frightened of what she feels for you." With his preternatural abilities, he'd picked up
that much from her over the past week and figured the others had too. He glanced at
the other vampires in the room, who all nodded. "She has a secret, one that she's
hidden even from us, but it's big and she's afraid that if you know you will turn from
her."
Cassidy dragged his fingers through his hair. "That's crazy."
"No." Laurel Rose laid her hand on Cassidy's arm, her eyes dark and filled with
mystery. "That is all too human. She's afraid and not thinking properly or she would
never have risked her safety."
"Okay." As much as Zane was worried about Blythe, right now Sophia's safety was
paramount. "I'm going out to search for Sophia."
"I'll go with you." Stefan stood with his hands on his hips as if daring Zane to
disagree with him. He was many things, but he wasn't stupid enough to turn down
help. Not when Sophia's life was at stake.
The shrill ring of the phone filled the room. Lucian lunged for the phone, putting it
on speaker before answering. "Dalakis." His voice was level, but vibrated with barely
suppressed anger.
"I have something you want." The voice was cool. Clipped. "Or maybe you don't
want it at all." He laughed and a woman screamed in pain.
"Blythe!" Cassidy jumped toward the phone. "If you hurt her, you bastard..."
Stefan grabbed him from behind, restraining him easily with his preternatural strength.
More laughter. "I assume that is former New Orleans Police detective, Sam Cassidy.
My men commented on how smitten you seemed to be with Blythe. But then, so many
men are."
"What do you want, Prince?" Lucian took control of the conversation. "I assume
that I am speaking with Adrian Prince. You and your brother are much alike, I see. Both
cowards who prey on women because you are afraid to face real men."
The silence on the other end was deafening. They all flinched as another scream
filled the air. "She will pay for that, Dalakis, and I will enjoy every moment of it."
"Don't you hurt her." Cassidy jerked out of Stefan's grasp, his hands fisted by his
sides.
"That is up to your employer, Cassidy. I want him, not her. If he turns himself over
to me then, of course, I will let Ms. Nixon go free." He paused. "If not, well, it will be a
long and enjoyable night...for me." The line went dead.
Cassidy whirled around, heading out of the room. Standing near the door, Delight
reached out and placed her hand on his chest, stopping him. "Wait."
He pushed past her. "I'm not waiting for anyone." He withdrew his gun, checking
it before shoving it back in his shoulder holster.
"Cassidy." He stopped but didn't turn around as Lucian spoke. "You need help."
Lucian turned to his brother. "You and Zane go and find Sophia." He glanced at Zane,
his green eyes blazing. "Use your blood link with her. Stefan will help you. Cassidy and
I will go and get Blythe back."
"You don't know where she is." Delight went to her husband, her face filled with
worry and anger.
"My love." He reached out and brushed his hand over her face. "Adrian Prince is as
arrogant as his brother. He will have her at his club. He thinks he is invincible in his
stronghold with his men surrounding him."
"I'm going with you." Delight endured her husband's scowl without flinching.
"Sophia is my friend too. I'm not a helpless human anymore. I can help."
One corner of Lucian's mouth turned upward. "You were never helpless, my love.
Not even when you were human."
"That's settled then." Laurel Rose stepped forward. "Delight will go with you and
I'll go with Stefan and Zane."
They all felt Stefan's blast of anger as he faced his wife. The very air around them
seemed to ripple with emotion. "You will stay here." Each word was spoken slowly, his
fury barely contained.
Laurel Rose shook her head. "I have a score to settle with these people. I am going
with or without you."
Stefan practically vibrated with anger, but his wife seemed totally unconcerned.
Zane didn't know whether to admire these women or to have them committed. It struck
him then that Sophia was very much like them--brave and loyal. He wanted what his
cousins had. He wanted a woman to stand by his side for eternity.
For him, there was only one woman. Sophia.
His head jerked up and he blocked out all the noise in the room, concentrating on
the slight ripple in his mind. Sophia! He called her name and waited. There. Barely a
whisper, but he heard it all the same. He grabbed on to the mental connection with a
stranglehold. There was no way he'd lose her now.
"I've got her." He stalked toward the door, a hunter on the scent of his prey. He
sensed Stefan and his wife falling in behind him as he practically flew out the door and
into the night.
My head hurts. That was Sophia's first thought as she came awake. That and the fact
that she ached all over. She tried to open her eyes but they felt so heavy that she
stopped after a couple of attempts. Her mouth was dry and felt as if it had been stuffed
with cotton. She groaned as she tried to move and found she couldn't.
"Ah, so you're finally awake. I fear I misjudged the dose of the drug I gave you.
You're skinnier than I thought."
It all came flooding back to her. The delivery man. The prick in her arm. The box.
