by Tamsin Baker
“Uh, thanks. Be out in a second.” I tied the string at the waist. The pants swam on me, but without underwear in the pile of clothing, I’d take them. I quickly yanked on the oversized pullover.
I opened the cabinet to indeed find a toothbrush, toothpaste and a hair brush. All new and unused, but unpackaged. I made short work of cleaning my teeth and tugging the brush through my hair. I couldn’t do too much with it without washing it properly. Spying a hair tie, I slung my hair into a ponytail and, taking a steeling breath, opened the door to find Davon leaning against the wall just outside.
“I was getting worried,” he said.
He was just being kind. Nice. Maybe I was on edge because no other man had shown such concern for me. That must be it. I just didn’t know how to accept it. They were strangers. They wouldn’t know how most of the available men in town ostracized me. I was too outspoken and no one wanted to tempt the attention of the Holy Trinity.
I plastered a shaky smile on my face. “Nothing to worry about. Told you I could dress myself.” My stomach chose to growl—loudly. I put a hand over it, heat flaring in my cheeks.
“There those cheeks go again. You’re hungry. You should be. You have a few days to catch up on. I’ll have Cassius bring up some breakfast for you,” Davon said.
I glanced about the room, but I needed to know more about where I was. “Could we maybe get out of this room?”
“Feeling a bit confined, are we?” Davon’s smile was delicious.
I blinked, forcing my eyes somewhere other than on his face. “Something like that.”
“Then the kitchen, it is. Mind you, were are three bachelors living here on our own and this room is the nicest by far. You’ll have to ignore the mess. Cassius is an enthusiastic cook,” Davon said.
“Don’t worry. I’m good at ignoring mess.”
“Can you walk? Shall I carry you there?” He held his arms as though to pick me up.
I stepped back, my backside hitting the wall. “I’m good. I need to work my muscles.”
He looked dubious but relented, much to my relief. “Breakfast should nearly be ready. I told him you’d woken.”
They were just being nice and I was overreacting. Dressed in too-large sweats and my hair a complete mess like it was did not make an alluring picture. He held the door open for me and I followed him into a hallway that matched the gothic look and feel of the room we’d left.
Cream-colored, rough-hewn plaster topped dark wood paneling on both walls. Wall sconces that held bulbs reminding me of something yesteryear threw off a yellowed light and were placed at regular intervals along the wall. It was bright enough to see where we walked, yet dim enough to create pockets of shadow.
We passed several closed doors. Another was open and I peered into a room that had every available surface lined with shelves. One look at the window outside showed the snowstorm still raging.
“How long do you think the storm will last?” I asked, hoping he might have heard a weather report.
“They usually last quite a long time in this neck of the woods,” Davon said.
“How long has this one been going on?” I hoped it was on the tail end. That it wouldn’t be days until I could leave.
But all Davon said was, “Quite some time now. Here we are, welcome to the kitchen.”
He opened a door for me and I stepped into a room that was at complete odds with the rest of their house. Like the bathroom, this room was state-of-the art. Sleek, black marble counters shone beneath brilliant lighting. Stainless steel appliances were built into stark white cabinet doors. Above the stove top was an enormous stainless steel range hood. In the middle of the room was an enormous island and around it sat Cassius and Xander.
Cassius smiled at me while he placed a plate full of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of a chair that was sightly pulled away from the countertop. “There she is. I hope you’re hungry. I’ve cooked up a storm. Bacon. Eggs. Sausages.”
“You’re not eating?” There was only one plate and four of us in the kitchen.
A ghost of a smile whispered over Cassius’ mouth. “We’ve already eaten.”
The aroma of a freshly cooked breakfast reminded me how hungry I was. I slipped into the chair, picked up the fork and made short work of the scrambled eggs. I’d finished the pile when I noticed all of the men watching me. I realized how I must look. “It’s really good, Cassius. Thank you. You shouldn’t have gone to all this effort just for me. You’ve gone out of your way so much already.”
