Chapter One
October 1996
Barbara Black walked into the bar with her head held high. She was not going to let that asshole, Morris Edison, make her feel like she was a nothing any longer. She was a college graduate with a BA in business management and she was tired of being treated as nothing more than an over-paid intern. Six years. She had devoted six years to that company and that stupid bastard had the nerve to tell her she’d get nowhere if she didn’t give him what he wanted. Well, she’d had enough. Tomorrow she was walking into the smarmy, self-centered, egotistical ass’ office, and she was quitting. Then, she was heading straight up to human resource and filing sexual harassment charges on him. But right at this moment, all she wanted was a nice glass of wine and Centeno’s was the perfect place to unwind a little.
As she slid onto a stool at the bar, Jasmine, the regular bar tender, smiled at her and handed her a glass of the house white. “You look like you could use this.”
“Jaz, you are a mind reader,” Barbara said, then took a sip of the slightly chilled wine. She closed her eyes and savored the crisp, fruity taste as it moistened her tongue and slid down her throat effortlessly.
“Nah, you just look like you had a bad day. Boss being his usual prick of a self again?”
“You know it. First thing tomorrow morning, I’m outta there. I worked too hard for my degree to put up with his bullshit any longer.”
“Girl, I’m proud of you. Glad you’re finally getting away from that place, and that prick,” Jasmine said as she prepared a cocktail for the lady sitting a few stools from Barbara.
“That one’s on the house,” she added as she stepped away to hand the lady her drink.
“Jaz, you’re a sweetheart,” Barbara said and took another sip of her wine.
She had almost finished her second glass of wine when the stool next to hers was pulled out and a large body slid into it.
“This seat taken?” A deep, baritone voice asked.
“Nope,” Barbara answered without looking up.
“I’m Vincent. May I buy you a drink?” She heard him ask. His question caused her to look up from the almost empty glass in her hand.
“I’m Barbara,” she said as she slowly ran her gaze from his broad chest up to his face. She scanned the planes of his face slowly, and when her eyes connected with his, she gasped softly. Looking into his eyes was like looking into two deep pools of amber whiskey.
“Nice to meet you, Barbara,” Vincent said, and cocked a half grin at the expression on her face. “Care to answer my question?”
“Sure, you can buy me a drink,” she answered softly, never breaking eye contact with him. “Your eyes are the most unique color I have ever seen.”
Vincent cocked another half grin and Barbara blushed deeply. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Sorry. I guess I’ve already had too much to drink. I normally don’t just blurt out what I’m thinking like that.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said and took a sip of the whiskey Jasmine placed in front of him. “Would you like to get some dinner? I know this great Italian place that’s just right around the corner.”
“Um, sure,” she answered after a minute.
Vincent grinned fully and drained the whiskey in his glass. When he laid enough money to cover both of their drinks on the bar, Barbara smiled shyly. Maybe I’ve finally met a gentleman, she thought to herself as she grabbed her jacket off the back of the bar stool. When Vincent took it out of her hands and held it open for her, she smiled again.
Ten minutes later they were seated across from each other in a quiet corner of an Italian restaurant called Armando’s and Barbara had a glass of decadent, rich, red wine in her hand. “I’ve passed this place every day for almost six years and have never eaten here.”
“Oh?” Vincent asked and cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve only been in town for a few weeks and have eaten here at least five times. They have an amazing chicken parmesan, and their wine list rivals that of the exclusive restaurants in New York, Italy, and Paris.”
“Ah, I am in the company of a world traveler,” Barbara said and grinned at Vincent’s expression. “Except for college, I have lived here all of my life.”
“I have travelled many places throughout the years, but I prefer smaller towns to major cities. Tell me about yourself, Barbara.”
Barbara didn’t get the chance to say anything before the waiter appeared and took their orders. Once he was gone, Vincent nodded for Barbara to begin.
“I am twenty-seven years old and, like I said earlier, have lived here all my life. I have a BA in business management from Berkley and have been stuck in the same crappy job for the past six years. My parents were killed in plane crash when I was in my last year at Berkley, and I inherited their house, which is one of the few that is actually in town. I would love to be CEO of a Fortune Five-Hundred company, but unless I get up the nerve to move to New York or LA, there is no way that will ever happen. I love fall and winter, but loath summer,” Barbara kept talking until their food arrived and blushed a little when she realized she’d told him more about herself in the past twenty minutes than anyone else on earth knew.
“I’m sorry, Vincent. I’m sure you didn’t need to know all that,” she said and took a small sip of her wine. She didn’t know why, but she felt more at ease with Vincent than she had ever felt with any man in her entire life. She’d had boyfriends in college, and had given her virginity to one of them, but her experience with the opposite sex was very limited.
“Barbara, you fascinate me. Your eyes are very expressive and tell me as much, if not more, than your words do. Please tell me more about yourself.”
Barbara’s blush deepened, and Vincent grinned. “Why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?”
