B004SOYUR8 EBOK

by Lorraine Kennedy

“You of course,” the girl told her with a giggle.

  A dark rage took hold of her, smothering any fear that she had been feeling. Nicole’s anger over life and its horrors finally erupted like a furious storm. She smiled and lifted her finger, motioning for them to come closer. “Then come and get me.”

  Snarling at her, their eyes began to emit that unearthly light - the glow within them that indicated that they were ready to feed. Suddenly the night lit up and lightning flashed across the sky. Nicole’s hair seemed to come alive as a gust of wind blew across the cemetery.

  Then, as if by magic, Alec was at her side. His cold - vampire eyes promised a painful ending for her attackers. As soon as they saw Alec they backed away.

  “You won’t always be with her Alec,” the male vampire told him with a smile.

  Alec did not respond, instead he continued to stare them down. Slowly they backed away and disappeared into the darkness.

  Nicole looked over at Alec. “How did you know where I was?”

  “Your terror was like a beacon,” he frowned. “I simply followed that beacon.”

  “It’s a good thing that you did,” Nicole told him. “I thought you said they would not come after me?”

  “I didn’t think they would,” he said, looking out into the darkness, as if searching for something that simply wasn’t there. “Omar must be getting impatient and willing to take things into his own hands.”

  Another streak of lightning illuminated the sky. Nicole had to catch her breath as she gazed upon Alec. With the wind blowing through his hair and a stormy sky behind him, he was a magnificent sight. His eyes burned with hunger, and the wind whipped at his partially open shirt.

  Alec turned his attention to her. “What are you doing here? It was a bad move to come to a place like this … so close to nightfall.”

  Nicole took his hand and started walking toward her little brother’s tomb. When they reached it, she pointed to Jay’s name. “My little brother.” Her voice trembled, the grief threatening to overwhelm her once again.

  He squeezed Nicole’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he told her.

  Just then, a gust of wind nearly knocked her from her feet. Thunder shook the earth beneath them and the sky opened up, sending down a torrent of rain. With Alec in the lead, the two of them ran through the cemetery until they came to the tomb in which Ethan had taken her that night to meet Alec. It was much closer than her car.

  Alec pulled open the heavy door and slipped inside. “Come in … we’ll stay here until the rain stops.”

  Nicole stepped inside, shivering from the chill of the rain and the coldness of the crypt. She heard Alec moving around, and then a strike of a match. In the corner there was a small - stone altar with candles. One by one, Alec lit the candles until the inside of the tomb was aglow with light.

  “Who does this tomb belong to anyway?” Nicole asked, feeling as if she were intruding on someone’s eternal rest.

  “Me. I had it built around the turn of the 20th century. Then I was known as Alexander Moreau.”

  “You changed your name?”

  He smiled. “It wouldn’t be good if those that knew me, saw that I stayed the same, though they grew old … would it?”

  “I guess not,” she admitted.

  “We must disappear and become someone else every few decades.”

  “It must be a lonely existence,” Nicole voiced the thought out loud.

  Alec stepped near her and touched her face with his hand. “It is,” he told her.

  Nicole reached up and covered his hand with hers.

  “What happened to your brother?” he asked.

  Nicole felt the familiar lump in her throat and she turned away, the darkness descending on her heart.

  Whenever she let herself think about it, she would relive the horror of that day all over again. “It happened a few years ago, when I was seventeen and still living at home. My mom left me to tend Jay while she was at work. He was home sick.” Again the tears came and Alec gently brushed them away.

  “You don’t have to talk about it if it is too hard for you,” he spoke softly, kissing her forehead.

  Nicole shook her head. “No … I need to talk about it I think.”

  “Okay.” He gave her an encouraging smile.

  Nicole took a deep breath before continuing. “Jay was ill … I had him in a bath of cool water. The phone rang, and I left to go answer it. I was only gone for a minute. I mean … he was five years old and the water … it wasn’t deep at all.” Her last words came out with a sob.

  She was silent while she tried to get her emotions under control. “When I came back, he was facedown in the water. I tried to save him. I tried to bring him back,” Nicole cried. “But it didn’t work.”

  Alec wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “You don’t have to say more.”

  Nicole took a deep breath. “They said that he had tried to get out of the tub and had a seizure because of the fever.”

  “You couldn’t have known.”

  “I should have known. I should have been more responsible than that. The phone could have waited!” Nicole’s self hatred came through every word.

  “And now you seek death so that you can rectify this wrong. So that you can pay?” Alec asked.

  Nicole nodded. “I should be the one dead, not Jay. He was just a little boy. He was as innocent as a soul can be.”

  Clasping his hands on both sides of her face, he tilted her head so that she was looking into his eyes. “I know your pain.”

  He lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her gently. Nicole eagerly opened her lips to his probing tongue, letting him draw her into his crushing embrace. Outside, the storm raged, while in this place of death, she was finding the strength to endure life.

  She felt his hand slip beneath her shirt and caress her back, making his way to the clasp of her bra. He easily freed her of it. Then his hand was at the front of her blouse, where he unbuttoned it so that he could caress her breasts. At first he was gentle, squeezing and softly caressing her flesh, but he began to squeeze harder, sending a sensation through her body that was pure pleasure.

