of my grandmother, it all comes flooding back.

  It was a Friday night and the night club both my parents ran was busy as usual. It wasn't a very popular nightclub among most people, but that was for a reason. You see, I'm a vampire and so was my entire family. So the nightclub might not have been very popular among mortals, but it was a big deal for vampires. My sister and I were helping out as usual, but I was later excused. That is not as odd as it sounds because I was attending mortal school, while my sister had opted for vampire night school. The vampire school ran a different calendar from my school, so while I'd been in school most of the day, my sister got to lounge about.

  “You go take a break, honey. You can come back much later.” My mum had said brushing some stray strands of hair off my face.

  I'd flinched then and tried to duck her hands. There were some cool boys around and she was treating me like a baby. She'd laughed then, shaking her head. How I miss her laughter. If I could go back to that time, I would have wrapped my arms around her and never let go. Instead I'd run off to my room, picked the newest release from my favorite author and sneaked off into the vault.

  The vault was actually a vault, except that it was not created for gems or jewelry. It was a small room, which was technically at the basement of the house, only that it wasn't visible to anyone else. It was created using some very serious magic, at least that's what my dad always said and he'd told us to hurry there if there'd been any sign of danger. I loved the cozy darkness of the room; it was almost like being buried in a tomb. Yeah, I was morbid like that.

  Why did we need a vault? Well, both my parents belonged to the special order of Protectors. The protectors were not like the Police or the army. They had the job of tracking rogue vampires and making sure our natural enemies were kept away. They were like the army, I guess, and they sometimes had to act as personal bodyguards when an individual's safety was threatened. It was how I met Dylan. He was appointed as my bodyguard.

  “Are you okay, Lu?”

  I was pulled out of my thoughts by the hand on my arm. I turned and saw Dylan looking at me with concern written all over his face.

  “I'm fine.” I replied shortly, then sighed. I was trying to be more open with him and I wasn't succeeding too well. So I turned to him and gently cupped his cheek, “I'm sorry Dylan. This place brings back memories and,” I inhaled and let out the breath in another sigh, “It's just hard for me.”

  He drew me close and placed a kiss on my mouth. “I'm here for you. You do know that don't you?”

  “I know.” I replied resting my head on his shoulders. “I just hope Katrina's okay.”

  “She'll be fine. We'll make sure of that.” He assured me.

  I nodded silently.

  Katrina was the reason I was back in London in the first place. She's my grandmother and the one who took me in after... well, several years ago. I still lived with her even though I was a freshman at the local college. I didn't want to leave her on her own for too long. No, Katrina was not like any grandma you thought you knew. She did not weight more than a hundred and twenty pounds and was about five feet, three inches tall. We were practically the same size. A feisty woman who was once a member of the Order of Protectors, she didn't look a day over thirty. How is that possible?

  Katrina is also a vampire. Most of the vampires that roamed the earth were evolved species. We were not created or made; no one bit our necks or anything like that. We were born as vampires and were known as Pereneans or members of the Born race. There were others who were made of course, but that was in breach of the Vampire Protocol and only renegades did that. They preyed on humans and did not want to give up the old ways.

  Anyway, I got back from the campus yesterday and found a note saying she'd been kidnapped. The ransom was simple; I was to come to London with a stone. It wasn't just any stone. Just before I left to leave with Katrina, on my thirteenth birthday to be precise, I woke up and found a gemstone attached to a chain on my pillow. Excited by the gift, I rushed down to my parents to thank them. They had let me know with grave faces that they hadn't been responsible for that gift.

  “But that doesn't mean it isn't yours.” I remember dad saying solemnly. “It comes to certain people at a particular age and is really important.”

  It didn't sound so strange to me but I still needed to understand some stuff. So I'd looked up at them earnestly and asked, “Will Claudia get a similar stone when she turns thirteen?” Claudia was my little sister.

  My mum had smiled; her brown eyes twinkling as she'd gently brushed some strands of hair off my face. I'd winced but I hadn't pushed her hand away. “Claudia will get a special gift,” she'd said. “But I'm not sure if it will be a gemstone or when she'll get hers.”

