But the thought of killing Ariana swept a wave of nausea through the pit of his stomach. His nostrils flared as her sweet aroma washed over him. He remembered too well how her smell clung to him after they’d made love. Almost as well as he remembered every inch of her luscious curves, the fire in her eyes, and the wild, wanton way her body cleaved to his.
She hadn’t known what he was then, and he hadn’t wanted to tell her. Having her in his arms, being able to taste the sweetness of her lips was more important to him at the time than sharing the knowledge of what he was.
He should have told her, but the day she found out, it was too late to repair the damage. The loathing in her eyes had been as vicious as a stake to the heart. He’d known at that moment their time together was over.
Now, he stood in the darkness, dreading the sight of her satiny skin, the way her gorgeous hair would swing low against the indentation in her spine.
“Dammit, Ariana, why couldn’t you have left well enough alone?” His fist punched the concrete building beside him, stinging his knuckles, but as he watched the scraped skin, it healed, leaving no trace of the injury behind.
Such was his curse. He’d spent well over a century as a vampire, and in the end, it had cost him the one woman he’d loved. No matter how much he’d tried to forget Ariana the past several months, he couldn’t. Now, he realized he didn’t really want to forget.
He could have gone on with his existence, never seeking her out, putting aside the powerful love and mind-numbing pleasure he’d found in Ariana’s arms, if only she hadn’t made it her sole duty to eradicate all vampires.
No one else could stop her. He wouldn’t allow it. It was because of him that her bitterness had segued seething hatred. So it was only reasonable that he be the one to finish what she had started.
Chapter Five
Tingles climbed up her spine, settling around her shoulders like a thick fog. Trepidation mixed with anticipation, and Ariana stepped farther back into the alley, inching open the wrought iron gate that was supposed to keep out trespassers.
Joaquin’s scent was so strong now he had to be only a few feet away. He was coming for her.
Several minutes passed, each one dragging by a little bit longer until frustration tightened its grip around Ariana’s throat. “Come on, vampire. I know you can move faster than this.”
“You also know I can move very slowly when I want. It all depends on what has my attention.”
He’d come up the alley behind her, bypassing the businesses that shared the dark space in an attempt to catch her off-guard. It had worked, but Ariana didn’t immediately turn around.
The sexy voice struck a discordant note in the centre of her chest, and she closed her eyes, picturing the man standing behind her. Eyes the color of obsidian, hair as dark as a raven’s wing, and a smile that could charm his way into the most frigid woman’s bed. Everything about him perfect save for the lack of a beating heart.
Her hand curving around the handle of the honed stake, she strove for calm, a degree of serenity she didn’t feel. “Joaquin. Nous rencontrons encore.” She wouldn’t allow herself to think of all those heated nights they’d spent together in her bed, but as the rustling behind her intensified, her blood pounded in her veins.
Gravel crunched beneath his feet as Joaquin came into her line of vision. Had it really only been a week since she’d seen him? How was it possible his beauty had intensified?
“Indeed we do meet again. Your French is flawless. You’ve been studying.”
“I’ve been doing a lot of things.”
He inclined his head. “Some lessons you haven’t learned very well. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that standing in a dark alley looking for a vampire isn’t particularly smart?” Joaquin’s voice carried a slight hint of amusement, but any moment, that humor could change.
He captured a lock of her hair and twined it around his fingers. He stood close enough for her to feel the warmth emanating from his body, and every nerve within hers came alive.
She pivoted slowly, her gaze seeking his face. His eyes glittered like diamonds amidst a bed of coal, and she clung determinedly to her resolve. But the sight of him made it difficult. He was simply amazing to look upon, and knowing she was going to sink a stake into his black heart made her hands shake. But she couldn’t allow the shame of destroying such male perfection to color her mission.
Her mouth opened with what she intended to say, but no words would come.
Joaquin’s hand fell to his side, releasing her hair as one side of his mouth tilted upwards into a smile, devastating in its impact.
