by Lyons, Rene
Constantine raised a brow at her. “So what am I? Dog shit?”
Allie closed her eyes and pressed her fingers to her temple in exasperation. “I am not having this conversation.”
When she opened her eyes, she saw Sebastian casually leaning his hip against the fireplace looking entirely too amused. “This is all your fault.”
He stabbed a finger at his chest and shot his brows up in askance. “Me? How the hell am I at fault here?”
Her hands going to her hips, she matched the glare he was giving her with one of her own. “If you didn’t go and kiss me, I wouldn’t have kissed you back and I wouldn’t have to try to convince two furious vampires that I think they’re hot.”
She went to storm out, but Sebastian prevented her dramatic exit when he moved with the speed of lightening and grabbed her. Again.
“Allie,” he said too calmly. “Did it ever occur to you that those two,” he motioned to Constantine and Raphael, “wanted us to get together?”
Why would it take her friends this long to work their scheme if they could have executed it months ago? Ready to dismiss Sebastian’s presumption, she peered over his shoulder to see two guilty-looking vampires suddenly vastly interested in the dark gray rug.
“They knew I was going to be home tonight.”
Allie laughed at how guilty they looked—even Constantine—which shocked the hell out of her. “You sly dogs.”
Yanking her arm from Sebastian’s grasp, she went over to Constantine, giving him a good shot to the arm. “I didn’t even see this coming.”
“That’s because you’re too damn trusting.”
“Maybe,” she retorted with a shrug. “I gotta go. You guys can deal with Sebastian’s anger on your own. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
Unbeknownst to her, three men watched intently as she flounced from the room.
*
Once she left, Raphael looked to Sebastian. “Well, Sage, how pissed are you?”
Sebastian ignored him, instead going after Allie. Constantine let out a grunt of satisfaction. “Something tells me he’s not half as pissed as he wants us to believe.”
Raphael slipped him a sly grin. “Think if we bother him enough about it he’ll tell us all the juicy details?”
Constantine shrugged. “Doubt it, but I’ll see if I can get into his head and find out.”
*
“Wait.” Sebastian called to Allie.
She froze and turned on the darkened steps. “What is it?”
With the night wrapped around her, she looked vulnerable swallowed by the shadows of the staircase. “I don’t want you to leave thinking I was sorry for what passed between us.”
The emerald fire in her eyes nearly scorched him. “Don’t worry. I don’t.”
“Good,” he said gruffly. His body reacted violently when he saw her lick her lips. Thoughts he had no business entertaining about exactly what he wanted her to do with her tongue—and lips and teeth—hardened his body painfully.
The quick, yet infinitely tender kiss she placed on his lips squeezed at his dead heart. Reminding him what it felt like to beat with life, he’d never missed being alive as much as did then.
“Good night, Sebastian.”
This time, when she turned to leave he let her go. Unable to move, to speak, he was struck dumb by the wealth of affection he felt in the gentle touch of her lips. He knew only one thing for certain right at that moment—now that he tasted her passion and affection, he wasn’t going to let her get away.
Not when her kiss gave the promise of life denied him for seven hundred years.
Chapter Four
Hidden in the shadows of the trees, the vampire had an unobstructed view of Randall Manor. The front door opened and out marched a tiny and attractive redhead. He knew her, or rather, he knew of her. Though he’d only been in Damascus for a short while, it was impossible not to have heard about the notorious ghost hunter.
This was an extremely small town where most everyone knew each other, which was why nearly every place he went, human and supernatural alike knew her name.
Crazy Allie, yet he sensed she was anything but insane. Her eyes were open, seeing the things that lurked in the dark. Everyone else remained blissfully unaware of the dangers stalking the living, unseen in shadows as they waited to strike—as he was now.
Unfortunately for her, her mind was elsewhere, her eyes closed to the danger of him.