  It wasn't until I'd almost been killed last year that I got to really understand the meaning of the stone and how crucial it was to the existence of our race. That time, I'd been afraid of even my own shadow. I had no idea when the stone would give sudden warning before I would be attacked, or even shot at. That was a time I have no desire to relive. Yet with the disappearance of Katrina and the ransom note that was left for her, it seems I'm being sucked into yet another dangerous situation. And as much as I hated being back in London, I knew I would do anything for Katrina.

  I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, Dylan was gently shaking me awake.

  “Lu, baby, we're here.”

  “Where's here?” I asked stifling a yawn.

  “Somewhere in Knightsbride. We're at the London Protector HQ.”

  “Okay.” What I really wanted to know was when we needed to be at Greenwich, which was where the kidnapper or kidnappers had asked us to meet them. The exact address in the note they left just happened to be the same address where I'd lived all my life until I left to live with Katrina. Coincidence much? I didn't think so.

  “We'll try and establish contact tonight. In the meantime, we'll wait and see how it goes, okay?”

  I nodded, “Sure.”

  He dropped a kiss on my head and stepped out of the Bentley. I sat still for a few seconds, grateful that I didn't have to face this alone. Grateful that I had a boyfriend like Dylan who I knew would go to the end of the world for me. At least, I got the impression he would. With a sigh, I opened the door and stepp
ed out. It was time to go save Katrina.

  Chapter Two

  It was several days before we could go save Katrina. Even though we had the location, the intelligence reports we got showed that there was no activity in that address. No one knew where Katrina was and we hadn't heard from the kidnapper or kidnappers. I was beginning to go crazy just sitting put, doing nothing. Dylan tried to help and getting to know him was a good distraction. But it only stood to reason that the inactivity would get to us eventually.

  That morning we were lying next to each other. We'd just come into the room and were exhausted. I didn't even bother to change out of my clothes as I collapsed on the bed. I moved a little and rested my head on his arm. The other arm automatically came around me.

  “This is driving me crazy.” He said after a while.

  I was surprised to hear him admit it. I knew Dylan was the action type, he was a protector after all, but he was always so sure of himself and in control. I'd never known him to let any vulnerability show. I caressed his chest, thrilled with the way his muscles corded and rippled.

  “I'm sure we'll get information any day now.” I soothed.

  “It's just that I was so sure we would be on our way back to the states now. I want to spend time with you and take you on dates and everything.”

  I smiled in delight. “Well, we might not be able to go on dates right now, but we are spending time together.” I pointed out.

  “We are, aren't we?”

  “Yeah. And we can talk. We haven't done much of that, really.” Probably because we'd spent eight months on the phone before we'd finally begun dating, we seemed to spend more time necking than anything.

  “Okay. So what do you want to talk about?” He asked.

  I knew what I wanted to talk about, but it was a topic that had been out of bounds, sort of. Still, I needed to know and he needed to talk about it. So I resorted to telepathy. Tentatively, I reached out and tried to connect with him.

  You know what I want to know, Dylan.

  I felt his instant withdrawal and it was not just that he'd taken his arms from around me. Even though we were still touching, I knew we'd lost connection. He was silent for several minutes while I waited patiently. Finally, I felt his presence again.

  I wish you wouldn't go there, Lu.

  But, why don't you want to talk about your family?

  Because it hurts. He adjusted his position until he was looking in my eyes and I felt the devastation, which was reflected in his. It just hurts too much.

  I knew there were hidden depths to this man I'd fallen in love with. Stuff he'd experienced before I'd ever come along. There were so many gaps in his life and I desperately needed to know more about him. His complete refusal to even discuss his past had been driving me nuts for several months now. I'd taken his refusal to talk to me as a sign that he didn't trust me. However, looking into his eyes and seeing the despair in them, I finally realized that what was going on inside him was bigger than me. It was probably bigger than him, too, and I decided to wait until he was ready to talk about it. Instead of asking him to trust me, I guess it was time I showed some trust of my own.

  “Did I ever tell you about how I left London for the states?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible.

  He turned to look at me then. You don't have to do this, Lu.

  “I haven't spoken to anyone about this.” I said, choosing to ignore him. “I know you read up on me when you were assigned as my bodyguard last year, but well...” I shrugged.

  Lu, come on, sweetheart. You really don't have to talk about this.

