Beyond the Grave

by Lina Gardiner

  Suddenly, he pulled away. She moaned a protest, but he hushed her. “We need to get this dress off you. Lift your hips, baby."

  She complied, and he pulled the silk free, tossing it aside.

  "God, Jess. You're beautiful. So beautiful."

  "I'd return the compliment, but you're still dressed,” she complained.

  He took the hint, stripping off the last of his clothing. “Better?"

  Dear God, he was gorgeous. Broad shoulders, muscled abs, lean hips, powerful thighs, and more, so much more! She smiled. “Much better."

  Then he was with her again, on her, pressing her into the mattress with his weight.

  Jess felt like she'd died again, only this time she'd been given the gift of light. His light, his love. His proficiency made her body sing, made her scream with a sense of pleasure so profound it rocked her. Made her feel as if she were truly alive. Even at that moment when she lost her virginity to him, there was brief pain, then pleasure like she'd never experienced in her dark life.

  That was the best gift, his ability to fill her heart and make it burst with emotion. At least that's what she thought until he fitted himself inside her with such sweet urgency that she found herself responding heart and soul. With his body, his words, and his mouth, he drove her higher and higher until she shattered. When he followed, she clasped his trembling body. As the last tremors of ecstasy faded, tears stung her eyes. She felt whole, or as close to it as she could remember being.

  He'd given her a gift of humanity, a gift that no other man would ever be capable of giving. She could no longer deny that she loved him, heart and partial soul. Her breathing hitched and she snuggled tighter against him.

  After lying in each other's arms for what felt like a perfect slice in time, Jess smiled and brushed her cheek against the coarse contours of his chest. “I'm sorry I've been putting you through hell, Britt. I'm confused myself. When we nearly made love the last time, I was afraid."

  He laughed softly and nipped at her ear. “Nothing scares you, lady,” he said.

  "I'm not kidding. I thought our growing intimacy caused me to faint. To lose some of my vampire abilities."

  He stopped nuzzling her neck and lifted his head, concern lining his features. “Why would you think that?"

  "What if our physical connection really did instigate another element of my humanity? At the same time, it could have taken away some of my vampire abilities. Or at least alter them to the point that my physiology is out of kilter. My problems started right after I had that dream, in your bed, just before we..."

  A look of terror crossed his face. “But why didn't this happen the last time you got close to someone?"

  She looked away for a moment. “This was my first time, Britt."

  "Ever!"

  She nodded and Britt sucked in a shocked breath. “I had no idea. You gave me no indication...” Fifty years as a vampire and she'd never formed a relationship with anyone else? Not even James? He'd always assumed that she'd bitten James during sex. In fact, Britt had been harboring a spark of jealousy toward James since he'd met him.

  "God, Jess, did I hurt you?"

  She laughed at him. “Not likely. I may be a woman, but I'm also a vampire. I'm not that fragile anymore."

  Suddenly, the implications of what she'd risked by having sex with him began to seep into every crevice of his brain. “Are you saying having sex with me might help you become human again?"

  "She nodded. “That's an oversimplified version of what I think might be happening, but yes."

  "But that's great!” Even before he'd said the words, he knew there was something wrong. Somehow the implications were a lot more exciting for him and a lot less exciting for Jess. “Would it be such a bad thing to regain your humanity?"

  She stilled beneath him, and he felt the barrier go up between them again.

  "I'm not sure what I want. I've been this way for nearly a whole lifetime. I've tried to use my curse for the betterment of people. This has become the essence of who I am.” She lowered her head, as if ashamed. “I know it sounds crazy, Britt. You must think I'm a monster to even consider remaining a vampire given a choice to become human again. I'm not sure I even understand it myself."

  Vampire or not, her inner beauty was undeniable. She didn't need humanity to recover that.

  Then his blood ran cold as reality sank in. What if being intimate really could take away something she didn't want to lose? If loving her could alter her abilities, they might never be able to have this kind of closeness again.

