The Return of Jonas (Pearl Vampire Chronicles #4)

by Nelson, Dara

  The Return of Jonas

  Pearl Vampire Chronicles #4

  By

  Dara J. Nelson

  Acknowledgements

  A huge thank you to my readers – none of this would be possible without your love and support.

  To Dad – thank you for giving me my endless imagination and gift for prose. To Mom – for giving me my ability to love all completely, Sarah’s huge heart comes from her. And to TG – editor extraordinaire – your guidance and feedback has helped me in so many ways – I owe you more than a dinner now.

  Also by the author:

  The Link – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #1

  The Recruiters – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #2

  Malina’s Revenge – Pearl Vampire Chronicles #3

  The Return of Jonas

  Pearl Vampire Chronicles #4

  By

  Dara J. Nelson

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  Caution – Contains some adult subject matter. May not be suitable for younger readers. Parental discretion is advised.

  The Return of Jonas. © Copyright 2011 by Dara J Nelson. All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10: 1-610-61090-2

  EAN-13: 978-1-61061-090-2

  Prologue

  Matt was passionately kissing my neck – something that usually makes me oblivious to anything but him – when I first heard it. ‘Sarah’ the faint gasp said in my head. It was so faint that I couldn’t recognize the voice. I leaned back and looked at Matt.

  “Did you hear that?” I said.

  He grinned. “What? Hear you moan? Yes I did,” then he leaned in and started kissing me again.

  ‘Sar….’ this one choked off and I gasped.

  “Stop!” I said.

  Matt looked at me. “What’s wrong?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “Link with me, quick. Somebody’s in trouble but I can’t tell who it is.” Most vampires have the ability to link minds and pass thoughts and images to other vampires. I felt Matt in my head as his mind joined with mine. I squeezed my hand in his and tried to will whoever it was back. Suddenly brief images flashed in our heads. Whoever it was must be on a ship as I saw the steel room they were in and the door in front of them. From the angle they were at, they must be lying on the floor. Suddenly the door burst open and in walked an angry-looking man, dressed all in black, carrying a machine gun and shouting something I couldn’t understand. He walked over and I watched in horror as the butt of the gun came down on the person’s head, then the image went black. “No!” I gasped. I kept my focus on the image, even though all that I saw now was blackness

  “Come on,” I whispered. “Come back.”

  From next to me Matt whispered, “That’s got to be a cargo ship near Africa. That had to be a pirate.”

  We waited for what seemed forever. Slowly a few blurry images began forming, the room started to come into focus again. The view started to move from the walls to the floor as whoever it was tried to get onto their hands and knees. I felt my own body move as I tried to send them the strength to stand up – even though that wasn’t possible.

  I didn’t even know who this person was, but I desperately wanted to help them. I saw the floor move as they shook and swayed. My God, they were so weak. Ever so slowly, one hand moved forward a few inches, then the other as they tried to crawl toward the wall. They made it a few feet then collapsed onto the floor for a few minutes.

  ‘You can do this,’ Matt thought.

  ‘Come on, please get up,’ I thought. Now we were both concerned and trying to help them. Our encouragement in this stranger’s mind seemed to help a bit as the room moved a bit almost like they were nodding in agreement to our words. They struggled back to their hands and knees.

  ‘That’s it, keep going,’ I thought as they slowly moved forward again, finally reaching the wall. One hand came up to the wall and then the other. We could hear them grimacing as they tried to stand, failing the first three times. Finally they made it, and stood gasping, their head resting against the wall. They reached and grabbed something off the wall and brought it down in front of them. It looked like some sort of frame. A picture? No, not a picture.

  “It’s a mirror,” I whispered. Their legs gave out and they sank back to the floor, the mirror coming to a rest upside down in their lap. All three of us heard the first explosion just as the mirror began to come around. Boom, boom, boom, the rhythmic explosions moved closer as the charges that the pirates must have set began to go off. The mirror came around and I saw who it was right before the explosion blew the wall out next to him, throwing him into the far wall as the water began rushing in and the ship quickly started to sink. I didn’t scream, I didn’t utter a sound.

  I could hear Matt next to me saying, “Oh my God, no. Oh shit, it can’t be,” as I just clung to him and his mind, willing it to stay.

  ‘Sarah, help me’ he gasped.

  As the image inevitably began to fade in my head, I felt the panic and thought, ‘Please don’t go.’ Just before he lost consciousness again, as strongly as I could, I thought, ‘We’re coming, Carlos.’

  My mind refused to believe that it had just seen our best friend – my best friend since I had met Matt, Matt’s best friend for over a hundred years – blown out of the side of a ship and into the deep black waters of the sea.