  His lips moved from her mouth to her jaw. She felt his soft kisses and his fangs nicking at her skin.

  She began to quiver, her need mounting until she was nearly beyond reason. “I want you Alec,” she gasped.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Oh yes, I’m sure.”

  Alec lifted her up, cradling her in his arms. He then carried her to the crypt and laid her down. “Even if I have to make love to you here?”

  “Yes,” she whispered.

  Alec reached down and opened her blouse completely, and his eyes gazed at her bare breasts. He then slipped her pants off so that she was lying there, exposed to his eager eyes.

  His clothes came off even more quickly than hers had. Nicole inhaled sharply. He was glorious, his body a tribute to all that a man could ever be. She felt him spread her legs and his tongue darted teasingly at the moist heat of her woman’s flesh. Nicole arched her hips to meet his tongue, shivering as he brought her such wicked pleasure.

  The grip he had on her thighs was painful, but the pain only enhanced the bliss. His tongue moved to her thighs, and then slowly he made his way up to her stomach, and then her breasts, tasting her as he did. His mouth found her erect peaks and he began suckling on them softly, but soon she felt his teeth piercing her skin.

  Nicole groaned, her hunger exploding. She could feel his stiff erection against her thigh, and she yearned for him to possess her. She wiggled beneath him, urging him to penetrate her throbbing core. She was now crazy with lust and could think of nothing but the moment that he took her completely.

  “Hmm … Alec, I need you now!” she breathed.

  Growling, he moved his mouth to her throat. She could feel his teeth but was beyond caring what he did to her, as long as he sated her desire for him.

  “Are you sure?” he asked, his deep voice taking on a rough quality th
at she recognized as a sign of the vampire’s hunger. “I could hurt you.”

  “I’m sure … that I will melt if you don’t.” Her words came out in little gasps.

  Plunging his shaft deep inside her, he began to thrust wildly. Nicole screamed. The pain went hand in hand with pure erotic sensation. She propelled her hips to meet his, as he rocked against her, slamming into her swollen - hot flesh. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she pulled him in deeper.

  Again Nicole screamed as she felt the fire within her grow into an uncontrollable inferno that erupted, spreading throughout her body. Her release was as complete as her passion had been.

  “Nicole,” he growled.”

  The exotic look of his eyes as his own need surged, sent her into another orgasm. She reached that most explosive point when she felt his hard flesh pulsate within her as he soared to his peak.

  For a long time they lay still, their limbs still entwined - their bodies as one. Nicole began to shiver with chill. Making love to Alec was better than she could have ever imagined, but he lacked body heat.

  Alec separated from her, leaning over to kiss her softly. “That was incredible,” he whispered.

  “Thank you Alec,” she told him, lifting her head to kiss him again.

  He chuckled. “You’re kidding, right? It is I that should be thanking you.”

  “It was the most unbelievable experience,” she told him. Sitting up, she took the blouse that he was holding out to her.

  In the aftermath of their passion, Nicole finally remembered what her mother had told her. “Do you know of a vampire that calls himself Donavan Ashe?”

  Alec looked over at her sharply. “Why?”

  “He’s my father,” Nicole told him.

  The expression on his face shifted from a look of contentment, to alarm. “No wonder Omar wants you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Turning away, he told her, “This cannot happen again,”

  Surprised by his behavior, Nicole reached out and touched his arm. “Why? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s too dangerous. Not just because of who your father is, but because you share the DNA of a very ancient vampire. Just a trace of the vampire’s poison would probably turn you.”

  “But I am fine. Nothing happened.”

  He looked back at her, and smiled sadly. “We were lucky this time. I can barely control my urges when I am making love to you. It would be too easy to poison you through a wound.”

  “Who is Donavan?” Nicole asked.

  “He is Omar’s brother. This is why he wants me to bring you to him. He wouldn’t want to risk getting Donavan’s attention. If you go to him on your own, what could Donavan do? But he will take the risk … if I don’t bring you to him soon,” he added.

  Nicole was silent.

  Alec continued, “He offered to tell me what I want to know about the Place of Light if I did. I told him I would consider it, but that was only to buy some time so that I could find out about this place myself.”

  “But if you brought me to him, it would not be of my own will,” she pointed out.

  “But Donavan wouldn’t know that. If you went with me, it would appear as if you did. Your father probably has watchers.”

  Nicole was relieved. She felt that she could trust Alec. His heart was not cold. She knew that now. “Where can I find my father?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s been years since he’s been in New Orleans. He disappeared, but like I said, I am sure that he has followers watching you.”

  “If he was so concerned, why did he leave?” Nicole asked, her bitterness evident.

  “He probably didn’t want Omar to know about you,” Alec told her as he was getting into his clothes. “If Omar can turn you and become your maker … you would be a powerful ally. Many of us that oppose Omar have suspected that he was up to something, but didn’t know what.”

  “So his intention has never been to kill me, but to turn me?” She was trying to wrap her mind around this bizarre twist.

  “That is now what I suspect.”

