To Have and to Trust (Heart of a Highlander Collection Book 1)

by Allie Palomino

  “Well, Eleina. May we begin now?”

  “Sure,” she said, standing up.

  She took her book bag and walked with him towards the back of the library where their books were located. She was dressed in jeans and a snug black V-neck sweater.

  He admired her from behind as he had every night. Her silky hair was up, but he could still see the light catching and playing on the different hues. It was glorious and he wanted to run his hands through it. Or, he thought lustfully, have her hair spread over his abs during another activity.

  Looking more closely at the back of her neck, his eyes widened and narrowed. Was that…? No. No!

  But it was. Damn Sarai to the Underealm!

  As if feeling his heated gaze on her, she turned around with a puzzled look on her face but Xander had slid his eyes away from her neck, away from her body.

  Anger. Fury. They churned in Xander. Rolled, swooshed, tumbled, tore, consumed. Clawed.

  He heard people groan as the lights fluctuated. Xander steadied his breathing.

  “Thank God,” Ellie breathed, when the lights stayed on.

  As was the routine for the last week, she pointed out books and he took them down. Once at the table, it was business as usual, which frustrated the hell out of Xander. Ellie protected her life story much like an oyster did its pearl. The desire to stay here and speak to the beautiful enigma was as great as the desire to wring Sarai’s fucking, lying neck. He tried to focus on Eleina, who sat in front of him. Was she angry too? At him?

  “So in this book, the author argues that vampires existed. He researched death incident reports and-”

  “Eleina?”

  “Why do you keep calling me Eleina?” she asked, locking her gaze with his.

  He felt lust surge within him as he studied her. “Because Ellie doesn’t do justice to a name as beautiful as Eleina.”

  She blushed and tried to continue what she’d been saying.

  “Ok. So, you see, the author-”

  “I feel as though you’re angry with me.”

  It was the truth, although it was a small amount of anger he sensed coming from her. He felt, more than anything, feelings of warmth towards him, and a small amount of relief. He supposed the relief was there because he’d gotten Richard Pratt off her back. And as far as the warmth, with it, he felt feelings of pride. In him?

  “Only a little. Why didn’t you tell me about you- I mean, who you were?”

  “Well, I felt that if I wasn’t on the receiving end of an information exchange, then perhaps it was better that I not be on the giving end, either.”

  There it was again- the sadness.

  “I’m sorry, Xander. I don’t know you that well yet, and I don’t like talking about myself. Besides, this is strictly a working relationship. We’re mutually benefiting.”

  She needed to speak for herself. Frankly, he wanted more than a working relationship. Well…maybe not. A working relationship in his bed would be nice.

  He found himself explaining, though he didn’t know why he cared. “Eleina, I don’t like people knowing who I am. I like to be myself. My corporation has been in the family for a long time. When people hear my name, they associate it with wealth, and I don’t like it. Can you understand?”

  Surprisingly, he articulated how he’d been feeling rather well. He’d had these feelings since the inception of his business, in the mid 1800’s. That’s what had made him wary of others, even his own kind, and more so with humans. As soon as his name came out of his lips, they were all over him. And that, to him, was a huge turn-off. He hated gold-diggers.

  Xander looked at Ellie, one of the only women he’d met who’d not associated the famous corporation with himself, and that said a lot, at least it did to him. The corporation had been the last thing he and his father had done together, before his father was murdered.

  “I can’t believe I didn’t associate the last name. Reihn isn’t all that common,” she said.

  “It’s not a big deal, Eleina.”

  “Yes, it is. The Reihn Corporation is a great company. It employs thousands of people all over the world and is known for generous donations and humanitarian work. Very philanthropic.”

  They way she made the corporation sound made him feel ill at ease. Yes, there had been a time when he wanted to do better for himself, his people, and the world. The world was growing more violent with each century, though, and he’d learned to bury those altruistic feelings- especially now that he didn’t have his father to guide him and the corporation, not only in the business sense, but in a moral one as well.

  He was jaded and alone. He had his princes, who were more like brothers, but he wanted his mate. He’d earned his mate. Damn the FATES…because now, he was attracted to this half-bred Vampisapien, and the thought was just unsettling.

