The Vampire Julian

by Ann B. Morris

  It was not the red-hot blade, however, that sent fear racing through her blood. It was Julian’s face, contorted like an evil mask, his lips pulled back to bare two fangs, one on either side of his mouth.

  Her eyes drifted down to his hands. At the tips of his fingers were claws as pointed and sharp as the ends of his teeth. Like a flash of lightning, the claws shot out and into the chest of the man in front of him who also had a twisted face and a grin as evil as the devil himself. The woman he held in his arms slid to the floor.

  Simone watched in horror as Julian snatched the man’s beating heart from the hole in his chest. She could actually hear the “thump, thump” of the heart, feel it pump, pump, pump, as if she held it in her own hands, feel the life pour out of it as the blood slipped through her fingers like warm cane syrup.

  Fear and loathing spread through her. She opened her eyes and found herself standing in front of the couch where she’d gone to sleep. The horror of what she’d just witnessed begged for release, but the scream died in her throat and she sank slowly to the floor.

  UNAWARE OF HOW much time had passed, Simone came slowly back to consciousness. After what seemed an eternity, she stood, then lowered herself to the couch. Drawing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them for security. But the measure didn’t help at all.

  A deep, cold fear made her teeth chatter as one grisly image after another passed before her mind’s eye. She tried as hard as she could to shut out the chilling scenes, but they continued to bombard her as if they were happening all over again. She hugged her knees tighter to her chest. What she’d seen, what she imagined she was seeing again, could not possibly have happened.

  Her heart still raced and her chest burned as she gasped for breath. She tried to shut out the gruesome sights tormenting her, but her efforts were in vain. The horrific images would not stop.

  What she needed was to focus harder on her breathing. She needed to take slow, measured breaths. In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. It seemed to be working. Slowly, the pain in her chest eased. Her racing heart slowed. Her head began to clear and her thoughts were no longer jumbled.

  As real as everything had seemed, what she’d witnessed was only a nightmare brought on by the TV news reports.

  She pressed both hands to her ears to drown out the voices on the television. What she needed to do was focus on something that would erase the terrible nightmarish scenes from her mind. It had been a nightmare. There was no other explanation for what she’d seen, for what was still with her now that she was awake. She needed something real that she could see and touch. Something that would require her full concentration.

  Dottie’s logbook!

  She’d been so thrown off balance by Julian’s delivery of the television and then the television program about the hurricane’s aftermath that she’d completely forgotten about the logbook.

  Soothed by having something tangible on which to focus, Simone reached for the remote control and clicked off the TV. Then she slid closer to the lamp at the end of the couch.

  Dottie’s logbook was still open to the last page she’d read before Julian’s visit. The words “The Next Level” immediately caught her eye. She would go there tomorrow morning, and if she wasn’t satisfied with what she found out, she’d go back tomorrow night.

  The curfew was being extended by two hours beginning tomorrow, and Brian, whom she hadn’t met yet, would be splitting the shift with her. He’d work in her place on her days off as well, Mike had told her earlier.

  The simple act of making a decision brought Simone a measure of calm, and the nightmare slipped to the back of her mind.

  She knew she would never be able to sleep after the terrifying dream, but maybe if she forced herself to lie still, she’d be able to rest for a few hours before morning came.

  For the second time that night, she stretched out on the couch and pulled the covers up over her head. Within seconds, in spite of her wish to do otherwise, she was asleep and dreaming again of Julian.

  But the images in this dream, although just as vivid as the ones before, didn’t fill Simone with fear and loathing. These images of Julian filled her with an overwhelming sexual longing. Even in her dream, she desired Julian more any other man she had ever known.

  JULIAN HEARD SIMONE’S scream, felt the fear and revulsion that ripped through her, and cursed himself for not taking the one extra step he should have to ensure his mind could not link again with hers. In his haste to help the old man, he had failed to completely close the channel between them.

  Ordinarily, as he had explained to her, she would be able to receive only the thoughts he deliberately directed her way, if she had not put up a barrier between them. There was one exception, however, that he had failed to mention to her. The failure had not been intentional; he had simply had too much else on his mind to remember it.

  When he was emotionally and physically taxed, it was possible for his strong emotions to be involuntarily transferred to her. His failure to close the channel that had allowed their minds to link earlier had made it possible for Simone to witness the dark side of his vampire nature sooner than he had planned.

  He was confident though, that Simone’s enhanced mental abilities were strong enough for her to cope with whatever she had seen. If not, she would forget everything until her psyche was ready to accept it. He’d find out later how she’d reacted and deal with the outcome then. At the moment, he had to focus on the dying woman he’d just rescued.

  Calling on his powers of physical transportation, he arrived at the mobile hospital in the Convention Center before the old man’s daughter had taken more than two labored breaths. It was times like this that he took great pride in his ability to concentrate on a location and will himself to travel there in a matter of seconds.