The air snapped with electricity, charged with both sexual tension and hate. As Joaquin’s gaze raked over her, she read the desire in his eyes, the hunger she knew too well.
“I’ve missed you.”
The admission made her control slip. No! She couldn’t allow herself to feel anything beyond hatred. He would not get the best of her no matter how much charm he used. With no way to put real distance between them without running away, she tried to pretend his closeness didn’t bother her. She swallowed the lump in her throat without trying to define it. Her spine connected with the hard brick wall shared by the coffee shop, reminding her she was stuck now between a literal hard place and Joaquin.
“I doubt that.” She offered the statement with a wry smile.
“You haven’t missed me?”
“I’ve been busy.”
He inclined his head. “That much is obvious. It’s your busyness that’s brought me here.”
“I’m sure that’s what you told yourself.”
His lips curved into a semi-sneer before his teeth flashed in the darkness. “You really shouldn’t play around with things you don’t understand, Ariana.”
Is he talking about vampires? She’d like to think by now she had a pretty good understanding of the undead, thanks to Charon and the numerous ones she’d killed. “I’m sure that’s supposed to frighten me.” The sweetness of her tone belied her growing irritation.
With a gesture of supreme mockery, Joaquin bowed low and flashed her a wicked smile as he straightened. “You should be careful. Accepting presents from strangers can be dangerous.”
He was deliberately goading her, taunting her, but she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of seeing he was getting under her skin. “I don’t recall telling you a stranger had given me anything, Joaquin.”
“I gave you gifts once, Arianna. Do you remember them?”
The twist on the subject caused a lump to lodge in her throat. How could she forget the nights in Paris, hiking in the Himalayas, and making love while Niagara Falls provided the background music? In such a short amount of time, Joaquin had taken her everywhere, given her everything, and were she to have asked, he would have given her a different kind of immortality, a life tied to the night.
His gaze scorched her as he awaited her answer, but she wouldn’t give him the pleasure of knowing he’d pierced her heart again. Instead, she allowed herself the luxury of a complete head-to-toe scan, hoping to put him on the defensive.
Joaquin cleaned up well. Even in the everyday garb of jeans and black knit shirt, he presented the perfect picture of nineteenth-century elegance and modern-day casual. In fact, he still held the air of old-world charm and grace. Now that she knew what he was, how long he’d lived, she could easily imagine him sitting in front of a hearth inside a stone castle, one hand curved around a tankard of ale or wearing a dark cape while his black eyes searched the darkness.
The scene sifted through her mind, tangling with erotic images of a bearskin rug and their naked bodies tangled together in front of a roaring fire. Realizing she’d drifted off into dreams that served no purpose, Ariana blinked twice and found him staring at her, a mocking smile curving those lips that could do unspeakable things to a woman’s peace of mind.
Her body hummed, and she shook her head to clear her thoughts. “It won’t work, you know.”
“What won’t work?” He pl
ayed innocent well for a man accustomed to breakfasting on the blood of his victims.
“You’re trying to charm me again.”
One eyebrow lifted and added to the mockery. “Am I?” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, and Ariana couldn’t help but notice the way the denim material hugged his crotch. And his body had responded to their verbal sparring in the only way it knew how.
The knowledge that she could create that kind of powerful reaction in an immortal like Joaquin empowered her even though it shouldn’t. She cursed below her breath, pushing every memory out of her mind.
“Enough talking.” Thinking about what they could do together served no purpose. She needed to focus on her mission. Withdrawing the spike from the back waistband of her jeans, she took a step forward. “Damn you for making me do this, Joaquin.”
One eyebrow shot upward. “I don’t recall twisting your arm.”
Dammit, the man—if he could, indeed, be called that—could drive her over the edge and into sweet oblivion. The last thought penetrated her brain like the thrust of a traitor’s sword. Gritting her teeth, she focused on the stake. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Joaquin grinned. “Not as long as I have.”