Oh God. She'd been drugged and kidnapped by the killer. She tried to move again and
this time she heard the clink of metal. Finally forcing her eyes open, she tilted her head
back and looked upward. She was leaning against a wall, held up only by her hands,
which were shackled over her head. Little wonder her arms hurt. The metal cuffs dug
into her wrists, making them bleed. She wondered how long she'd been here.
She heard a shuffling sound off to her right and turned to look. The throbbing in
her head increased tenfold. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to drive back another
groan of pain. She shivered as a cold breeze hit her. She was naked.
A hard male hand cupped her chin and she pried her eyes open again and stared at
her captor. Gone was the hunched-over deliveryman. In his place was a tall, strong man
with a shaved head and eyes that glittered like amber. He looked to be in his late
thirties. A man in the prime of his life.
"Why?" She tried to say more but her mouth just wasn't working properly.
"Why?" He dug his fingers into her cheeks as he leaned down until their noses
were almost touching. "You are a means to an end." He gently kissed her forehead
before releasing her. She shuddered and he laughed.
"You have no psychic power, so your blood is of little value, at least to me." He
allowed his hand to caress her neck, his fingers wrapping around it. "You were useful
in drawing the Dalakis family out, although not in quite the way I had envisioned. I
expected you to turn the evidence I'd planted over to the police and write your articles
about the Dalakis brothers being suspected murderers." He sighed dramatically. "But
no matter. Your worth now lies in the fact that the Dalakis family seems to consider you
a friend." His fingers tightened, squeezing harder each second. Sophia felt her eyes
bulge as she struggled to get free. Black spots appeared before her.
He released her from his grip suddenly and she gasped for air. It hurt to breathe.
Her neck felt swollen. "You're wrong," she managed to croak.
He backhanded her. The attack was so quick that she didn't even see it coming. Her
head bounced off the stone wall behind her and she slumped. The cuffs around her
wrists bit into her flesh and she forced her legs to straighten, leaning all her weight
against the cold, rough concrete.
"Let's hope for your sake that I'm not. I want Stefan Dalakis and his wife, Laurel
Rose. They caused the death of a good friend of mine. A brother in spirit if not in blood.
Although we shared enough blood to be considered brothers."
"You're sick," she spat. She could see the amusement in his eyes and realized that
the bastard was enjoying himself. Without the baggy uniform, she could see that he was
all compact muscle. Even if she got free, it wouldn't be easy to escape from him. She
closed her eyes and took a deep breath, refusing to give in to despair. Zane would come
for her.
Just thinking of him made her feel better. Stronger. They had a blood tie now. He'd
taken her blood and given her some of his. For the first time since she'd found out that
he'd forced her to drink some of his blood, she was glad for it. She'd use that connection
to try to reach him.
Focusing her scattered thoughts, she reached out with her mind. Zane! Are you
there? Nothing. She tried harder, blocking out the man standing in front of her and the
fact that she was cold and naked and at his mercy. She ignored the metal cuffs digging
into her wrists and the drips of blood that rolled down her arms.
Zane!
Nothing.
"Are you calling for your lover?" He smirked, leaning so close she could feel his
fetid breath on her face. "He can't hear you. Not now." He skimmed his thumb over the
curve of her jaw and she held her breath, not moving a muscle. "I've been watching all
of you and I know what he is. What they all are." He laughed as he took a step back.
Sophia gave a brief sigh of relief. "They think they are so clever, but they are not the
only ones with special skills. Your lover, indeed, any of them, will not hear your mental
cries for help unless I allow it."
Her captor reached out and cupped her breast. She jerked away, but there was
nowhere for her to go. Her back hit the wall as he pinched her nipple tight. "Not much
to look at, are you?" he taunted. "No matter." He released her breast and trailed his
fingers down her stomach. She twisted away and tried to kick out at him, but the
attempt put her off balance and she stumbled.
She could feel his breath on her once again as he leaned closer. She turned her head
away, but it wasn't her face he was after. His tongue traced down her arm, licking at the
rivulet of blood that was flowing from her wrist. She shuddered and her stomach
roiled. He shoved his hand between her thighs and fingered her. She closed her eyes,
withdrawing deep inside herself.
He laughed as he pulled away. "Tasty. Better than I anticipated."
"You're insane," she spat, glaring at him.
He shook his head, seemingly more amused than angry. "No, Ms. Daring. What I
am is more knowledgeable than most people. There is power in the blood and I think
that your friends, the Dalakis family, are well aware of that." He licked his lips, flicking
off a bead of red. "As I'm sure that you are aware."
A shiver went down her spine. She felt chilled to the very marrow of her bones.
"Who are you?" She had to keep him talking. Zane was on his way and he would help
her.
The man smiled. "I was wondering when you'd get around to that. You can call me
Spencer. You're a good reporter, Sophia. I had hoped that you'd take the clues I left you
and see that justice was done." He shook his head as if chastising a small child. "But
you didn't. Instead, you protected the Dalakis family. They killed Stoner and disrupted
my network of informants that I have scattered around the country. For that, they must
pay. You could have had it all. Breaking a story like this would have assured your
reputation for life."