“Let’s see, I’m thirty-four and haven’t lived in one place for quite some time. I love to travel, but I would be willing to settle down if the right offer were made. I love the cinema, opera, and visiting the different art museums in the cities I travel to.”
“Why are you in a small town like this?”
“I am trying to buy-out a local business and decided to come see it for myself. My business concluded today, but I think I may stay in town for a bit longer.”
Barbara hid her smile behind the last bite of her lasagna. She was falling hard. She knew it was a bad idea, but she didn’t want to fight it.
“Vincent, would you like to come back to my house for a drink?” She asked as he signaled the waiter for the check.
“That sounds like a lovely idea,” he answered after he signed the credit card slip. When she reached for her jacket, he took it from her hands and slipped it on her shoulders. “I have a rental car over at Centeno’s. Do you want a ride home?”
“Sure, it’s just right up the road, but you don’t want to leave your car at Centeno’s too long or Mr. Centeno will have it towed.”
“Then let’s go,” he said with a grin, and Barbara blushed again.
Fifteen minutes later Vincent pulled his little red sports car into Barbara’s driveway. He looked at the Victorian era house and smiled again. He was going to have fun with this one. He got out of the car and opened Barbara’s door before she could open it herself. When they reached the front door, he took her keys from her hand, unlocked it, and stepped back so she could step into the house and disarm the alarm system.
“Come on in,” she said with a glance over her shoulder.
“Very nice,” he said as he shut the front door and followed her through to the kitchen. “Very nice indeed.”
“Thank you. My parents had a substantial life insurance policy
and the airlines settled with the families of those lost in the plane crash, so I had the entire inside of the house modernized. It just makes life easier for me.”
“I like it. It suits you,” he said and dropped his hands to her shoulders. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do since I sat next to you in Centeno’s earlier tonight.”
“What’s that?” Barbara asked, pretty sure she already knew.
“This,” he answered, and lowered his head to hers. When their lips connected Barbara moaned softly and he slipped his tongue into the small opening the sound formed. He licked his way into her mouth, and their tongues tangled in a well-played dance.
She snaked her arms around his neck as he gently lifted her and sat her on the counter.
“Barbara, I have never been this attracted to anyone in my life,” he whispered huskily in her ear as he trailed soft kisses down her neck. When he got to the top of her blouse, he brushed the silky material to the side and kissed the hollow of her neck.
“I haven’t either, Vincent,” she replied breathlessly as his hands gently pulled the end of her blouse from the waist of her skirt. When he slid one hand under her shirt and cupped her breast she groaned loudly. “Let’s take this to my bedroom.”
When Vincent nodded, she slid off the counter, grabbed his hand, and led the way upstairs to her bedroom. When she opened the door, Vincent smiled at the king sized, poster bed.
“The bed is from the same era as the house.”
“It is,” she confirmed, and turned to face him. The amber color of his eyes had deepened, and she could see the lust shining from them.
He walked to her and slowly unbuttoned her blouse as he trailed kisses up and down her neck.
“I can’t wait to try it out,” he said and locked his lips on hers.
****
The next morning Barbara awoke with a start. She instantly knew she was alone in the house. He was gone. Her perfect man was gone. She got up and started to get ready for her day when she saw a note on the pillow next to hers.
Barbara,
I had a lovely evening with you, but as I told you last night, I do not stay in one place very long. It is time I move on from this place. I do hope you understand, and I do want you to know that last night with you was one of the best in my life. Until we meet again.
Always, Vincent.
“Guess that’s what I get for falling for a stranger,” she said as she shook her head at her own stupidity and got ready for her day.
Over the course of the next few weeks, Barbara started a new job and started a new chapter in her life.
Six weeks after her night with Vincent, Barbara sat in a doctor’s office and just stared at the wall. Pregnant. She was pregnant.
Chapter Two
Five years later
“Brandt, can you get the door please?” Barbara yelled from the kitchen. “I’m fixing Colton’s bottle, so he can eat and take a nap. If not, he’s going to be cranky during Karma’s party later.”
“I got it, honey,” Brandt told her as he stepped out of his office off the kitchen and headed to the front door.
When he opened it, he was taken aback by the large man standing there. He looked at the messy, almost black hair and the amber eyes, and immediately knew this was Vincent. This man in front of him was Karma’s father.
“Good afternoon, I am looking for Barbara Black. Does she still live here?” Vincent asked in his deep, smooth, baritone voice.
Brandt stared at him for a minute before he answered. “Her name is Barbara Price now, but yes, she still lives here.”
“Who are you?” Vincent looked at Brandt though narrowed eyes.
“I’m her husband and you really have no business here,” Brandt answered, and moved to shut the door in Vincent’s face.
Vincent shot his hand out so fast Brandt didn’t even see it before he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“I came to see Barbara. I knew her before you came along, and I have some unfinished business to discuss with her.”
“Brandt, honey, who was at the door?” Barbara called from the kitchen and both men turned at the sound of her voice.