  “It’s not so great, Eleina,” he said, and was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The thought of her feeling proud of him made him feel good but also made him uneasy. He didn’t want her putting him on a pedestal only to have it knocked over later when he would tell her the truth about herself and him. He turned off his receptor to her emotions.

  “Why are you, a successful and wealthy CEO, researching and writing a book on vampires, then?”

  Think fast.

  “Actually, I saw a documentary on television that contradicted some of the stuff I thought I knew about vampires. I became interested, and the more I dug, the more I thought that perhaps there would be others who would be surprised, as well.”

  She raised an eyebrow, but nodded, accepting his lie.

  Xander rose and sat next to her. He noticed Ellie became uneasy with his nearness. “About the books, what else do you recommend?” he asked her, moving his head nearer to hers.

  “Well, I…ahhh…”

  “Just relax,” he said in a soft voice, filled with command.

  “I don’t think this is wise,” she whispered when he drew nearer. She was able to fight the command in his voice, which proved that she wasn’t just human.

  “Xander,” she said in a pleading voice.

  The pleasure of his name on her lips ran through his system, causing a euphoria that made him want to roar. She calmed the restlessness in him. She tamed the beast that had been raging within him for centuries.

  The caged beast that roared for its nadima.

  “Let go,” he said gently, touching his lips to hers.

  The kiss sizzled like sudden heat between them. Ellie felt electricity shoot through her body. It was a rush so incredible, she moaned. Goose pimples covered her skin.

  Xander’s blood sang through his veins. It was as if his body, and every organ within it, surged to life. Great effort was exerted by him to prevent his incisors from lengthening. He heard her blood move through her veins, felt its heat, her heat. Xander was getting harder by the minute. More importantly, the raging, restless beast within him was calming, but awakening within him in a different way. It was making him feel alive for the first time in centuries.

  Xander pulled back a little and their lips were barely touching. It was an intimate position, looking into each other’s eyes. It was raw, personal, and moving.

  Xander tried to keep his eyes from glowing in pleasure. He brought his finger up and gave her a small, private grin. He passed his finger down her face and said, “You are so beautiful…and sweet. So sweet…”

  Ellie moved back in a sudden jerk with a look of horror on her face. Her turbulent emotions bombarded him and he fought hard to temper them down. Clenching the table violently, he nearly broke it, unable to shut her out. Xander’s head was beginning to feel as if an ax was slicing it in half.

  Her emotions…all of them…were overwhelming.

  It was the first time in his life that he fought this hard to close himself. His fists were hard, tight. He ached to slam them on the table, needing an outlet for the explosive emotions.

  Fear. Fear so grave it caused her heart palpitations.

  Horror. Desperation. An
ger.

  Ellie fought for control of her emotions as she quickly stood up. She hastily picked up her backpack and looked at him through tearful blue eyes.

  “I think it’s best that you and I discontinue these sessions. I appreciated all of your help,” she stopped when her voice faltered. “I’ll let Pratt know not to expect that check.” Turning to leave, she jerked her hand away when he grabbed it.

  It was difficult to think, to focus, because the waves of emotions swamped him, bringing him down to a dysfunctional level. If he’d been standing, her intense emotions would have brought him to his knees.

  “No, wait, Eleina. I’m sorry,” he said tightly, blinking at the overhead lights, which hadn’t bothered him before now.

  “I can’t, Xander,” she whispered. “I just can’t, I’m sorry. You’ll have to seek out someone else to help you.”

  She turned and walked away.

  She left him staring after her.

  She left him fighting back the waves of nausea she herself was fighting.

  Arriving home, Xander went to his bathroom and tried to control the rage coiling within him. He leaned down, and gripped his sink vanity with both hands. His muscles flexed as they seized with tension.

  His memory flashed back to Eleina as he’d walked behind her at the library. Centered on the back of her neck, was a birthmark- a crescent with the mouth facing upwards. On the right peak, were three dots in the form of an inverted triangle.

  Xander, too, had a birthmark on the back of his neck, but he’d solidified it further by getting it tattooed. Similar to Eleina’s, it was a crescent with the mouth facing upwards, only his had three triangular dots on the left peak, right side up.

  He’d been lied to. His jaw clenched.

