"I told you it was." Cassidy crouched in front of Blythe and caught her chin in his
hand. "I also told you that you had nothing to fear. I won't let anyone or anything hurt
you."
Blythe nodded, but Sophia could see the fear and disbelief in her face. Sophia didn't
blame her--she was still having a hard time coming to grips with the whole vampire
thing herself.
Lucian walked over to stand beside Blythe. "You are a guest in my home and are
therefore under my protection. Do you understand?"
Blythe nodded slowly, but then shook her head. "No. I don't understand any of
this. Any of you." She pressed her back against the chair, trying to put distance between
herself and the rest of them.
"You will come to no harm here. You have my word." Lucian bowed gravely as he
gave her his pledge.
"But I don't know you," she whispered. Sophia felt sorry for the other woman who
obviously hadn't had any idea what she was getting herself into when she'd decided to
help this family.
Lucian drew himself up straight, his eyes flashing with indignation. "In over five
hundred years, no one has ever questioned my word."
Blythe whimpered and Cassidy stood, placing himself in front of her. "Back off,
Lucian. She's been through a lot and she's scared."
Lucian inclined his head in acknowledgement. "My apologies."
"This is all fine and good, but can we get back to the story?" Zane asked
impatiently.
Laurel Rose nodded and rubbed her palms together as if she was suddenly chilled.
"When I regained consciousness, I was tied to a stone altar and Jeremiah was standing
over me with a silver dagger in his hands. He'd killed before. He believed that by
drinking the blood of someone who was psychic, he could take their power. The man
had abilities of his own, but he wanted mine."
Sophia's stomach lurched. "Oh my God. How did you escape?"
"I didn't." Laurel Rose squeaked as her husband squeezed her tighter. She patted
his arm and he eased his grip on her, but not by much. Sophia could see the anguish on
Stefan's face and knew that whatever was coming, it wasn't good.
"He slit my wrists and let my blood drain into a chalice. His plan was to bleed me
dry and drink my blood. He was part of a cult, a sick group of people who believe as he
did. Jeremiah started to brag about them. He said that they were everywhere. Men who
knew the true meaning of power."
This was crazy. Sophia swallowed hard as she imagined herself in Laurel Rose's
situation. The woman must have been scared out of her mind. "You weren't a vampire
then, were you?" That thought popped into Sophia's head. If the other woman had been
a vampire, then she wouldn't have been driving around in her truck before dark.
Laurel Rose shook her head, making her long, dark hair shimmer. "No. I was still
human then."
"What happened?" Zane's tone was soft, almost gentle, as if he were afraid of
upsetting Laurel Rose further.
"Stefan happened." A smile crossed Laurel Rose's face and for a moment, the sheer
beauty of the other woman struck Sophia. She glanced lovingly at her husband. "I knew
that Stefan would come for me as soon as he'd risen."
Laurel Rose said it so easily and acceptingly. Sophia knew that she'd have to accept
it too if she wanted any kind of relationship with Zane. And she did. Desperately.
"He blasted through the door like a whirlwind. Jeremiah was shocked by the fact
that someone else was more powerful than he was." Laurel Rose shook her head. "My
recollection gets very sketchy right about here."
All eyes turned to Stefan and Sophia shivered at the fury that blazed in his eyes.
There was no doubt in her mind that Jeremiah Stoner had died at his hands. She didn't
blame him. Men like Stoner got off in courtrooms every day because of technicalities.
Stefan would have wanted to ensure that Laurel Rose was safe. Zane would do the
same for her. Of that fact, she had no doubt.
As if he could read her thoughts, Zane squeezed her shoulder and then began to
rub her back. She shifted closer, resting her hand on his leg. His thigh muscles tensed.
"I made sure he'd never hurt anyone else again." Stefan said the words simply and
without emotion.
Sophia glanced around the room to gauge everyone's reaction to his blunt
statement. Both Lucian and Zane nodded with approval. No surprise there. Delight
appeared only to be concerned about her sister-in-law. Probably because she knew her
husband would do the same for her. And if what Sophia suspected was true, then
Lucian had killed Jethro Prince to save Delight. Cassidy appeared resigned, as if he still
had a hard time accepting how easily Stefan and Lucian killed, but because it was to
protect their women, he approved. But it was Blythe who surprised her. Instead of
being horrified, there was a growing look of respect in her eyes as she listened to Stefan
continue his story.
"Laurel Rose was almost dead. She'd lost so much blood. So much." He buried his
face in the curve of his wife's neck and took a deep breath. The scene was intimate and
touching. Sophia knew then that Stefan would do anything to protect his wife.
Anything. The murderer trying to frame this family had made a bigger mistake than
he'd anticipated. He was as good as dead.
"We freed her, but it was too late to take her to a hospital." Lucian took up his post
behind his wife, looming protectively over her.