  He explained to the receiving nurse that he had found the woman collapsed on the street, pointing out that she wore a medical alert necklace. The ID tag would give her name, address and phone number, so he knew that once she was stabilized her father would be contacted by the medical personnel. Knowing how worried the old man was, however, Julian decided he would have one of his cadre deliver news of the young woman’s rescue as soon as he returned home.

  Once outside the hospital, Julian looked up at the black sky. Dawn was still a few hours away.

  Using his transportation powers again, in an instant he stood outside Simone’s apartment. No sounds came from within. To close the channel between them, he needed to be close enough to her for their auras to touch.

  He could tell she was asleep. It would be easy for him to enter without her permission. But if she should awaken and find him there she would be frightened, even angry that her privacy had been violated. That was certainly not the way to gain her trust. And with their mental connection, he’d never be able to wipe the memory from her mind.

  He knocked softly on the door and waited.

  “Who is it?” Simone’s voice was low and sleep laden.

  Sensing her aura on the other side of the door, mere inches from his, he said, “It’s Julian.” When she didn’t answer immediately, he added softly, “May I come in?”

  He heard her sigh before the latch clicked and she opened the door a crack. After a few seconds, she opened the door wide enough for him to enter and he stepped inside. She had changed from her work clothes into a loose fitting sweatsuit. Her hair was tousled and her eyes looked heavy from sleep.

  As if in a trance, Simone took his hand and led him to the couch. She hesitated for a moment when she reached it, then sat down and looked up at him. Backlit by the low reading lamp her eyes glittered with desire.

  He stood there, not certain what to do. His hand, as well as his mind, was still locked with hers. When her fingers tightened around his and tugged, he sank to his knees on the floor. His senses rioted from the simple tangle of their fingers, and his heart
raced wildly.

  It was the first time in decades that a woman had looked at him with such naked desire. A deep sense of longing rushed through him, and he felt his willpower waver dangerously before he remembered who she was and why she was here.

  The spell he had cast around Simone the first time they met was different than those he’d used in the past to entrap a woman so he could feed from her. Simone’s spell was designed to link their minds so he could send her information about the past, as well as connect with her telepathically whenever he chose to do so.

  Where her emotions were concerned, however, the spell would heighten romantic feelings for him only if she were already inclined that way. It would not bend her mind to the extent that she would surrender her body or her heart to him against her will. Those would have to be given freely if she was to help him fulfill the Legacy.

  He shut off the distracting thoughts and gave himself up to the unmasked desire in Simone’s eyes. He felt The Need take hold deep inside him. If he didn’t close the channel he could go well beyond what was safe for both of them. He had to close it now, before another dangerous second passed, but he was so attracted to her and she seemed so willing to yield to him. Perhaps just one taste from her luscious mouth . . .

  No. He wrenched his mind away from his dangerous thoughts and shut his eyes against the need he saw in hers. He could not allow himself such a luxury, not when they were both so vulnerable. He had to close the channel now.

  But before he could mentally form the words that would close their mental link, Simone murmured something he didn’t hear, and he leaned toward her.

  “Julian.” Her voice was low, barely above a whisper. Was she aware of his presence? Aware of where they were?

  The only way he could be sure she was acting on her own was to stop hesitating and close the channel. He concentrated for the brief second it took to close the link. Only after it was done did he let himself focus on Simone, who still looked at him with longing in her eyes.

  “Julian?” Simone’s deep, throaty plea was little more than a whisper.

  Still on his knees, he leaned closer and gently urged her to lie down. He felt her warm breath caress his face, and his already heated blood grew hotter. “I’m here,” he said, aware of how near his mouth was to her throat. He could almost feel her pulse against his lips, beating like a fragile bird, unaware that its life could end before she took another breath.

  The odds were against him killing her, but with The Need getting stronger and the darkness of the unfulfilled Legacy pressing closer, he knew it would be unwise to take any unnecessary risks, no matter how slight. Better to be safe than sorry.

  Simone slipped her hand free from his, inserted it between their bodies and found the area on his shoulder where the injury from the night’s confrontation with Dorian ached painfully.

  If he’d had any doubt at all that their minds had been linked during the battle, it quickly vanished. Her tender but thorough exploration of the exact spot where Dorian’s blade had landed was all the proof he needed that she had witnessed the fight between them.

  Slowly, Simone’s fingers moved across his shoulder, inched up the nape of his neck and curled into a hank of his hair. She drew his mouth down to hers with such force his teeth cut into her lip. He immediately tasted blood. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make The Need flare in his loins. Thankfully, his fangs had not descended. Still, he had to do something fast, so he quickly culled saliva from the glands in his jaws and laved the cut on her lip with his tongue.

  The cut healed instantly, but his sigh of relief was short-lived. The danger wasn’t over. She was far too tempting. The only sensible thing would be for him to pull away before things got out of hand. But logic was a cold companion. And it had been such a long, long time since he’d felt a woman’s warm mouth under his. If he could just touch her, stroke her soft skin, become familiar with her body so that—

  Cursing inwardly he savagely pulled his mouth from hers, wringing from her a moan of protest as she tightened her fierce hold on his hair.