Cassius snorted, “It’s been a while since I’ve properly cooked. Besides, what sort of hosts would we be if we didn’t feed our guest?”
“Oh? This tastes so good, I’m sure Davon and Xander would have you cooking for them every day,” I said.
“They like things a little less cooked than this,” Cassius said.
“Like healthy living. If it isn’t fresh, you don’t eat it?” I said.
Cassius sent me a strange look. “Something like that. I’m happy I’ve remembered enough of my skills to have cooked for you. I used to be renowned for my meals.”
“A chef?”
“I ran a little inn at one point,” he said.
“Oh, really? Where?” I asked. I knew the roads in and out of town intimately and I’d never come across an inn. It was such an old fashioned term.
“It was quite some time ago now, but it used to get very busy,” Cassius said.
“I remember a barmaid named Betty. With the big…” Davon juggled his hands in front of his chest.
Cassius pointed a knife at Davon. “I’ll have you know Betty knew how to get extra coin out of every traveler’s purse. Savvy, that was our Betty.”
“Traveler? Purse? Didn’t your inn have electronic payment readers?” I wondered if it was as remote as this place was.
Cassius chuckled. “At that stage, I only trusted what I could hold in my hand.”
“I guess that’s one way to do business.” I thought of the electronic accounts for the farm. There was something to be said for cash. If the wifi was down, I’d have no access to any money at all. Especially when dealing with my one and only overseas customer. For the farm it was not a luxury, but rather a necessity.
I snapped off a piece of crispy bacon to take my mind off the farm. I only hoped Mom had help feeding the animals. The townsfolk still liked her. It was just me they had a problem with. The bacon melted in my mouth. “I have to admit, it is nice to have someone cook me a meal.”
“Someone should cook for you every day,” Davon said.
“There’s no one at home but Mom and me, and she’s not well. I do the chores she’s not capable of doing.” Which was most of them, but I didn’t need to elaborate. “That’s why I need to get back to her, or at least call her to let her know I’m all right. I’m all she’s got.”
A heavy silence descended on the room. Davon looked sad, Cassius hung his head, and Xander – well, it was hard to tell. His expression had turned stony. My stomach grew heavy. “What is it?”
“We told you we have no connection to the outside world, but we will do our best to let your mother know you’re alive and well,” Xander said, his face lifting. “I give you my word.”
A force of energy vibrated around me. I gasped and the fork clattered to the plate. I couldn’t help but feel something momentous shift in the very air. And looking at Davon and Cassius’ shocked faces, I knew it wasn’t just my imagination.
Chapter Nine
“Xander…” Davon spoke.
“I am not stupid. I know what I promised. And that is enough said for now. There is much at stake.” Before I could ask him what he meant, he disappeared from the kitchen, leaving me staring at an empty doorway.
“What was that all about?” It was clear there was something going on way above my head.
“Finish your meal, Ella, and concentrate on getting better. You’ll need to be well for your mother,” Cassius said.
Davon stiffened.
“Davon?”
&
nbsp; Surely Davon would explain what was going on. He finally looked at me, his blue eyes blazing, his expression strained. My heart thumped in anticipation. “Ella…”
Something heavy was placed on the counter before me. I grabbed it with both hands, bringing it to my chest, a wave of calm washing through me. “My Grim…my book! Thank you, Xander.”
He nodded his head once and sat at his chair at the island without a word. I was learning more and more that he was very much the strong, silent type. And handsome, as well. Part of me wanted him to pick me up and place me on his lap as he had last night. There was just something about him. As soon as that thought flittered in my brain, I shoved it aside. I had to keep my head straight.
I ran my hands over the well-worn leather, the weight welcome in my hands. I opened the pages, amazed that there was no damage, despite its tumble down the mountainside with me. “It’s in surprisingly good condition. Not even a torn edge!”