  Chapter One

  One year earlier

  Carlos stayed with us for the rest of the week on the island (my island, I thought smiling as I reminded myself, the island that Matt had purchased and given to me for my birthday), until it was time for my sisters to leave. We were taking a long overdue vacation after everything that had happened and it felt so good to relax – and it was the first time that I had seen my three human sisters since I had been turned – and the first time that I told them that we were all vampires, including Carlos who they all had crushes on (who didn’t – even I had to deal with some demons when it came to how I felt around Carlos). We had more fun than anyone had the right to have. Even though it was the first time that I had seen my sisters since becoming a vampire. It took a little time and a lot of questions but they soon knew that I was still me, even though my diet had changed and my future, well, my future was endless. My face constantly hurt from all of us laughing so much.

  They were all packed and we were dreading our goodbyes when I heard the buzz of the seaplane as it approached from the distance. Carlos was going to escort them back to Miami, to the airport, where they would wait for their flights and then he would go his own way, not returning to the fortress (the home in Peru that he shared with us and about a hundred other vampires) until he was ready, he said. I knew where he was coming from – when Matt had been kidnapped recently and his death faked to make me believe he was truly gone – well, the intense friendship that Carlos and I have shared since the day we met came dangerously close to morphing into something more. And even though Matt had escaped and returned to me before anything had happened, the feelings that Carlos and I shared, the incredible attraction each other, was taking its sweet time going away.

  Matt and I were going to remain on the island for another week – a little much-needed alone time for us – before heading back to Peru. The plane landed and the pilot tied to the dock, waiting for Carlos and my three sisters to board.

  We were all still in the house.

  “Honey,” I said to Matt but with my eyes locked on Carlos, “can you take the girls
down to the dock, please? I need a minute here.”

  I felt Matt’s eyes on me. Sorry, honey, but this is something I have to do, I thought to myself. I had no intention of ever cheating on Matt – I completely adore my husband and want him with every ounce of my being – well, almost every ounce. Apparently there’s a disturbed part of me who wanted to throw down with his best friend, my best friend, the man who could make me laugh when the world was crashing down around me, who saved my ass on numerous occasions, the one who understood me, but who was also a complete slut with women, totally selfish and would break my heart – seriously, how fucked up was I to be playing with fire like this? Can you say ‘pyromaniac?’

  Matt bent down and picked up two of the bags. “Sure thing, Sarah. Come on ladies. Let’s get you on the plane.”

  “We’ll be down in a minute,” I said to Cindy who was staring at me as she hesitated. She knew me better than the other two did and she had commented on the attraction she could see that Carlos and I had for each other. She had even said that it was so strong that she was amazed that we hadn’t acted on it yet.

  Finally she nodded then turned and followed the others out the door. I felt Carlos’ hand in mine as I watched them and I turned and wrapped my arms around him, holding him as tight as I could. “Tell me you’ll come back,” I whispered. “Even if you don’t mean it, just tell me you’ll come back.”

  I felt him take a deep breath, then his fingers tilted my chin up and his eyes met mine. “Of course I’ll be back, Sarah. No matter what happens, I could never stay away from you two forever.” He kissed my cheek and this time it was me who moved my mouth around to meet his. Unlike the time that he and I had been thrown together in a tiny, confining space – a space that forced us into a tight embrace as we tried to keep silent – and which got him so worked up that that he couldn’t stop himself from kissing me, which then turned into petting and ended with him dry-humping me before I got pissed and walked out. This time I definitely wasn’t pissed, I wanted it this time. My kiss began tenderly at first then harder, more urgent. My mouth opened, my tongue found his, my body pressed into his, my fingers weaved into his hair. I wanted him so much that it hurt. I ached for him. I wasn’t the strong one this time. I could only hope that he was. A small sob escaped from my chest and he pulled away and pressed his forehead onto mine. Both of us were gasping.

  “Come back to me, Carlos. Please come back to me. Soon. I can’t do this without you.”

  “I promise I won’t be gone too long, Sarah,” he finally said.

  “You better not be, or I will come and find you. I know that things are messed up and weird right now. But we have to figure out how to deal with it together, not apart. Please?” I said, smiling weakly.

  “I know, Sarah. And we will. I just need a little time, that’s all. A little time will make this pain tolerable. Right now it’s unbearable. Right now the ache I feel for what might have been is killing me. I’ll come back when I can think about you without getting hard,” he smirked.

  “Oh shit, then I’ll see you, ummm, never,” I joked.

  He smiled sadly. “God, why didn’t I take advantage of you when you were in a coma? Why did I suddenly have to develop a set of scruples and respect you enough to not touch you? I really do love you, kiddo,” he whispered.

  “I know and I love you too,” I said.

  We turned and walked arm-in-arm out to the dock. I hugged my sisters, telling them I’d bring Matt out to our family cabin soon then they climbed onto the plane. I held tight to Matt’s hand and wrapped my arm around Carlos, burying my head in his chest and not even trying to suppress the sobs that escaped me. I barely heard Matt say, “Good luck out there,” to Carlos, and the meaning of it definitely didn’t register, at least not right now. This weirdness between me and Carlos was something that was just between us. Matt didn’t know what was going on, or so I thought.

  “Thanks, man,” Carlos replied, then he kissed my forehead and said, “I’ll be back, I promise.”