Surprisingly, she was prettier than he expected. He found the fall of her distinctive long hair appealing. Even from this distance he felt her lifeforce. No wonder the Templars kept her around. Every vampire needed a pet whore. Even now he had his own hidden away in various abandoned properties scattered all over the vast county of Pennsylvania. What a fine addition she would make to his collection.
Detecting the scent of Sebastian of Rydon, he tensed, prepared to battle the enigmatic Templar known as the Sage. No sooner did he catch the scent that he realized the smell was coming from Allison. His stink was all over her, overpowering the aroma of gardenias scenting her skin.
Watching her stride over to a gray SUV, Stephan felt overwhelmed by her spirit. When she climbed into the driver’s seat of the truck and started it, the sudden blast of loud rock music pained his sensitive ears. Even after she sped away, the radiance of her lifeforce lingered, lighting the balmy summer night.
Dismissing Allison for the time being, Stephan sniffed at the air, detecting nothing but the aromas of nature around him. The target of his revenge was absent from the manor, not that he expected to find him home with the night still young.
He’d come here to see where Lucian of Penwick spent his days hiding from the sun.
A slow smile revealed his fangs as he thought about his plans. He’d set the trap well, leaving enough of a trail to lead Lucian right where he wanted him. Come dawn when he returned to this place, his sanctuary, Stephan would make sure Lucian found no solace here. The things he’d do would haunt the noble warrior for as long as Stephan allowed him to continue to exist.
Turning away from the manor, Stephan moved silently through the trees, heading back to his car, which he’d left down the road. Anticipation rode him as he sped toward the abandoned house he and his men occupied for the past few nights. Always one to enjoy a kill, what would make this one sweeter than the others was what might await him hidden deep within his victim.
Following the signs other vampires ignored, Stephan selected the women he’d collected with great care. Though he had no desire to take the power he sought for himself, he was a man of his word and meant to reward those who served him with the promised prize.
What use did he have for the ability to walk in the sun? He cared not for ultimate power, not when all he wanted was Lucian. Revenge fueled him, burning within as the ages crawled over him, putting him further out of God’s grace with each night that passed.
Once a devout follower of the Lord, he’d planned on giving himself to the church. Lifetimes ago, he blindly believed God protected His children from the demons in the dark. One night of horror proved how wrong he’d been.
The Lord he’d put such faith in abandoned him, leaving him and his family at the mercy of a monster of His own making.
The time was finally upon him to extract his revenge for all that was stolen from him and for what he was forced to become.
His revenge would last for ages.
*
Sebastian kicked Raphael’s door open, the need to beat Rogue near to death riding him hard. Raphael, in the process of undressing, seemed unfazed at the intrusion and merely cocked a brow at Sebastian in question.
“Did you want something?”
Sebastian bared his fangs in a ferocious snarl. “You are such a bloody bastard.”
Raphael had the gall to smile. “Actually, my parents were wed when my father tossed up my mother’s skirts and begat his spawn on the poor woman.”
Sebastian wanted to punch the arrogant prick in the mouth. “You had no rig
ht to interfere in my affairs.”
“And you have no right to be such a brooding bastard. It’s beginning to wear on the rest of us.”
“I don’t brood.”
Raphael turned away from him and stripped off his jeans. He threw them at him, but Sebastian caught them in midair before they hit him full in the face. “Yes, you do, and it’s bloody annoying.”
Sebastian tossed the jeans on the floor. “Stay the hell out of my business, Raphael.”
Naked, Raphael faced him without a hint of shame. “You of all people should know better than to allow emotions to get the better of you. Selena was centuries ago. Move on.”
“This has nothing to do with Selena and everything to do with you sticking your goddamn nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Raphael snorted as he pulled on a pair of sweatpants. “Bugger that, Seb. You stay away from Allie because of what happened to Selena and we all know it. What happened wasn’t your fault. Stop blaming yourself and put it to rest.”