“A book like that doesn’t get damaged easily,” Cassius said.
I frowned, “It’s old. It should be very fragile. But I do look after it.” Come to think of it, the Grimoire had always been sturdy, even when my grandmother read it with me when I was young. I’d never given it another thought since I took the best of care with it, but despite its age, the edges were crisp, the pages smooth and unwrinkled.
I set it back on the counter. The covers parted, opened to a page I’d never seen before. I couldn’t help the gasp that fell from my lips.
“What is it, Ella?” Davon asked.
It was a while before I could speak. “I…I’ve never seen this page before. But that can’t be possible. I’ve read every single page over and over again since I was a child.” I ran the tip of my finger over the title, frowning. It was just too strange. I couldn’t have missed this page. It was impossible, yet there it was.
“Vampire” written with delicate, decorative script. Quite beautifully.
Vampires, also known at Vampyres, are creatures of the damned. They exist on the blood-life of others, needing those with a beating heart to fuel their own. They drink the life essence from others through their sharp canine teeth, which descend into long, extremely sharp points when they feed.
Vampires have been in existence since the beginning of time and increased in population during medieval times, predominantly throughout Europe. They are long-lived, often for a thousand years.
Vampires are a breed of human that is distinct. Having been the victim of the vampiric disease, the human body undergoes changes, and often there is a period of death before it regains life. It is unknown whether the soul remains in the body after this change, or if the body, once reanimated, remains soulless, rendering the vampiric body incapable of love.
While vampires do not die of disease or other normal human afflictions, they have accelerated healing abilities. This allows them to recuperate quickly from injuries that would be fatal to a normal human body, such as gunshot wounds, broken bones, blood loss, snapped necks, burns, and severed limbs.
While their bites sustain them, they also produce venom, which has healing properties. Using the correct dosage, a Vampire can heal all manner of human illnesses of the blood, including cancer, leukemia, and any vitamin deficiencies. This same venom can give birth to a Vampire, causing the human body to undergo the transformation into a long and healthy life.
Death of a Vampire occurs when the head is severed, the body is burned, or a stake of thick wood is driven through the heart. Often their long lives lead to insanity, and the elders are usually terminated in a ritual when this occurs.
It is difficult to end the life of a Vampire, but they may be cursed to a central location to contain them, often for centuries. The curse uses magic of the darkest kind to seal them to their location and can only be achieved with the talent of a powerful witch or through great emotional upheaval. Because of the nature of the curse and the spell cast, only the opposite of what first bound can unbind.
It is extremely rare that a Vampire has ended such a curse in the history of humankind, and often ends his own life rather than live bound through the cruelty that usually led him to be cursed.
It is important to note that Vampires should not be trusted. They are soulless beings who travel to the ends of the Earth, leaving trail of destruction and death in their wake. They possess no morals and cannot see the error of their ways. It is advised to keep well away from these creatures.
I paused, letting the words sink into my brain. “I can’t believe I’ve never read this before.”
“What did it say, Ella?” Xander’s focus was intense.
I closed the book, placing my palms on the front, not liking how unsettled I was, but no matter what I felt, I wasn’t going to discuss the contents of the book. Not when I didn’t know if they had ties back to the town and the Trinity. It always paid to keep your cards close to your chest. “It was…nothing. Nothing at all.”
“What do you know about spells?”
“What?” I wasn’t ready for the heart thump Xander’s question gave me.
“I know what a Grimoire is, Ella.”
“I…it isn’t…it’s just a book in my family. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I stuttered. This line of questioning could land me in big trouble, not only for me but for Mom as well, if it ever got out.
Xander frowned, his dark blond eyebrows coming low. “You won’t get into trouble with us. We know what spells are, Ella. Spells and… curses.”
How could? Then it hit me. “You’ve looked inside.”
I expected to feel violated. No one outside my family had seen these pages. Ever. But they must have looked inside to know exactly what the book contained. Instead, I waited for his reaction, relieved that there might be someone apart from my mother with whom I could discuss its contents.