  I managed to nod then I released my arm from Carlos and wrapped it as tight as I could around Matthew, burying my head in his chest. This I couldn’t possibly watch. I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard the doors on the plane shut and heard the propeller spin faster. I felt the waves as it turned in the water. We didn’t move or speak until long after we couldn’t hear the plane’s engine anymore. He just did exactly what I needed him to do. I knew he would. He always does. He held me tight and waited. I finally did the only thing I could do, the only thing I wanted to do, the only thing that felt right. I turned and stared into his eyes, filling myself with the love that poured out of them. Then I leaned in and kissed him, tenderly at first, then more urgently. Not the same urgency of farewell that I felt when I kissed Carlos, but with the urgency of something that I wouldn’t survive unless I did this. I wanted him, now. I had to have him, now. I needed him, now. And I would cease to exist if this didn’t happen right now. He followed my lead, tentative at first, not sure if this was what I really wanted, then his own urgency took over. I jumped up and wrapped my legs around his waist as his hands found my lower back and slid up under my shirt. We knew were completely alone on the island now and had no reason to go back to the house. I lifted my arms over my head and he pulled my shirt off. It fluttered silently to the dock as I loosened my legs enough to pull his shirt over his head. I moaned as I felt the excitement of his skin pressing against mine. Just like the first time we had made love in a hotel room in San Diego – when my skin makes contact with his, it generates enough sexual electricity to power a small city. I released my legs just long enough to get out of the rest of my clothes, then jumped back up and wrapped them around his waist again. He hesitated for a bit, allowing my desire to reach that frantic point where I had no choice but to beg.

  “Oh my God, please,” I gasped. I was shaking with anticipation when I finally heard the zipper of his pants and felt him shift slightly as he worked his pants down his legs. I couldn’t wait until they were all the way off though. They were still around his ankles when I dropped down and groaned as I took him inside me. We were both strong enough to stay like this, but he knew we both needed more. He kicked off his pants, walked off the dock and dropped onto the sand, pressing himself as close to me as he possibly could. For the first time ever, there was no sense of having to rush. No one was around who might hear us, no one was searching for us, no one was chasing us, no one was waiting for us, no one was trying to kill us. It was just us. With the slow passion of two people whose only mission was to please and enjoy each other, we made love. For days, we made love, moving into the house only when the sun was beating down on us, stopping only long enough to eat and sleep. Us. Just us.

  Chapter Two

  We ended up staying on the island for two weeks. It was the honeymoon we never had. It was the new beginning I so desperately needed. Reluctantly we closed up the house, my house I had to remind myself, as I stifled a laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” he said.

  “I still can’t believe you bought this place,” I said as I smiled.

  “What?” he grinned. “Is the island not big enough for you? You want a bigger island?”

  “No, I do not want a bigger island, dork. I just can’t believe you were crazy enough to buy…”

  I stopped abruptly, as for some odd reason what he said to Carlos on the dock two weeks earlier finally sunk in. I dropped down into the kitchen chair and stared at him. My heart was pounding in my chest. There were a million thoughts running through my head, the worst of which was ‘Dear God, he knows.’

  “Sarah?” he said.

  “Why did you say ‘Good luck out there’ to Carlos when he was leaving?” I whispered, not sure I wanted to hear the answer.

  He walked around behind me, apparently not wanting to meet my eyes when he answered, not a good sign, I thought. He kissed the top of my head and said, “He just hasn’t been himself lately. I was just wishing him luck in, ummm, fixing that.”

&nb
sp; I squeezed my eyes shut and felt my heart break. He knows, but he doesn’t want me to know that he knows. I reached up and grabbed his hand, which was resting on my shoulder, and squeezed it tight. Then I stood, turned and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him tight. “I love you with all of my heart, Matthew Pearl,” I mumbled into his chest, vowing in my head that I would make this up to him, even if I live ten thousand years, I will make this right with him.

  He brought my face up to his, this he could say without hiding, “I love you too, Sarah, forever.” Then he gave me one of those kisses. The kind filled with all of his love for me, the kind that took my breath away, the kind that I didn’t deserve anymore. This time, though, I reciprocated; as I flooded myself with all the love I had for him and put every ounce of it into this kiss, this one kiss. This was my most important kiss, ever. This kiss had to convince him that my love was for him and only for him, that I wanted him and only him. I poured my heart, my love, my soul, into this one kiss and I didn’t stop. Even after his legs gave out and we fell to our knees on the floor, I didn’t stop. This kiss was going to last forever as far as I was concerned. It was Matt who finally had to end this kiss, not because he wanted to but because he had to. His face was a collage of emotions as he stared at me, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to find his voice. The only sound that escaped him was a small sob as his head fell onto my shoulder. We held each other as the sun rose above the horizon and streamed through the windows, silently saying everything we needed to say. We both knew we had to leave but neither of us wanted to move.

  I finally broke the silence. “We have to go, don’t we?”

  He nodded into my neck. I stood up and held my hand out to him. He grabbed the bags, I grabbed the cooler full of blood and together we walked down to the dock and onto the boat.