  I need to, Dylan. It's been festering inside me for so long and now that I'm back here, it all threatens to swallow me. I need to get it out so I can move on with my life.

  He sat up then and leaning against the headboard, he held out a hand.

  Then let me hold you while you talk.

  I scrambled up to a sitting position and leaned into the protective circle of his arms. As always, anytime I was in his arms, I felt like I was finally home. It felt so right. I sighed and relaxed, but was silent for a while, trying to sort out my thoughts. He just held me and waited.

  “You know about how I got away, right? I'd crawled into the vault at home to read a book, then I slept off. I woke up sometime later and immediately knew that something was desperately wrong. I left the vault and went upstairs. I could hear voices then. As I got closer, I heard my father's voice. He was pleading.”

  I went silent as I relieved the horror of that day. I could feel nausea rising up and I pushed it back. I trembled slightly and Dylan's arms tightened around me. Feeling the strength coming from him, I took a deep breath and went on.

  “I couldn't see what was going on, but I heard him pleading, asking them to spare Claudia's life. Claudia was my little sister; she was just eleven years old then. He told them that she was a child and knew nothing about it. But they claimed that his daughter had it and that if she didn't speak, she would go the way of the mother. That was when I knew my mom was gone. They'd killed her, I just knew it. I tried to search for her using telepathy but all I got was emptiness. There was a dark hole where her essence used to be.”

  I could feel the tears trickling down my face. I bent my head and used my shoulder to try and rub them off, but they just kept coming faster. I choked down a sob and took a deep breath. When I'd achieved some semblance of calm, I went on.

  “Just then I could feel my dad searching for me and I connected with him. He told me in a calm voice to go back to the vault and not come out. I wanted to know what was going on, what had happened to mom. But he just told me that he loved me and even when I couldn't see him, he would be there for me. Then he ordered me into the vault in a tone that didn't brook disobedience. Sobbing, I crept back into the vault. I just knew that my life as I knew it had ended that day. But even in my wildest imagination, I could never have known how completely it had ended. By the time the people from the Protector HQ came over and found me in the vault, every one of my family was dead. Murdered by whoever had been in our house that day, demanding it.”

  Silent sobs racked my body as I finished narrating the events of that terrible night. I still had nightmares about it, even though I'd tried so hard to forget.

  ***

  I held the petite woman in my arms as she sobbed and felt my heart open even more to her. She was the other half of my soul and it pained me to see her hurting so much. Such tragedy should never have befallen such a young girl, but that was life and even vampires were not immune to it.

  As I held her, I muttered comforting words and told her how much I loved her and how brave and strong she was. Half the time, I didn't even know what I was saying; I just felt this overwhelming need to ease her hurt. Finally she calmed down and I reached for the box of tissues on the bedside table and handed it to her. I pulled out a handful and, grabbing hold of the edge of her chin, I tipped her face upward and slowly wiped at the tears.

  When I was done, she blinked and raised her tear spiked lashes, and I felt my chest tighten with emotion. She was so beautiful. Her gray eyes looked like the sky after a storm and I felt every part of me begin to melt. I leaned forward and took her lips in a gentle kiss, meant to give comfort. Her eyelashes went down as she shut her eyes. With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around me and opened her mouth, deepening the kiss.

  I tasted the salt from her tears and felt her sadness. She shifted slightly and the nature of the kiss changed, becoming passionate. I drew her closer and slanted my mouth over hers so I could get better access. She teased me with her tongue before she caught hold of mine and sucked gently. I went from hot to red hot in an instant. I broke the kiss with a groan, knowing that if I didn't stop then, we would go further than we'd ever gone before.

  Chapter Three

  “Why did you stop?” She moaned, dropping tiny kisses on my neck.

  “I was losing control, love.” I told her honestly.

  She froze then, and hid her face in my neck
. “I wanted you to lose control.” She whispered.

  “Really?”

  “Yeah.” She lifted her face and smiled impishly at me.

  “Luanne Kylor, you will be the death of me.” I said jokingly, without much thought. Then I saw the horror-stricken look on her face and wanted to slap myself. “Sweetheart, I'm so sorry. That was incredibly insensitive of me.”

  She shook her head. “No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so sensitive, especially since I knew you were only joking.”

  I cupped her face with one hand and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “Have I told you how much I love you?”