  “How did he find out?”

  “You likely came to his notice because you were working with Ethan. It wouldn’t take much to put it together, considering you use Donavan’s surname.”

  Nicole stepped closer to Alec. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed his lips lightly. “Alec … I don’t want this to be all that we have.”

  Alec closed his eyes. “We can’t chance it.”

  “But I think I am falling in love with you,” she told him, her voice low and soft.

  Alec’s eyes opened suddenly, and he peered down at her with something akin to anger. “Don’t love me Nicole. I am a vampire … you are a mortal. We cannot have forever.”

  “I don’t care,” she was adamant.

  “Nicole, I am a creature … a monster. Don’t you get it? I am not your prince charming.”

  “Maybe I want a prince of darkness,” she told him hotly.

  Again Alec closed his eyes, as if he could not tolerate looking at her. “Let’s go Nicole.”

  “Can you help me find my father, Alec?” Nicole’s tone of voice had changed. It was now all business. Turning off her emotions was the only way she knew of to soothe her aching heart.

  “That would be our next step,” he told her.

  * * * *

  He was late. The skyline in the east was already turning pink with the dawn of a new day. Alec could feel his skin getting hot. He slid into the coffin that he kept in his home. It was not as preferable as a bed, but a necessity to protect himself from the sun’s UV rays.

  Only in caverns beneath the earth’s surface could the vampire enjoy the luxuries of a bed. But these places did not offer the beauty of the night, that you could experience above ground.

  Could Donavan have descended into one of the underground cities of the immortals?

  He had once heard that was where Donovan had gone. Most of the oldest vampires migrated to one underground city. Maybe it was time that he paid a visit to this city of the undead.

  Though Alec rarely felt tired. Tonight he did. His fatigue was more emotional that physical.

  But vampires don’t have emotions.

  Alec had learned a long time ago that this was not true. They may not experience the same range of emotions that they did while human, but they were still there. When the emotion was something as powerful as love or hate, a vampire could sometimes feel it even more deeply than they had as a mortal. Was he falling in love with Nicole?

  She had a powerful hold over him, but was it love? He was disturbed by her feelings for him, but even more troubled by his feelings for her. Every moment that he was with Nicole, he could feel himself falling deeper and deeper. If he didn’t get out soon, he would never want to let her go. That would be disastrous for her.

  If there was such a place as the Place of Light, Nicole carried its essence within her. Loving an immortal would extinguish that light, and that was something that he could not let happen. That internal light was one of the reasons that she held such power over his emotions.

  He would see that she was safe, and then sleep. Alec Norwood would disappear from the mortal world for a few decades. When he returned, Nicole would be a distant memory to him, and the rest of the world.

  Alec closed his eyes, seeking the only haven known to the immortal - sleep. Instead of finding the comfort of oblivion, he kept seeing her beautiful dark eyes and her luscious red lips.

  Leaving her would be by far, the hardest thing he’d ever done in his long existence.

  * * * *

  After packing a duffle bag with a few clothes and necessities, Nicole sat on her front porch waiting for the night, and for Alec. Only a few more minutes until the sun went down, and then he would come. All that Nicole knew was that they might be gone for a few days, and when they returned - they would confront Omar and get Ethan back.

  Could she be in Alec’s company that long, and not want to be with him again?

&nbs
p; Somehow Nicole seriously doubted that she would be that strong. Being away from him was torture. But she knew that the more time that she spent with him, the more she fed her addiction. She was addicted to Alec Norwood. He was her drug - her comfort, and her escape from the horrors of life.

  Nicole contemplated what life was going to be like without Alec. She was sure that sooner or later he would leave her - just like her father had left her mother. It would be dark - as bleak as the darkness she was born to.

  Alec drove up, and before he had a chance to get out of the car, Nicole was already getting in. When she was settled in her seat, she looked over to Alec. “So where are we going?”

  “Well greetings to you too,” he said with a smile.

  “Sorry, I’m just a bit nervous by all of this.”

  Alec pulled onto the road. “We are going to get your friend, and then we need to go to New York.”

  “How are we going to do that?”

  “The same as anyone else, we are going to fly.”

  * * * *

  Though the flight was short, Nicole was glad when it was over. She was getting accustomed to staying up all-night and sleeping more during the day, but she was still tired. Throughout the whole flight, Dash complained about the business he was losing out on by taking this trip.

  As they were exiting the airport, he told them, “I just don’t understand. Wyoming is way out west from here. What are we doing in New York?”

  Nicole shrugged. The fact was that Alec hadn’t been very informative about why exactly they were going to New York. He’d told them only that there was something that he had to take care of first, before they tried to find the place in Wyoming where Dash had seen the man on the side of the road.

  Outside the airport, Alec hailed a cab. The three of them slid into the backseat.

  “Can you take us to the Cortlandt station?” Alec asked.

  The cabby peered at them through the rearview mirror, a strange look on his face. “What the hell ya want to go there for? The place is abandoned, and it’s a shambles.”

  “Personal business,” Alec smiled coldly.

  The cabby shrugged his shoulders. “Well, ya get all kinds these days,” he muttered to himself.