"We?" Zane asked intently.
"We were all there. Cristofor and I were uneasy and had Cassidy drive all day to
get us to North Carolina. We thought the women had taken the private jet to New York
for business and shopping." He shot his wife a disgruntled glare.
"You thought you could trick us and we'd meekly go to New York and not suspect
anything," his wife corrected. "Johanna and I headed to North Carolina as soon as she'd
finished her business in New York. It was all over by the time we arrived."
Sophia remembered that Johanna was wife of the elder Dalakis and was also in
charge of the family fortune. "What happened?" The reporter in her itched to tell the
story, but she knew that this was one tale she'd never tell. Unless she wrote it in a
fiction novel, that is. Not only did she feel the need to protect this family, but who the
heck would ever believe her?
"Stefan did what he had to do to save her." Lucian sighed. "Although he was
reluctant."
"He turned her into a vampire." Blythe whispered the words, but everyone heard
them loud and clear. She was pale, her hand to her throat.
"He saved my life." Laurel Rose's voice was matter-of-fact. The way she looked at
her husband left not a shadow of a doubt that she was happy with her life. "He took my
blood and gave me his, changing me forever. Even after, he tried to walk away,
thinking he was being noble, thinking that he'd changed my life without my consent."
"He did." Blythe was agitated, her fingers trembling as she clasped them in front of
her.
Laurel Rose shook her head. "I love him. I'd already made up my mind that I
wanted whatever time we had together. Why would I mind that he saved my life?"
Reaching up, she stroked her husband's cheek. "Now the time we have together is
>
hopefully much longer than it would have been."
Stefan's gaze encompassed the entire room. "The way the murderer is draining
these women of blood and the fact that he wants my family to take the blame leads me
to believe that Jeremiah Stoner may have told some members of his cult about us. He
was secretive, but they must have communicated by phone or computer. He struck me
as the type of man who'd need to gloat about his conquests."
Sophia nodded slowly, mulling the facts over in her mind. "That makes sense."
"But we don't know where he'll strike next?" She could hear the concern in Zane's
voice and it matched her own.
"No, we don't," Stefan agreed. "But I suspect that he'll tire of his sick game soon
and try for one of our women. And that includes Sophia and Blythe now."
Blythe shot out of her chair. "Great. That's just great. All I wanted to do after Jethro
Prince died was to live a peaceful life." Her entire body was trembling. "Now, not only
is his brother trying to kill me, but a lunatic murderer might want to drain my blood
and drink it as well."
Sophia sympathized with Blythe. She wasn't too keen about having a crazed lunatic
after her either, but at least she'd been brought in on it from the very beginning. Poor
Blythe was having this thrust upon her simply because she'd been in the wrong place at
the wrong time.
"I'll protect you." Cassidy stood with his hands on his hips, glaring at Blythe who
stared back at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"Sure. You'll protect me from two killers. Who the heck will protect you?"
Uh-oh. Sophia could see the fury building in Cassidy. Blythe had just cast
aspersions on the guy's ability to protect her. The testosterone in the air thickened as
Sophia continued to watch. It was like watching a car accident. You knew something
was going to happen, but there was nothing you could do to stop it. Nor could you look
away.
"I don't need protection," Cassidy gritted out from between clenched teeth. "And I
sure as hell can protect you. I don't care how many killers there are."
"That's ridiculous. You should have just let me leave." They were toe-to-toe now.
Both blond, but Cassidy was so much larger than Blythe. It looked almost comical, but
Sophia knew that neither of them felt like laughing. This entire situation was crazy--
vampires, crazed cult killers, local crime lords.
"You aren't going anywhere." Cassidy looked like he wanted to take Blythe and
shake her. His hands were clenched into fists by his sides. He practically vibrated with
anger.
"Enough." Stefan stood with Laurel Rose still in his arms. "All the women must be
protected."
"What about the men?" Delight came to her feet and shot a worried gaze at her
husband.
"So far only the women have been targeted by the cult, but it's a completely
different situation with Prince. He seems to want all of us dead." Lucian came around
the sofa and wrapped his arms around his wife. "We're all in danger, especially those of
you who are not vampires."
"That may be, but we're not helpless during the day--or during the night either, for
that matter." Cassidy had gotten a grip on his temper, but it was still simmering just
below the surface. Sophia was impressed with the man's self-control.
"Agreed," Lucian replied easily. "For better or worse, we are all in this together and
until it is over we have to act together if we are all to survive." He pointedly stared at
Blythe.
She threw up her hands in defeat. "Okay. I'll stay until this mess is sorted out, but
no longer." She shook her head and muttered, "It's not as if I had someplace better to be
anyway."
"Thank you." Lucian inclined his head. "Now we must plan."
They all sat back down. This time Cassidy and Blythe moved over with the rest of
them. Eight people in all--five vampires and three humans. Sophia shook her head at
the twist her life had taken.
