by Lisa Olsen
“I want you to stay,” I whispered, cradling him close as my salty tears mingled with the cool water on his brow. All at once Rob’s chest heaved, his eyes flying open with fear as he took in his surroundings with new eyes. “You’re safe. You’re with me. You’re safe,” I repeated, raining joyful kisses along the side of his face as his body gradually relaxed. His hands closed over mine, holding me tight and we clung to each other for long minutes, neither of us minding the cold.
“Welcome to the vampire club.”
Chapter Four
“I sound strange.” Rob cleared his throat. “Do I sound strange to you?”
He sounded the same as always to me, or maybe a little sexier, his voice rough but soothing. I knew it was part of his new senses though. “What about me? Do I sound the same to you?”
“You sound like…”
When I looked up to meet his gaze I found him staring at me in wonder, as if at a loss for words. “What’s the matter?”
“You’re breathtaking.”
I looked away, embarrassment creeping into my cheeks. It was only the newness of his vampire senses; I hadn’t been the one to change, it was all him. “I’m just me, same as always.”
“I never stood a chance, did I?” he murmured with that same touch of wonder.
“What do you mean?”
“There was never anything else for it but to fall hopelessly in love with you.”
A soft smile curved my lips and I leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the lips. “No, not hopelessly. I love you too, remember?”
The wondrous stare continued, a furrow appearing on his brow. “How did a villain like me wind up so lucky?”
“Says the man who died because of that love,” I pointed out gently.
“Wasn’t your fault, it was that tosser, Lodinn.” Just like that, the puppy love was gone, a scowl creasing his face as cold hard anger clawed its way to the surface. “Won’t be so easy for him the next time we cross paths.”
Why did that sound like he had payback in mind? Was he nuts? Holy smokes, he probably was. His impulse control was clearly out the window now. “Whoa… settle down now. You stay the hell away from Lodinn. You’re a newbie, remember?”
Rob shrugged away my concern. “I’m stronger than I was as a human.”
“You will be, when you learn control. But right now your emotions are kicking into overdrive so fast they’ll get you into trouble your body can’t keep up with. Until then, you keep your distance from Lodinn or anyone else who even looks at you funny.”
“I’m not without resources.”
I wasn’t even going to entertain the notion. “That’s an order. I’m the boss, remember? Even more than that, I’m your Sire, you’re pretty much doubly damned to do whatever I say.”
I thought he might argue, but instead the corner of his mouth tugged up into a lopsided grin. “Triply damned because I’m a slave to your love.”
“My own love slave. Could be fun.” I pretended to consider, glad to see him smile. “Does that mean we can put these babies to better use?” I tugged on the leather cuff wrapped around his wrist and he made a face.
“If it’s all the same to you I’d rather have them off for now.” The welts on his skin were gone now, but I could understand the request.
“Sure, of course.” They were hard to get off, the stiff buckles fighting me. I’d probably have to buy Laveda another set after getting them wet. “We should probably get out of the tub too, I’m thinking you could use a more comfortable place to rest.” Carefully disentangling myself from him, I hopped out of the tub and offered him a steadying arm while he did the same, his balance still off.
“Here,” I said, holding out a fluffy towel, but he stood stock still, focusing on his reflection in the mirror. “Let me help you with that.” Wrapping the towel around his back, I dried off his neck and arms while he stood there, tearing off his ruined t-shirt with a sharp tug to expose his well muscled back. Rob slipped into a daze as I toweled him off, noting that the texture of his skin was smoother, but slightly less pliant. He was as cold as the water, but no gooseflesh erupted as the air kissed his skin.
Carefully, I peeled off his sodden jeans and boxers and he stepped out of them, making no comment as I dried him off completely. God, he was gorgeous. Appealing enough in his own right as a human, as a vampire he’d become lethally sexy, even in his less than responsive state.