“I know who you are, and I do not want you upsetting her,” Brandt said with a note of warning lacing his words.
“I just want to talk to her,” Vincent almost laughed at Brandt’s warning, but it would not do for him to show all his cards at the moment, so he tried to appease the man with his words. “After we talk, I’ll be on my way.”
Brandt nodded and walked into the kitchen, Vincent following closely on his heels. “Barbara, there is someone here to see you.”
Barbara looked up from where she was feeding Colton and gasped loudly.
“Vincent, what are you doing here?” She asked as she shifted Colton to her shoulder, so she could stand up and burp him.
“I came to see you,” he answered in the same deep, baritone voice he used to pick her up that night in Centeno’s. “I think we have some unfinished business to discuss,” he added as he looked through the back window and focused on the little girl playing on the swing set.
“How did you find out about her?” Barbara asked and glanced over her shoulder at her daughter.
“I was passing through town and saw you going into Price’s Hardware with her yesterday. Her age and coloring made me wonder if she was mine, so I thought I would come talk to you. Now that I see her closer, I know she’s mine and there are some things we need to discuss.”
“We have nothing to discuss. Brandt and I are doing well enough that I don’t even want child support from you.”
“There are other things we need to discuss. Things about me you need to know. Things that will change how you view your daughter.”
“Karma. Our daughter’s name is Karma.”
Vincent cocked his head to the side and looked at Barbara questioningly. “What an interesting name.”
“I named her Karma to remind me that choices have consequences. I love our daughter, Vincent, but I never wanted to be a single mom.”
Brandt wrapped his arms around her for a moment then kissed her forehead. “You weren’t a single mom for long and you never will be again. I love Karma like she’s my own, Barb, and you know I will always be by your side.”
“Aww. That’s sweet,” Vincent said with a sneer. “Since you have decided to be part of the child’s life, you need to know this too.”
“Just tell us and leave,” Barbara said and glanced out the window at Karma again. She was playing on the swing set, but she’d been out there for a while and could come in at any moment.
“Fine,” Vincent said on a huff. “I’m warning you though, you may not like what I have to say. My full name is Vincent Duprée and I was born in France in 1745. Thirty-four years later I returned home from the fields to find my wife and five children slaughtered in our home. I went in search of the person who killed them, and was shocked to find the murderer wasn’t human, he was a vampire. Instead of killing me, he turned me and for the next hundred years I was his slave. Barbara, I’m a vampire. Karma is a half vampire. The only Halfling I have ever heard of.”
“Get out of my house,” Barbara told him with barely contained fury lacing her voice. “Take your lying ass and leave my home. I never want to see you again and Karma will never know about you.”
“I’m not lying, and I can prove it to you,” Vincent said and grinned, letting his fangs elongate. “I am what I say I am, and so is Karma.”
“Oh my God,” Brandt said and took Colton from Barbara’s arms. “Barb, honey, you need to sit down.”
“Get out, Vincent. Get out of my home.”
“Barb, I think we need to let him take Karma. If she is what he says she is then we will not be able to keep her with us. It will not be safe for her here.”
“Is she displaying any signs of not being human? Does she want her meat rare? Is she faster or stronger than kids her age?” Vincent asked with a tilt of his head.
“No. She is j
ust like the other kids in her daycare. She plays normally, and hasn’t acted oddly at all,” Barbara answered. “Do you think that will change?”
“I don’t know. Like I said, I have never heard of a Halfling before. All I know is that I cannot take her into my world if she isn’t showing signs of being one of us. I will keep watch over her, and if she does start showing signs of not adapting to human society, I will come back for her. Now I must go. I do not want the child to see me and start asking questions.”
“You’re still a bastard,” Barbara threw out as Vincent left the kitchen. He just grinned as he walked through the living room and out the front door. He knew he was a bastard, but he knew there was nothing he was going to do to change, either.
****
A few weeks later Barbara was preparing for the town’s annual Labor Day picnic when she heard a noise coming from the back yard. She looked out the window and the scene before her was terrifying. Karma was crouched over the plate of steaks she had prepared for the town cook-out and was sucking the blood out of them.
“Brandt!” Barbara yelled loudly, and he came running from his office.
“Look!” She pointed out the window and watched the face of the man she loved go deathly white.
“Barb, this is what he was talking about. What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know, but I am not giving that bastard my baby. She may not be completely human, but she is still part of me and we will teach her to hide her differences. Not because we are ashamed of them, but because we must in order to protect her. We will keep her safe.”
“Yes, we will,” Brandt promised before he walked out into the back yard and sat on the grass beside Karma.
“Hi, Daddy,” Karma said brightly when Brandt sat beside her.
“Hey, baby girl. Are you enjoying the steaks?”
Karma looked at him for a second before she dropped the plate and backed away from it. A frightened look stole across her face and tears pooled in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I will go buy more in a few minutes, but right now can you come inside so me and Mommy can talk to you?”
Karma's Vengeance (Vampire Huntress Saga Book 1) Page 1