  “Julian?” she whispered seductively, the sound of his name tearing at his heart. Tugging at his loins.

  In spite of an inner warning, he let his gaze settle on her face. She was so lovely. So desirable. And her mind was free now of any tie with his. Any desire she now felt for him was legitimately her own.

  He leaned in close to her mouth again, making certain their lips didn’t touch, and asked, “Are you awake, Simone?”

  He could have sworn her murmured response was yes, but how could he be certain? He lowered his face closer still, making sure his lips did not touch hers, and repeated, “Are you awake, Simone? Do you know who I am?”

  She hissed a “yes” and reached up to touch the copper stud in his ear. An unfamiliar sensation flooded his body. It was the first time a human hand had touched the symbol of the Whitcombe Clan, a copper, flat-blade dagger, ornamented with pearl and turquoise stones. The copper used in the ear studs was the first ever discovered and had been a special gift from the Goddess Lilith to the Whitcombe lineage.

  Throughout the centuries the copper had been crafted into whatever adornment had been fashionable at the time—belt buckles, rings, daggers, one of which had been handed down to him as part of the Whitcombe Legacy.

  As promised by Lilith, as long as a Whitcombe had a copper adornment on his person he was as protected against evil as he could hope to be. It was the only thing that would protect a Whitcombe vampire from everything but the most mortal of wounds.

  In the early 1970s, he had used a small amount of copper from the dagger to have ear studs made in a Bourbon Street shop. The earrings were activated by his internal response to danger. Occasionally, he had to leave them inside his copper-lined coffin for a time to reactivate any power they might have lost, which was where they were the night of the hurricane rescue when Zurik had attacked him. He had put the studs back in his ears weeks ago to prevent getting caught off guard again. And a good thing too, after tonight’s unplanned conflict with Dorian.

  Simone stroked the earring again, and the sensation that coursed through him this time was stronger than the first.

  “No,” he said and took hold of her wrist, fighting every impulse that urged him to crawl on top of her.

  She didn’t fight his hold, but instead worked her hand free, linked her fingers with his, and brought his hand to her breast. Involuntarily, his fingers slipped from hers and spread over the soft mound of flesh beneath his palm. Under the lightweight fabric of her shirt he felt the peak of her nipple. He shuddered with a new onslaught of need. She wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Memories of how warm and supple a woman’s breasts felt in his hands were more than he could bear. He wanted Simone’s flesh against his, her full lush breast in his hand.

  As if reading his mind, Simone guided his hand under her shirt to cup her breast. His first contact with her flesh was like being seared with a flame. The torture was so intense it brought him untold pleasure and his fingers closed over the firm, lush orb as if it were pirate’s treasure.

  He kneaded her nipple. As he rolled the taut nub between his fingers, his blood continued to heat and The Need reared up again. He still had one hand braced against the back of the couch for leverage and Simone reached for it, guided it to her waist and slipped his hand under the elastic waistband. That was all the encouragement he needed.

  For a moment, his heart stopped beating when he discovered she wore no underpants. As his fingers moved low to explore the soft mound of her belly and her swollen outer folds, he watched with delight all the subtle changes in her expression. And when she caught her lower lip between her teeth and passed the tip of her tongue over the spot he had injured but had already healed, his cock twitched. Watching her had summoned The Need again, and he yearned for another taste of her mouth. Of her blood.

  His
testicles were heavy and felt as if they were about to burst as he rubbed the heel of his hand over her mound and ran a finger up and down her outer folds. Suddenly, as she thrust her hips upward once, twice, a third time, he could contain himself no longer and he slipped first one and then a second finger inside her.

  Inside him The Need clamored to be satisfied. He cursed inwardly and ordered it to cease, fought hard against the disobedience that raged in his loins. His cock had swollen to a painful size. The gums encasing his fangs burned and throbbed fiercely, and his hot blood roared in his ears. Summoning all of his willpower, he restrained The Need enough that he could think and act without serious risk to either of them.

  Simone’s plaintive moans returned his thoughts to her. He was surprised to see that while he had fought his own need, he had not ceased his ministrations to her. The heat of her passion had pooled around his fingers. Growing ripples of pleasure, signaling her impending orgasm, shuddered against his hand.

  He moaned along with her at her release, relieved that he had not succumbed, that he had not put his mouth to her throat, nor mounted her and thrust himself inside her. He felt a moment of pride at the mastery of his control even as his body throbbed and ached to satisfy the hunger that he had staved off for so many years.

  He stayed connected to her until she rolled to her side with a sigh of satisfaction and her slow, even breathing told him she was asleep. He withdrew his fingers from her gently, so as not to disturb her peaceful slumber. Then, for one moment, he allowed himself a last, tortured look at the base of her throat where her pulse beat with the life he craved.

  His mouth was inches from her neck when he caught himself, pulled back, and surprisingly, touched his lips tenderly to the edge of her jaw.

  He was ready now to begin the final phase of seduction. He needed her to love him as well as desire him. Above all, he needed her willingness to give her life for him, if it came down to that.