His arms and legs moved automatically as I dressed him in the stolen clothes, the t-shirt stretching tight across his powerful chest. He didn’t say a word as I slipped out of my sodden clothes, his eyes never focusing on me as I borrowed the short robe hanging from a hook on the back of bathroom door. He only seemed to rouse as I led him from the bathroom and to the couch.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, sinking beside him. “Can I get you anything?”
“I’m…” he swallowed, shaking off the daze. “Ain’t too sure what fine is anymore. I still feel a bit off.” He shook his head. “This is what being a vamp’s all about then, yeah?”
“I’m afraid so.” I offered him a thin smile. “I’m so sorry this had to happen.”
“Wasn’t nothing else for it.”
“I know, but we’ve never once talked about it, you becoming a vampire. It must have come up once or twice over the years. Have you ever considered it before?”
Rob shook his head. “You’re not wrong there, it’s not like I haven’t had the opportunity before. But I didn’t never want to be a vampire.”
“I’m sorry…” I started to say again, my heart clenching in anguish for saddling him with a life he never wanted.
“Not your fault,” he interrupted with another shake of the head. “That wasn’t what I meant. If given the choice of dying on that street and living to see another night by your side, I’d gladly choose this life. I only meant I’ve seen what it does to some, and it’s not something I’d have sought out on my own.”
“Oh. Well, I’m still sorry about it. It’s not what I had in mind either. I sorta thought we had the best of both worlds before, you know? My blood could keep you around for a long, long time, and you got to stay alive.”
“It’ll keep me around longer still is all,” he said, patting my knee. “It won’t be so bad. Didn’t never spend much time in the sun anyhow. I already had a dependency on the blood, this way I’m not as tied to Jakob any longer.”
I wasn’t ready to talk about Jakob yet, not remotely, but there were some things that needed saying. “At least now we have a tangible reason to spend time together beyond you protecting me. He can’t just order you away again. I’m your Sire, it’s my duty to show you the ropes of this vampire thing.” And I knew firsthand how close two vampires could get hunting together. “Jakob can’t object to our spending time together more… intimately. Everyone knows there’s a strong bond between Sire and progeny.”
“You’d be surprised. Jakob does as he pleases, he always has. If it pleases him to keep us apart, he will, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“He let Carys be with Bishop and Aubrey,” I reminded him. “He wasn’t happy about it, but he accepted it after a while. Maybe he’ll do the same with us?” For the first time, I started to think of Rob turning as a positive thing.
“Do you remember once me telling you about a girl you reminded me of?”
I nodded. “I remember you mentioned it before when we were at Vetis.”
“Back in the day there was a girl I was sweet on. At first Jakob didn’t approve, said it split my focus and kept me from my duties. He ordered me to turn her loose, and I did for a while, but I was young and wet behind the ears. I wasn’t as rough with her as I should’ve been when I broke things off and she tracked me down in Szekszárd.”
“Where’s that?”
“In Hungary. Anyhow, she made a proper spectacle of herself and caught Jakob’s eye. He said that true love should be rewarded and he turned her.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad. At least
you could be together.”
“Only the instant she turned, Lottie dropped me and fixated on Jakob. You don’t have to tell me the power of a bond between Sire and progeny.”
“Oh. That is bad,” I agreed softly. “But that’s not the same situation at all. Neither one of us is going to turn to Jakob now, all this has done is brought us closer together.”
“You’re missing the point. Jakob didn’t like my focus not being where it should and he taught me a lesson. He took the one thing I loved and corrupted it. He never wanted her for himself, and when he grew tired of her charms, he abandoned her and she went completely mental.”
“Where is she now?”
“Ain’t nothing left of her but dust.”
“What happened to her?”
“She couldn’t take Jakob’s rejection. Took an overdose of Seconal and went to sleep with the curtains drawn. Burnt to a crisp the next dawn.”
“And I remind you of her?” I balked. Why did I always remind people of these tragic tales?