  He clenched his fists. “You shouldn't have let me do this to you before telling me what might happen, Jess. I had every right to know how it could affect you. What it would cost you."

  A tear came out of the corner of her eye and rolled down her cheek. She appeared shocked at the tear and reached up to touch it with her index finger.

  She'd been a vampire for too long. It had become part of who she was. Now he understood why Regent had gone out of his way earlier to point that out to him that Jess might never be able to change.

  One thing he knew, he loved Jess. Vampire or human. But would she still love him if he had ripped away the essence of her? The dark side that she'd shaped into a weapon to save humans against her own kind. She'd turned her darkness into something good.

  Then his brain latched onto something else that Regent had probably already considered. Something he doubted very much that Jess had thought of. She'd be weak as a human. His muscles clenched involuntarily.

  And she'd still be a target!

  Now he realized why she had to remain a vampire. She wouldn't last a day as a human. She'd be under attack by every vampire in New York City and she'd have no extraordinary means to protect herself.

  * * * *

  Jess fought back a sob. Britt must think her emotionally unstable, not to mention that he was livid that she hadn't confided her fears to him about their intimacy. She couldn't blame him.

  What if their one amazing encounter had changed her physically? Had initiated something inside her to become human again. After all, she was already half-way there with the help of Regent's prayers, what would it take to tip the scales toward humanity, if it was at all possible?

  But, she couldn't go back to being a frail human. She'd done too many dark things. She also believed she'd been given a gift, a partial reprieve from total darkness. What if it wasn't a mistake that she'd been allowed to become the hunter who could fight her own kind? Giving that up, might be a worse offense against her gift.

  It wasn't like her to do something without considering the repercussions first. Namely, how Britt would feel about her self-doubts. She didn't want to hurt him. She wanted to experience every moment of her dark life over again—with him by her side. He made everything clear. Gave her an even stronger reason to do what she did. For love.

  One thing about John, he might want her physically, but he'd probably been repulsed by her statement. Maybe that was a good thing, because now that she'd experienced being loved, it would be very difficult to give it up.

  * * * *

  Drago slammed into his office and picked up his phone. “Get Mannie in here. Pronto!"

  The voice at the other end of the line began stuttering in panic.

  "Spit it out. Where the hell is Mannie?"

  "He left a half hour ago, sir. Said he was taking a break."

  "A break? Mannie doesn't take breaks.” Drago leaned forward and scowled at the phone like it had become a piece of slime in his hand.

  "I'll try to find him, sir."

  "Do that! And hurry!"

  The idiot was so unnerved he didn't even bother to hang up the phone. He just dropped it and ran off; the crash nearly broke Drago's eardrum. He cursed violently, and slammed the phone down.

  Fuming by the time the knock came on his door, he yelled, “Get your ass in here, Mannie."

  Mannie stepped inside the office, not a whisper of regret on his face.

  Drago, had never noticed that
about Mannie before. All the rest of his employees were afraid of him. Why the hell wasn't Mannie? Maybe he'd never been afraid.

  "Where have you been?"

  "Took a break. Needed some air,” Mannie said, lounging against the padded leather wall, his muscled arms crossed casually in front of him.

  None of his employees spoke to him like that. But then, none of his employees were aware of his darkest secrets either. Mannie, on the other hand, knew too much and that gave him leverage. Up to now, Mannie had never used any of his knowledge against Drago. That thought suddenly made Drago suspicious and a little worried. After all, he hadn't gotten this far by being stupid. He narrowed his eyes and studied Mannie's body language. Yeah, something had changed. He'd better watch his step. Mannie knew where the bodies were buried—literally as well as figuratively.

  "Mannie. I have a very important job for you."

  "Yeah? What's that?"

  "I need you to take care of a big problem. I have a contract on Captain Jess Vandermire, and I can't get her here alone. She's always with someone else. Lately it's been John Brittain. I need him to be taken out of the picture—permanently."