"Some things are more important. Like the truth."
His hand snapped out again, striking the left side of her face. She cried out as she
bit her lip, splitting the skin.
"The truth." He leaned so close she could feel his breath on her face. "The truth is
that they have to pay. The truth is that Jeremiah Stoner was right. Laurel Rose's blood is
potent. And now that I know the truth about them, I will have their blood. Vampire! I
haven't had vampire blood in years."
Shock held her immobile. He believed in vampires. Knew that they truly existed.
She didn't know where she found the courage to keep talking to him, but she knew she
had to if she were to have a chance at surviving this. "You truly believe in vampires?"
He caught her face in his hand and tilted her head up. Bending down, he licked the
blood from her lip, sucking it into his mouth. She struggled, kicking out one of her bare
feet. He smiled as he nibbled her lip, then released it. He whispered in her ear. "Of
course I do. And the members of my little cult are instrumental in keeping me informed
when they suspect they might have come across one. Stoner was so excited when he
called and told me about Stefan Dalakis. He suspected that Dalakis had power--he just
had no idea how much. Pity I hadn't gotten there before Dalakis and his brothers
dispatched Stoner."
Sophia dug her fingers into the chain holding her upward to keep from screaming.
She hurt everywhere and was shivering with a combination of fear and cold, but she
didn't want him to know it. "Why? Why do you believe?" She sensed his need to talk,
to glory in his actions.
He smiled, his long, white fangs gleaming in the candlelight. "Because, Ms. Daring.
I am one."
Her breath caught in her throat, almost choking her. Impossible! "But you were out
in the daylight." This was almost too much for her to comprehend.
He laughed and it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Not impossible when you consider
that I started life as a human embryo. You see, my mother was pregnant with me when
her vampire mate discovered her. He converted her, not caring if I lived or died. I lived,
but my mother's conversion changed me as well. Perhaps because I was partly formed,
but not fully when she was changed. We'll never know for sure." He caught her chin in
a tight grip, squeezing her cheeks. "Make no mistake. I am a vampire. But I am a hybrid
of sorts, able to stay out almost an hour past dawn and move around outside an hour
before sunset. It makes life much easier, I find."
Releasing his hold on her, he sauntered to the other side of the room. Sophia's mind
was whirling with the implications. A hybrid vampire! She shook her head, desperately
trying to clear it. She had to get her bearings, had to figure out some way of escaping. If
what he'd said was true, and she had little reason to doubt him, then help wasn't
coming anytime soon. She was well and truly on her own.
Only a dim lantern lit the space, but Sophia felt they were in a shed of some kind.
She looked around the walls
and realized the space wasn't all that big. Her captor had
set up some of his things on a long table. She squinted to see better and froze as horror
spread through her limbs. That wasn't a table. That was a coffin. Her breathing became
quicker and more swallow as she realized where she was.
A mausoleum. Oh God. They were in a cemetery in a crypt.
She screamed. It bounced off the walls and came back at her. Spencer whirled
around, his eyes glowing with pleasure. "You just figured it out, did you? You can
scream all you like. There is no one around to hear you and the walls are quite thick."
He ambled toward her with a silver dagger in one hand and a chalice in the other.
"Your blood leaves a lovely aftertaste. I thought I'd enjoy a glass while we talk further."
Sophia tugged at the restraints. She didn't waste her time screaming out loud, but
turned inward, calling out to Zane. Maybe if she could break her captor's concentration,
he wouldn't be able to block her mental messages to Zane. He dragged the flat side of
the blade over the curve of her breast. "Leave me alone!" she cried, kicking out at him.
"I can't do that, Sophia. You had your choice and you made it. Unfortunately, you
didn't choose wisely. But then, humans seldom do." He shifted the blade upward over
the underside of her arm and pushed inward. She hissed as she felt the knife slice her
skin and the blood began to flow down her arm, into the chalice he pressed against her.
Laurel Rose canted her head to one side and listened. "Did you hear that?" Both
men stopped and stared at her, shaking their heads.
Frustration rolled off Zane in waves, but Laurel Rose ignored it, focusing her
powers. "There it is again."
Stefan shook his head. "I hear nothing."
"We're wasting time." Zane started moving swiftly down the back alley. They were
searching the section of town where both murdered women had lived. It seemed the
mostly likely place to start. In truth, it was the only place they knew to look.
Stefan shook his head and started after his cousin, but she didn't move. Sometimes
these men forgot that she was psychic before she'd ever become a vampire and that the
conversion had only heightened her skills. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her mind
and listened, picturing Sophia.
Zane! Laurel Rose heard the scream in her mind as if Sophia were standing
Dalakis Passion 4 - Eternal Brothers Page 27