“Not in that moment, but yeah, before Jakob got to her. She had this smile that made me feel like I couldn’t breathe. I get that sometimes when I look at you. Especially now.” He reached for my cheek, drawing me closer.
“Now you don’t have to breathe, so it kind of works out, huh?”
“We’re bound together now, there’s no use denying it.”
“I never wanted to.”
I got one of his rare smiles then, one that transformed his whole face as he leaned in and brushed his lips against mine. “We’ll still have to be careful.”
“I don’t care.” My mouth chased after his, not quite ready to let him get away with such a tease of a kiss. It was so strange to kiss him without the beat of his heart throbbing between us and the searing heat I’d grown accustomed to, but he met my lips with equal passion, wooing me with something new and just as exciting.
When we drew apart I caught his gaze, looking deep into his hazel eyes. “As long as we still have this when we’re alone, I can get through all the times we’re apart.”
“And that’s all we can ask of now,” he agreed with a solemn nod before his expression lightened. “It’s your birthday today, I nearly forgot. Happy birthday, Anja.”
I’d nearly forgotten myself, the birthday party back at the house seemed like a lifetime ago. “Thanks. It’s yours now too, in a way.” Something else to share. “I’ll have to think of something to give you to commemorate the day. I didn’t plan ahead to get you a spiffy ring or anything,” I said, glancing down at Jakob’s ring on my finger.
“You already gave me plenty.”
“Sure, but this is a pretty momentous occasion, don’t you think? It’s not every day someone joins the undead club. What do you think? A fancy tie clip? Cufflinks?” Those would ensure he wore his suits more often, which I always enjoyed. “How about your own personal henchman? I know a guy.”
“That could prove amusing,” he allowed, his fingers sifting through the golden strands of my hair, brushing the heavy bangs away from my eyes. “Nothing but the pleasure of your company is wanted. I’ve no use for anything else.”
I loved the way he looked at me with such adoration, the hint of a smile playing around his lips. “What about a set of his and hers throwing knives? I’ve always wanted to learn how to use them and that’d give us an excuse to spend more time together training.”
“You might be onto something there. Though I’ve plenty more to show you with hand to hand skills.” The flat of his palm skimmed along the top of my thigh, disappearing under the hem of the short robe.
“Oh, I’m definitely on board for more of your skilled hands,” I readily agreed, my legs parting automatically as he stroked higher. “But maybe you should be taking it easy, just for tonight.”
“And what if we’ve only got tonight?”
I couldn’t argue with that logic, I didn’t even want to try. Pushing aside the fear that Laveda might walk in at any moment, I came into his arms when he pulled me close. My hands slipped under the too tight t-shirt to the ridges of muscle beneath even as he parted my robe for better access himself. Our mouths crashed together, lips parting, tongues sliding, desperate to devour each other in the time we had. His movements became almost frenzied, frantic to touch me everywhere at once, and I was reminded how little self control he must be feeling with his heightened emotions.
All of a sudden he pulled away, shaking his head as if to clear it. “Something’s not right. I feel wrong. I feel like I’m sinking into the ground.”
I sat back to study him more closely, keying into the alarm in his voice. Had something gone wrong with the transition? What if he hadn’t had enough blood? Or what if mine wasn’t strong enough to turn him properly in the first place? But that didn’t make sense, I’d had less when I turned, I was sure of it. And then it hit me. That sinking feeling where you felt like you wanted to melt into the floor was perfectly normal, just way earlier than I felt it.
“It’s okay, it’s the dawn coming. I forgot you’d probably start to feel it a lot sooner than I do, like Ellie did. You’ll feel better when the sun goes down.”
“You mean I’ll feel like this every day?” There was an edge of panic to his voice I’d never heard before and I realized he wasn’t quite so blasé about the new experiences as a vampire as he’d pretended to be.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t last all that long. It’s a protective measure, really, letting you know you need to get somewhere safe for the day. It’ll get easier to recognize in time and it won’t hit you so suddenly like that anymore. Come on, we’d better get you into bed.” Not that I couldn’t manage to get him in there on my own, but it’d be a lot easier if he went willingly.