A small smile flittered across Xander’s face and my anxiety melted a little. “I only wanted to see if the pages were damaged so I could fix them for you. Are you interested in spells, Ella?”
“I…” Again I was at a loss for words. I’d never been allowed to speak freely about it. It was just our family’s little secret that had been kept under wraps for decades.
“We have some more spell books in the library, similar to this one. I like to collect them. Would you like to see them?”
I blinked at him for a moment, floored. I would like to see them. I would like to see them very much. I might not have another opportunity, because when the storm lifted, I would make certain I’d return home. “I would like that. Very much.”
Xander’s smile broadened and again I glimpsed white teeth before he took my hand and helped me to stand. “We don’t get many visitors who are interested and I’d like your opinion on them. Come. Let me show them to you now.”
Chapter Ten
Xander led me back the way we came. I stepped into the library, in awe of just how many books they had.
“Where did you get them all?” I spun in a circle. There were even books on shelving above the door.
“When you’ve been here as long as we have, you tend to build quite a collection,” Xander said.
He stood in the middle of the room, regarding me, seeming to see every detail of my body. I was so aware of him. His tall and lean figure, tailored pants and dark, long sleeved pullover that did nothing to hide wide shoulders, and his flat stomach that tapered to lean hips. I knew how solid his thighs were from sitting in his lap. A part of me wanted him to pull me there again so I could snuggle up to him. And more. He’d be able to kiss me, slide his hand beneath my sweatshirt and find my nipples hard and ready for his touch. I wanted his hand there, and then maybe his mouth, teeth and tongue, lapping at my breasts like I was his favorite confection.
Self-conscious, my cheeks heated again.
I didn’t see him move before he stood in front of me. He ran the pad of his thumb over my cheek, his gaze trailing his touch. “What were you just thinking about, my Ella? It looked fascinating.”
I couldn
’t talk, but for a very different reason. If I started, I may tell him exactly what I was thinking and then I’d expect him to follow through on my wishes, just as Davon had done. I shivered, thinking how delicious it would be to know how the hands of two men felt on me. And then Cassius? I was also drawn to him. To all of them, actually. They were so different, yet the same awareness, desire, yearning, burned within me.
His warm, caramel gaze drank in my face. He cupped my cheek, stepping so close to me now that my breasts brushed his chest and still I stood my ground. I didn’t think I could move, even if I wanted to.
“You’re fascinating,” he whispered before he bent his head and captured my lips with his. Just gently at first, and then he deepened the kiss with languid sweeps of his lips. I gripped his biceps, anchoring myself to him as my whole awareness became Xander and his lips on mine.
One arm banded behind my waist, the other hand threaded through my hair and cupped the back of my head. He slanted his head, capturing my lips, teasing me, building a fast stoking flame.
I closed my eyes, my senses converging in the darkness I found there. There was no sense of wrong, of holding back, or even a question of whether or not I should be kissing Xander at all. I was swept along with the proficiency of his kiss, the way his lips, so stern and even harsh looking, could also be so soft. So skilful.
“I find I am unable to resist you, Tu Ena. I could just eat you up.” His rough voice at my ear made me shiver. I found myself unable to resist him as well.
I let my head fall back as he sucked on my earlobe and kissed his way over the pulsing vein along my neck. He stopped there and inhaled, breath filling his lungs as his chest expanded. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss right on top of my jugular before trailing a path with the tip of his tongue back to my lips.
He kissed me deeply then, his tongue sweeping into my welcoming mouth. His flavor burst on my tongue. Masculine. Heady. Fueling my desire.
I let my tongue sweep against his, pushing my aching breasts against his solid chest, needing the quickly growing pressure to be released any way it could. He tilted his head. There was a sting on my bottom lip and I jerked back, momentarily surprised. Need bolted through me.