Sebastian backed down when he realized Raphael’s obvious concern for him compelled him to be a meddling bastard. Constantine on the other hand, probably only went along with Raphael for shits and giggles. He’d deal with that asshole later.
“Stay out of things you know nothing about.”
Raphael rolled his eyes. “How is it everyone but Allie knows you keep your distance from her because of your attraction to her?”
Sebastian strode over to Raphael, going nose to nose with him as he let out a feral growl. “I’m warning you only once to stay out of this.”
Turning his back on him, Sebastian stalked from the room, slamming the door behind him. He knew all the warnings in the world weren’t going to keep Rogue from sticking his nose in his business. Nor would it pay to bother with issuing a like warning to Constantine. That ornery bastard did whatever the hell he wanted, all warnings be damned.
Heading into his room, he let out a curse when he caught Allie’s scent lingering on the air. Grabbing a handful of shirt, he sniffed it loudly, letting it go with a muttered curse.
Shit, even I still smell like her.
The scent of her was all over both his room and person.
Raphael was wrong, he didn’t avoid Allie because of what went down with Selena. He put her to rest the moment they put her in the ground. No, he avoided Allie because she made him remember what it was to be alive and that was a torment worthy of the sadistic jailers at Chinon.
Slipping off his family ring, he tossed it on the dresser, wondering why he bothered to keep it. The large ruby winked under the glow of the candles he’d lit earlier. As long as his body bore her scent he’d never get control over the needs thundering threw him. Not that he believed a change of clothes could erase her from his body and mind, but it would help calm him not to be surrounded by her.
Leaving a trail of clothes behind him, Sebastian stripped before quickly replacing them with fresh ones that didn’t carry the scent of gardenias. With a muttered curse, he knew he needed to feed before he became a danger to everyone around him. Grabbing his keys and his baldric, he slammed out of the house with no particular destination in mind. As soon as he hit the warm night air, he thought he sensed the faint scent of vampire. With his senses a mess and still filled with Allie, he passed it off as nothing more than his mind playing tricks on him.
Once in his souped-up black Charger he hauled ass away from Randall Manor, needing to put as much distance between himself and any trace of Allie as possible. Although Sebastian suspected if he traveled clear across the globe it still wouldn’t be enough space between them for him to get a grip on himself.
*
What a way to end a perfectly crappy day.
Allie crawled into bed and hugged her pillow, still unable to believe how her day ended. Jude ending things with her after ten wasted months was nothing more than a forgotten dream after the kiss Sebastian laid on her. A kiss that would have never taken place had Jude not broken things off with her. Talk about perfect timing. Never would she have thought such passion burned beneath Sebastian’s icy surface. Always the epitome of calm, cool, and collected, Sebastian didn’t seem the type to have such fire simmering beneath his surface. Nor would she have suspected his cold lips could melt her with the slightest touch.
With nothing but a kiss, Sebastian of Rydon managed to shake her right down to her soul.
As all the Templars did, Sebastian carried the weight of his sins on his shoulders, allowing them to define his existence. The burden of their sins were heavy, their past as much a part of them as the present.
Unable to grasp what it must be like for them, Allie didn’t even try. Growing up in a vastly different time, she couldn’t comprehend the life they’d led. The events that shaped the Templars as living men influenced who they became in death, which said much for the nobility running strong in each of them. Far from brutal killers, the Templars never veered off the road to redemption. Their oath to God stayed with them every moment of their existence.
Sleep a long way off, Allie’s mind drifted as her body hummed from Sebastian’s touch. Thankfully she’d managed to keep her feelings for Sebastian hidden from Constantine and Raphael. God help her now that her attraction to him was known. Doomed, she wasn’t being overly dramatic by wanting to dig a hole and hide away from them. She knew they were going to torture her and Sebastian mercilessly.
Wayne Arnold, the older brother from The Wonder Years, had nothing on the two of them when together.