  His was the mark of the Vampirian King.

  And hers was the mark of the Vampisapien Queen.

  Shooting down the stairs into his living room, he yelled.

  “Sarai!” he roared.

  Silence.

  “Sarai!” he bellowed angrily, looking up.

  He felt the air around him electrify before she appeared. Dressed in all white, her violet eyes glittered at him.

  “What is this behavior, Xander? This is not Bewitched. You are not Samantha and I am not Dr. Bombay. I am not to be summoned.” She threw her head upwards in challenge. “What is the meaning of this, King?”

  “Why did you not tell me about her!” he roared furiously. His eyes were no longer aqua. They blazed red.

  Wow, he was really angry, she thought.

  “Is she here?” Sarai asked, looking around.

  “No!”

  “Shucks,” she said, snapping her fingers dramatically.

  “Talk. Now.”

  Her eyes glowed red. “Watch yourself, King.”

  His wasn’t backing down. When he spoke, his voice was octaves lower and his accent thick. “Why didn’t you tell me she was the Vampisapien Queen?”

  She tented her fingers together and brought them up to her mouth. “So you’ve found out.”

  “Yea. It’s not hard to miss that birthmark, Sarai.”

  “You’re quick,” she said, smiling.

  “I’d wipe that smile off your face.”

  Her eyes blazed red and remained red. “Try it. You forget your place, King.”

  “Sarai, I’ve no patience for this shit, damn it! You should have told me. You lied!”

  “Why is it so important? Obviously I didn’t think it was, or I would’ve told you. And it wasn’t a lie, I just didn’t tell you the whole shebang.”

  He continued to glare at her. “Commission, omission, it’s the same shit. Find another to protect her. I won’t do it.”

  “That’s not an option, Xander, there's no one else. She is Queen and she needs protection. If her own brethren find out about her, it’s over- she’s dead. Do you think those princes will allow a female to lead them? Each one of those houses wants to head the Vampisapien race. The princes are power-hungry. Let’s not even talk about Rjordin and his cast of misfits. We do not believe that anyone except for you and yours, can protect her. It is only right that the Vampirian King help the Vampisapien Queen.”

  He pumped his fists in anger as he focused eyes on her that were full of questions. “How is it that she is Queen? I thought the Vampisapien royal line died with Anneigh’s children. Aren’t Eleina and I distant cousins?”

  Sarai laughed though sorrow was in her eyes. “No, you are not distant cousins; the royal lineage, after Anneigh and I, grew more distant with each passing generation mingling with other bloodlines- and humans.” She shuddered. “It was difficult to track everything during the wars. The Vampisapien royal bloodline was not extinguished. One of Anneigh’s adult children survived, as one of mine did, not for very long, albeit. Eleina’s mother, Veronesia, was a descendant, lost to us until Erielle saw her. Veronesia was born with the mark, and yes, she was the last of the royal bloodline- until Eleina.”

  “Why hadn’t her mother told her about being Vampisapien?”

  “Eleina’s father is Vampirian and Anneigh asked him to help Veronesia through conversion. He and the mother fell in love, but after her conversion, things changed. The relationship grew tumultuous. The mother couldn’t accept what she was. She left him while she was ambrasant with Eleina.”

  “And he didn’t force her to come back to him? They had a child together, so she was his mate.”

  “He never knew about Eleina.”

  “What? She didn’t tell him? Why didn’t he fight for her?”

  Sarai’s eyes grew sad, an unusual emotion to see in those pale violet eyes that usually blazed with mirth and mischief.

  “I don’t know. That is for him to tell. Just protect her, Xander- she’s Anneigh’s only hope.”

  He pursed his lips, and his nostrils flared.

  “Right. Then I have to find my elusive mate, fuck her until she’s dizzy, and have a child to save our race. Fine. Goodbye, Sarai,” he said dismissively.

  “Things aren’t always as they seem. Make the best of it.”

  “Good. Bye. Sarai.”

  She dematerialized without another word.

  Xander groaned and clenched his jaw. What was it that humans said? No good deed ever went unpunished?

  Eleina was the fucking Vampisapien Queen, and by protecting her, he was inviting more of the wrath from the other two races.

  Just fucking great. Was anything ever easy?