Momentarily caught off guard, she faltered. “You’ve been waiting to die?”
He laughed good-naturedly, and Ariana regretted that she hadn’t known him as a man instead of just thinking of him as such. She wondered what he had been like before he’d become this...this vile creature he now was.
“I have chosen to allow you to live, and the only reason I’m here now is because you believed Charon actually has your best interests at heart. I doubt I can convince you otherwise which leaves me no choice, Ariana.”
She liked the way he said her name, husky and warm, in spite of the intention behind the words. Perspiration coated her upper lip. The stake slipped a notch. How could she do this when her hand refused to move?
“Don’t think I’m an easy mark, Joaquin. I strike first.” So why didn’t she move forward? Her feet remained frozen to the ground, unwilling to obey her commands.
He took a step closer to her and held his arms wide. “Well?”
The nervousness intensified. “Well what?”
Joaquin tapped his chest. “Kill me, then. I’m waiting.”
She heard her own breath, battling with the whisper of the wind. “Don’t be a martyr.” Her palms began to sweat. He laughed again, and the sound stirred something within her. Feelings, possibly? She squared her shoulders. “You think that by dying nobly, you will be remembered as a hero to your people? I hate to disillusion you, Joaquin, but vampires are a notably ignoble lot.”
All humor faded from his face, and Ariana watched the changes taking place within the darkness of his eyes. She knew the vampire’s abilities, but she could match his strength, his agility. Charon had not been lax when gifting her with the powers she needed.
“I have given you the opening you require, but make no mistake, Ariana. It will be the only opportunity you have to destroy me.” He again bowed low at the waist, one hand sweeping out in a courtly gesture. “Vampires have existed since the dawn of time, my sweet, and when your life has faded to dust, we will still exist. ’Tis both our blessing and our curse.”
“Really? Is that why your kind has been so easy to kill?” The taunt struck home.
Joaquin’s shoulders tensed. “Only the young ones. To my knowledge, you’ve only tangled with one vampire close to my age. You bested him, but he wasn’t me.”
“True, but you’ll die just as easily. I’ve tracked so many of you now it’s become second nature. You coming to me just made my job a little bit easier.”
“We’re prey to you, aren’t we? Disgusting creatures that don’t deserve to live.”
“You aren’t alive!” she practically screamed.
“Then make it so!” he shouted back.
Ariana lunged forward, but the stake missed its mark, embedding into the wall just over Joaquin’s shoulder. She straightened and stared at her hand. The sounds of the night faded away as she opened her hand and flexed her fingers.
Joaquin couldn’t have moved that fast. And she never missed. But it was like something unnatural had guided her hand, forcing it to one side...and away from Joaquin’s heart.
“I-I don’t understand what happened.” She stumbled back against the wall, still staring at her palm.
“You can’t kill me,” he whispered, the deep undertones of his voice warning Ariana he spoke the truth.
She clenched her hand behind her back. “Why?”
He walked closer, and Ariana saw the gleam in his eyes. It didn’t matter to her that she would greet death soon. She’d known it would arrive eventually and thought it apropos she would die by a vampire’s bite.
Joaquin’s touch surprised her by its gentleness. He brushed a curl away from her cheek and slid his fingertips to a spot just beneath her chin. He tipped her face up to see her eyes. “Only you can answer that.”
“I will not live as a vampire,” she announced in a haughty voice designed to let him know she meant business.
He tucked that same strand of hair behind her ear. “And what makes you think you’ve been living any differently since Charon came into your life?” He licked her cheek, leaving behind a warm swath of wetness quickly cooled by the night air.
“You’re mad.” Her eyes widened, and she pushed against his chest, an ineffectual attempt at freedom.
Fingertips traced her jaw line before traipsing down to the vee of her shirt. “I wonder if your body still craves mine. Will it still hum beneath my touch?”
She smacked his hand away. “Now I know you’re crazy. I’m not having sex with you.”