Knotting the robe closed again, I led him to the bedroom, stifling a smile as his shins cracked against the coffee table. Been there, done that. It was gratifying to see I wasn’t the only one to get clumsy as the sun rose higher in the sky.
“How can you stand it? I feel like I’ve had too many pints. M’tongue’s getting thicker too,” he scowled.
“It’s not like we have a whole lot of choice, is there?” I pointed out, pulling back the covers for him and tumbling him back onto the bed with a single, light push. “It is what it is. But the important thing is, I’m here to take care of you.”
“That’s my job.” Boy, did he sound disgruntled.
“Well, it’s my turn. That’s what people do, they take care of each other, don’t they?” I scrambled into the bed on the other side, snuggling close.
“I don’t like this,” he grumbled, and I knew it had nothing to do with my cold feet tucked up against his.
“I know, I’m sorry.”
His arm wrapped around me instinctively, even as I heard him edging closer and closer to oblivion. “Can’t protect you like this…”
“I’ll protect you. Now hush… I’ll see you when the sun goes down.” It didn’t take long for his hand to grow slack in mine, the furrow between his brows easing, but never completely going away.
Of course, I wasn’t the least bit tired, not yet. There was still over an hour until dawn, but I lay beside him, watching him sleep. After a while I got up to make sure the front door was locked and to tack an extra blanket over the single window in the room, not trusting the cheap blinds to do a good enough job against the morning light. While I could withstand a fair amount of sunshine without burning to a crisp, I knew I owed that to my Ellri Sire, and Rob would likely be a lot more flammable.
The sun rose higher in the sky and I felt that sinking feeling take hold of my limbs, folding them around Rob to do my best to watch over him as we slept. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were horribly exposed in Laveda’s apartment. I couldn’t wait to get him home to our basement sanctuary. Though would I really be able to hold him like this?
Some things were going to have to change, but I’d make it work. We’d make it work. The ties that bound us together were even more tightly wound now and I was
n’t ready to go back to pretending to be nothing more than friends. How could I look at him without revealing the love that grew stronger every day? And would he be able to do the same now that his emotions were likely to be all over the charts?
Change was on the horizon. Surely I’d wake to find good news for once. Jakob would take care of Lodinn and we’d get Hanna back, and then I could tell Jakob I didn’t want to date him publically or in private any more. Maybe he’d even leave town. In the sanctity of my own home I could trust Gunnar, Maggie, and Marcus to keep our secret, and I could compel them to if it made Rob feel better about it. I’d show Rob how to be a strong, confident vampire and we’d have every excuse to spend all our time together. Then, after some time went by, it would seem natural for us to fall in love and no one would question it. Easy peasey.
Yeah, none of that happened.
Chapter Five
I woke up with a start, the edges of my dreams fading too quickly for me to interpret beyond a vague sense of unease. On the plus side, there didn’t seem to be anything to worry about. The bedroom was dark, the blanket over the window undisturbed, and there was no sign of movement anywhere else in the apartment.
Rob lay in exactly the same position, dead to the world. It was disconcerting lying there next to him. I couldn’t help but miss the comforting beat of his heart and his cool hands felt foreign. It made me sad to notice that he didn’t have that enticing smell anymore. Not that he smelled bad or anything, he smelled like… nothing, and I wondered what he would taste like now.
I rested beside him, contemplating everything and nothing until curiosity started to eat away at me and I climbed out of bed, not bothering to be careful when he didn’t stir at all. It was probably too much to hope for that Laveda had a landline, but luck was with me when I found her cell phone sitting on the dresser. Not too lucky for her though. Hopefully she’d managed okay without it. I felt kind of bad about chasing her out like that, but honestly, it’d been for her own good.