  Mannie straightened to his full height, which was an impressive six foot four of lean, mean thug. He'd had a tough life, and looked more like a muscled pirate complete with tattoos on his arms, head, neck and torso. His arms were as thick as most men's legs and he rarely flinched when he was asked to kill.

  Tonight he blinked. He actually blinked! Drago sucked in a breath. What in blazes did that mean?

  "John Brittain? Cop? How much are you paying for this job?"

  Drago let out a long breath. He needed to think long and hard about the impact of his answer. Mannie knew his frailties. Knew this contract for Jess was the biggest he'd ever weaseled out of anyone. Ten million dollars. Drago practically slavered just thinking about it.

  Mannie wouldn't do this job for a song, especially knowing Drago would get the lion's share of the profits. And, after all, Mannie did the dirty work. Maybe it was time he stopped taking Mannie for granted and let him in on a little more of the profit. Maybe even tell him how he managed to control people's minds. Maybe.

  Drago looked into Mannie's eyes. The eyes of a killer. “I think it's time you and I sat down and talked. It's time you earn a bigger piece of the pie and more status in the business."

  Mannie's expression didn't change. Had he really expected it to?

  When Mannie didn't speak, Drago said, “First thing I want to tell you is that Jess Vandermire is a vampire. I've never successfully indoctrinated a vampire for a full forty-eight hours. If I can do it, she's worth a veritable fortune."

  "That's why you want Brittain out of the picture?"

  Why wasn't Mannie surprised by the news that Jess was a vampire? On the other hand, Mannie had been handling his problems with vampires for many years. He could probably spot them better than Drago could himself.

  "Yeah, Brittain is a pain in the ass, and he's way too suspicious. Even if Vandermire is playing me, once I get her alone, I can make her forget everything."

  Mannie stared at Drago with eyes slightly narrowed, and his lips pursed. “Do you think you can work your magic on Capt. Vandermire?"

  Drago hesitated. “I'm not sure how long it'll last, but I sure as hell intend to do everything in my power to make that happen. My client is very anxious that we pull this off."

  "I'll take care of Brittain.” Mannie turned and left the office without a backward glance. Drago shook his head, satisfied that he'd finally be able to make his next attempt at Jess. He'd been able to touch her hand several times tonight. The compound would be working its way into her system soon, and he'd be able to make a connection with her mind. The last time, he'd lost control and she'd ended up nearly jumping off a bridge. That was bad. He wanted her body in very good shape for his client.

  He'd have to get closer to her this time, make sure his connection was stronger.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Britt entered his building with coffee and a croissant in hand. He was starving. He climbed the stairs to his apartment, barely paying attention to his surroundings.

  Besides experiencing the best sex he'd ever had, and wanting to experience it again soon, he had to think about Jess's perspective. What if she was right? What if he could help revive her human self? If prayers could affect her, why couldn't love? But having sex with him without telling him what it might do to her, and how it might affect her? That was unfair. He cared too much about her to be responsible for something she didn't want.

  He sighed when he reached his landing. It was shabby, and when he entered his apartment, he realized it was dim and dismal. Now that he was making more money, he could move to a better neighborhood. Get a nicer place.

  Problem was he liked his neighbors. They were good people. And they put up with his strange hours and visitors in the night who, more often than not, entered his apartment via his third floor balcony.

  If any of them saw shadowy forms entering his place through the patio door, no one ever said a word. He smiled.

  An empty feeling filled his chest. He couldn't imagine existing without the knowledge that vampires existed. That Jess Vandermire existed. He looked at his watch. Even though the sun wouldn't be up for another couple of hours, Jess had left. When he looked at the rumpled bed sheets he couldn't stop thinking about her.

  In an attempt to take his mind off his predicament, he flipped on the television, keeping the sound low. The neighbor below had twins. If he woke them up, there'd be hell to pay. He grinned. The two little red-headed boys were as cute as buttons, but they could wear their poor mom down. She definitely needed her sleep.