His eyebrow lifted. “No?” He tipped her chin up and nibbled the length of her neck. “Would you really deny yourself that which you desire the most?”
Ariana couldn’t breathe, could barely move, and when Joaquin pulled her into his arms, she knew she was lost. She’d fought for so long, trying to avoid the emotions battering her soul. Resisting him now seemed laughable. Even a vampire knew how much her body betrayed her.
The will draining out of her body, she tipped her head back, her eyes meeting his with both a demand and a challenge. “Do you really want the one woman who wants you dead more than most?”
Joaquin’s fingers fisted in her hair. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ariana. You’re not my greatest enemy, but you are my biggest curse.” Pushing her back against the wall, he captured her face in his hands and fused his lips to hers.
* * * *
Charon’s heart burned within her breast. “Stupid, stupid fool!” she screamed into the darkness. “You would fail me now after everything I’ve done for you!”
The birds of the forest scattered at her rage as she whirled her long robe in a vicious circle, the ray of light from her eyes glowing like hot beacons. “I will take you apart myself if I must, Joaquin Shepherd, but you will die this day, no matter who does the killing.” She rubbed her temples, willing the throbbing away.
“I cannot fail. Don’t you understand that, Ariana? Joaquin cannot live.” Her shoulders slumped, she surveyed the couple with a keen eye. Did the girl even know what she had given up with the failure of this one mission? “Ariana, you could have been so powerful. I would have given you the world as my assistant.” Her head drooped. “Now you, too, must die.”
As she spoke the words, Charon felt defeated. She’d grown to care for Ariana in her own way, but the girl had obviously made her choice.
Chapter Six
Joaquin read the challenge in those deep, violet eyes and felt the softness of her skin beneath his palms. In that instant, he was lost. He couldn’t take her life any more than she could take his. Would they be forever doomed then to loathe each other’s existence and remember the moments they’d shared?
Much more than emotion wouldn’t allow him to kill Ariana. He couldn’t imagine knowing she was no more, that
he’d been the one to extinguish her life. Everything about her was sheer perfection, and he could no more keep himself from touching her now than he could dislike the taste of blood flowing over his tongue. He cupped her face and traced the fullness of her lips with his thumb.
“You’re as beautiful as I remember,” he whispered into her hair, the vibrant scent enveloping him.
Her hands clutched at his wrists. “Joaquin.” He heard the hesitancy in her voice, and it heated his blood.
He sifted his fingers through the silky length of her blonde hair and brought it close to his nose. It tickled his upper lip, and his body reacted in the most primal way. “I think about you day and night. You’re a constant craving, burning within my soul. Tell me you haven’t thought about me just as much. Tell me that’s not desire I see in your eyes.” He pressed the lower half of his body against her thigh.
She closed her eyes. “Stop.”
“Stop what? Wanting you? Craving you?” Her hand allowed his to dip into the vee neck of her blouse. “I could just as soon stop living as I could stop desiring you, Ariana. You are the other half to my soul.”
“Just words,” she whispered.
“Ah, but there is a powerful mystery behind those words.” He nipped at her neck, her collarbone, while his blood poured through his veins like warm honey. His hands took on a life of their own, travelling everywhere, moving over the course of her perfect skin, enjoying each dip and curve. “God, Ariana, I don’t think I can wait.”
She flattened herself against the brick wall, her breasts jutting forward as she arched her spine. “Then take me, Joaquin. Now.” As she spoke, her hands worked the zipper on her jeans, giving him a glimpse of white lace.
He shoved the swatch aside and slipped his hand inside to caress her. His reward was Ariana’s cry as she pressed upwards and into his thrusts. Reeling from the sensations, he shoved her jeans down to her ankles and threw off her shoes. The sight of smooth, glistening skin made his mouth water, and with a flick of his wrist, he tore the rest of her clothes away.
Vampire Betrayed (Vampires Destined) Page 6