"We need to try to find where the murderer is. He'll have another space where he
drains the bodies of blood. He kills them somewhere else and then moves the body to
the cemetery after the fact." Cassidy gave a report of all he'd learned. "Both victims
lived in the same area of the city. So that's where we start. We assume he's living in that
area as well, trolling for women. He wouldn't want to have to transport them far, drain
them and then move them all the way back into the city again."
Sophia nodded. "I've still got contacts on the street. I can see if anyone's heard or
seen anything."
Cassidy nodded. "I've got snitches too. I'll talk to them."
"Stefan, Lucian and I need to get out on the streets. The human mind is easy to read
for the most part. Maybe we'll pick up on something." Sophia could tell Zane was
itching to get moving.
"That's a good idea," Stefan agreed. "But Jeremiah Stoner was a natural blocker. I
could not read his thoughts. I could pick up on some emotions, but not his thoughts."
"Good to know." Zane stood. "If we come across a male in the area who can block
us, we should follow him to find out where he lives. Cassidy and I can access records at
the gas and phone company and find out if anyone is new to the city."
"Call in if you want me to check out anyone for you. I've got sources of my own."
Sophia wanted to get working. She didn't want the cops finding another woman's
body. This murderer had to be stopped.
"If there is any trouble, go down to the tunnels." Sophia's ears perked up as Lucian
spoke to his wife.
"Tunnels?"
"There are secret passageways between this house and Stefan's. There is also a
tunnel that leads to a building in the next block." Sophia tried to imagine the logistics of
building such a thing. It boggled the mind.
Lucian chuckled. "The walls are four feet of solid concrete and Stefan and I keep
them very well maintained for emergencies."
"I'll go and scout out around The Club and keep an eye on Adrian Prince," Cassidy
announced. "We can't forget about him."
The group broke up, separating into couples. Zane tugged her over to a quiet corner
of the room. "Promise me you'll stay here until I get back."
She met his green-eyed gaze and nodded. "If you promise to come back for me this
time."
His eyes clouded with regret. "I promise."
"Good enough." She wanted to grab him and make him stay with her, so she
turned her attention to the other couples in room. Stefan and Laurel Rose were locked
in a heated kiss. Lucian had Delight wrapped in his arms and the way they were staring
at one another was too intimate for her to watch without getting a pang in the vicinity
of her heart. Now, Cassidy and Blythe were interesting. Blythe was obviously
protesting something, but Cassidy just kept shaking his head. Finally, Blythe gave up in
frustration. She turned to leave, but Cassidy pulled her back into his arms. They both
stared at each other and then he lowered his head.
Sophia turned away, her face flushed, her body aching. Everyone seemed to be
getting kissed goodbye but her. Zane's hands fell onto her shoulders and then she was
spun around. She didn't have a chance to take a breath before Zane's mouth was on
tangled with hers as his hands shifted down to cup her ass, pulling her pelvis against
his. She could feel the heat and the hardness of him through his jeans.
He tore his lips from hers and she whimpered. "I have to go."
She could only nod.
Swearing, he dropped his hands from her. "Promise me."
"I'll be here when you get back."
Turning on his heel, he strode from the room. Stefan, Lucian and Cassidy followed,
leaving only the women in the room. "Okay, let's get started." Grabbing the bag with
her laptop, Sophia strode to the desk at the far end of the room. "Gather around, ladies,
and tell me everything you know."
Chapter Eighteen
The days that followed were busy for everyone. The men took to the streets every
night, combing them for any hint of the murderer. Cassidy and Sophia both talked to
their informants, but nobody seemed to know anything, or if they did, they were too
afraid to talk. The women worked from Lucian's office--Delight, Laurel Rose and
Blythe, eager to do anything they could to help. It had become their unofficial base of
operations.
Sophia was quickly becoming fast friends with all the women. They were such a
diverse group, split between vampire and human, and they all had unique
personalities. She was the go-getter of the group, the most vocal, but that wasn't
surprising considering her profession. Laurel Rose was quieter, but had a level head.
When she spoke, everyone listened. Delight was like the girl next door, but with an
edge. She was no pushover and wasn't afraid to do whatever had to be done. Blythe
was a bit trickier. She held herself back from the group, almost as if she didn't quite
trust the friendship they offered. Sophia didn't know the other woman's story, but she
had a feeling that Blythe hadn't had an easy life. Besides which, Blythe was having a
much harder time with the whole "vampire" thing. Still, even she was beginning to
loosen up around the rest of them.
They were an odd group, but for the first time in her adult life, Sophia felt as if she
had real female friends. Yes, they worked hard, manning the phones, searching the
Internet for clues about the cult and for information about Adrian Prince, but there was
only so much they could do. After a while, they'd break off and sit around and chat.
Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers Page 21