Closing her eyes, Allie cuddled into herself. Usually alone was good since it kept her heart safe, yet after Sebastian’s scorching kiss and finding out what it felt like to be in his arms she wished he was here.
After tonight, Allie wondered if she could go on pretending her indifference toward Sebastian. Doubtful, she was a realist with no time for games. She’d played one for five months, the effort exhausting her. Previously she believed only Constantine knew the depth of her feelings for Sebastian. Though it embarrassed her to know her attraction was now public knowledge, she was glad she didn’t have to hold back anymore.
The drawback to being a realist was that she was a firm believer in never fighting for a person’s affection. Her own parents taught her it was a losing battle. Still, she secretly harbored feelings for Sebastian for five torturous months. Learning from five medieval warriors that some battles were worth the fight, she wondered what it would take to chip away the ice Sebastian surrounded himself with to get to the fire beneath it.
With a deviousness that would do Raphael proud, Allie came to the conclusion it was high time the Sage came to learn that sometimes, being burned wasn’t such a bad thing after all.
Chapter Five
The moment Lucian of Penwick entered the old, abandoned house the stench of blood and fear hit him like a brick.
The place, a hellhole in every sense of the word, was littered with mountains of garbage and other debris. Death crept through him, wrapping around his bones. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be pulled down by the weight of it.
The family who once lived here left behind a few pieces of well-worn furniture, remnants of life gone by. From the condition of things—graffiti covered walls, discarded used condoms, empty crack vials and scorched pipes amid the refuge—it was obvious local kids had been using this place for a hangout.
Stepping over the mounds of waste, Lucian went up to second story. The closer he got to one particular bedroom, the stronger the stench of blood and death was.
Blood splattered the floor and smeared the walls of the small bedroom. The sight of all that blood woke the hunger in him. Fighting to keep it under control, Lucian let his gaze cut through the dark, coming to focus on a girl strewn carelessly on a mattress in the center of the room. Nude, her body was a mess of bruises both faded and new. Her body and hair were covered with blood and things he didn’t dare want to know.
Her open eyes stared unseeing at the ceiling. In them was a reflection of the horrors she suffered at the moment
of her death. It was obvious this was no simple feeding, but a gross brutality that had lasted for days.
Knowing she was tortured before her pain finally ended, Lucian remembered well a time long ago when he’d suffered much the same. After enduring three years of imprisonment in Chinon, his slow, burning death had been a welcomed relief.
Little did he know what awaited him beyond death.
Lucian detected the distinctive scent of renegade vampires. The bastards hadn’t even tried to hide their stink. If anything they made damn sure their stink was detectable over the other odors.
Sworn to respect life, Lucian had to do right by the woman.
More over, the circumstances of her death needed to be concealed. No trace of a vampiric killing could be left behind. Whoever did this knew it and counted on her being found and disposed of.
Assailed by the stench of her death when he lifted her from the mattress, he carried her outside.
A gross injustice, the senseless slaughter pained him more than he liked to admit.Placing her body on the ground, he pushed aside the long, leather coat he wore to conceal the Templar sword sheathed at his hip. Pulling the weapon free, he stabbed it into the ground. Gripping the handle, he nestled his hands between the cross pattee pommel and the steel crossbar. He genuflected beside her, suffering the burn in his mouth and throat as he whispered prayers for her.
Though they rolled off the tongue of a vampire, scorching it black with each holy word he spoke, he hoped God would accept these prayers. Someone had to pray for her, even though with no soul she’d be caught between Heaven and earth.
Finishing the Lord’s Prayer, Lucian ignored the blood seeping from his mouth and the awful burning of his tongue. He stood and pulled his sword from the ground. He scanned the area, searching for whatever kindling he could find, and arranged a small funeral pyre around her.
After touching the tips of his fingers to his lips he placed them on her forehead and whispered a plea for forgiveness. Rising, he pulled a Zippo lighter from his pocket and lit the debris. He lingered long enough to watch the girl’s body begin to burn.