  Before he had a chance to extricate his early breakfast from the bag, the lights flickered and went out. It wasn't normal to lose power unless a rainstorm blew in and the underground wires shorted out, so he got up and made his way to the patio door. The only building without power was his. His cop instincts kicked instantly into high gear.

  Something rustled above his balcony and Britt grabbed for his stake.

  The next thing he heard was a thud, followed by the groaning of metal as his balcony stressed under the weight of the tall figure that'd landed there. Shadowy, and impossible to make out, Britt's muscles tightened. If the silhouette on the balcony was a vampire, things were going from bad to worse. This definitely wasn't a friendly visit from anyone he knew.

  "May I help you?” he said to the unknown vampire, trying to throw him off by speaking to him through the glass.

  "Yes. Die!"

  The leviathan smashed through Britt's patio doors with such force the glass flew at Britt causing tiny cuts on his arms and face. Cheap landlord didn't buy safety glass, Britt thought in the millisecond he had before his patio door exploded.

  Inside now, the monster inhaled the scent of Britt's blood. Even in shadow, Britt saw a smile on the bastard's face. Long teeth bared into a sneer as a low growl permeated the room. Felt like it rattled his bones. For a minute Britt was stunned by the momentum of this guy's resonating voice.

  The vampire stood a foot taller than Britt and he was massive in muscle structure as well as bone structure. He wore leather pants, and vest, leaving his brutish arms bare and littered with tattoos.

  As ominous as his body structure was, his face struck dread in Britt's mid-section. High arching brows over burning black irises that should have belonged to the hounds of hell, glared at him with the vilest of intent.

  His fangs, long and curved, hyperextended into the foulest, most evil grin Britt had ever experienced. It made him cold. It made him truly afraid for a second. Then the will to survive kicked in.

  With stake in hand, Britt hit the button to extend its length. The apartment wasn't in total darkness since lights from the building across the street caused pockets of illumination and shadows. Britt blessed some of the shadow. He had the feeling if he truly saw this vampire in the light, he might be un
done.

  "You don't really think you'll get a chance to use that against me, do you?” The voice vibrated through him again. Almost like Jess could do, but with much more force and animosity.

  "Why not, you wouldn't be the first vampire I've taken out."

  The vampire laughed. His voice as dank and soulless as any Britt had ever heard. “I'd be the first Vampire you've met who has my abilities. Do you have any idea how many humans I've killed just for fun?” He made a fist and twisted it quickly sideways. “Human's necks are very weak, they snap like brittle chalk. Hardly a challenge at all."

  Britt cringed involuntarily. Damn, he didn't have the strength to fight this massive vampire. No sense even trying to delude himself. He was screwed. Still, just in case the guy was lying about his prowess he couldn't let him psyche him out either.

  "There's always a first time,” Britt forced confidence into his voice.

  "Not likely."

  "I didn't invite you in,” Britt said randomly.

  "The vampire laughed as a slice of illumination from outside flashed across his ugly face. “This isn't a movie. This is reality, human."

  Britt shrugged, continuing to back up. The vampire's eye teeth reminded him of a croc he'd seen at a zoo once. Big and scary.

  "Why do you want to kill me?"

  "You're inquisitive for someone who's about to die a very painful death.” The vampire's voice changed. The air between them thickened, and Britt felt the floor turn to jelly underneath him.

  He shook his head to stave off whatever this vampire was doing to him. Bracing one hand against the wall for support, he twisted the stake in the air to catch a shaft of light. Silver glinted and reflected toward the monster.

  The vampire hissed and turned his face away from the light, but only for a second. When he turned back, he let the sliver of light burn a scar up the side of his face while he laughed. “Your little parlor tricks bore me, human. Surely you don't think a little burn from silver shining off a beam of light could slow me down for even a second?"

  But it had. That thought gave Britt hope. This beast wasn't as unconquerable as he wanted Britt to believe. But he was very tall, and therefore very strong, Britt had no intention of underestimating him.