What sort of game was Fate playing with them? Bringing them together over Christmas, letting them each find so much in the other, only to have to let each other go again. Why? She wanted. Wanted him to stay. Wanted to be with him always.
As she stared into those dark eyes of his, she knew the truth and wouldn’t hide from it, no matter what it cost her.
“I love you.”
He stilled. His body locked inside hers, his arms wrapped around her, his mouth only a breath away, he watched her as if she were a miracle to him. And Tessa knew that even if he never said aloud those three words to her…he felt them. He loved her. She felt it. In his touch. In his gaze.
Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and in her heart, she whispered a prayer, silently begging for a kind of Christmas miracle so that she and Grayson could be together. And even though she knew it was hopeless…she couldn’t quash the heartfelt wish.
“Tessa—”
“Shh…” She laid her fingers against his mouth and shook her head. “You don’t have to say anything. I only wanted you to know how I feel. How I will always feel.”
Then she moved on him, riding him, up and down, taking him within, releasing him on a slow glide only to capture him deep again. And the quiet in the room surrounded them. Her heartbeat thundered in the stillness. Her breath set their rhythm.
And this time, when she felt the wash of sensation, he joined her—his body shuddering as he emptied himself into her.
Grayson’s great strength trembled. If his heart could have beaten, it would have been clattering in his chest. He held the world in his arms and it was all the more sweet because he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep her.
He bent his head to hers and lifted one hand to smooth her hair back from her face. And he knew he would always be able to feel the slide of those short, dark curls across his fingers. He would wake up in years to come, reaching for her. He would find her in his dreams and remember what it was to be loved.
“Tessa,” he whispered, “I wish I could give you what you have given me.”
“Don’t. You don’t have to say anything, Grayson.”
He paused, looked into her eyes and said only, “You humble me.”
She smiled. “That’s not my intention.”
Carefully, gently, he disengaged their bodies and reluctantly set her on her feet. While she grabbed up her jeans and tugged them on, he adjusted himself, zipped his jeans and tried not to acknowledge the loss of her. It was coming. When this storm ended, when he could get Damon to answer his phone, he would throw his allegiance to the king and Tessa would be safe. Damon’s opposition would leave Grayson alone as soon as he’d taken a stand, and once he left, there would be no reason for vampires to come here.
She flipped her hair back out of her eyes and smiled at him again, and Grayson felt an ache where his heart used to be.
It had been a hundred and fifty years since he had been loved. And the last woman who loved him had died a terrifying death. He wouldn’t allow that to happen again. He would keep Tessa safe. And then he would ensure that safety by leaving her.
Forever.
The storm eased off a bit during the night and the long, gray day of Christmas Eve. By nightfall, the snow was no more than a few flurries and the wind no longer howled like a banshee.
Yet still, Tessa’s nerves were frazzled.
Mainly because Grayson was so obviously on edge. He left the house frequently, never going far, stalking through the snowy woods, hunting for whoever—or whatever—was out there waiting.
But she knew it was more than that. It wasn’t only the hunt that drew him into the icy cold. He was trying to pull back from her. Trying to start the separation that was looming closer with every tick of the clock.
Tossing the dishtowel onto the counter, she gave her pasta sauce a quick stir, sending clouds of fragrant steam lifting off the surface of the pot. Then she turned a dial on the stove and a gas flame bloomed under a pot of water. Once that boiled, she’d cook the pasta, then serve dinner and pretend that they were an ordinary couple—though Grayson didn’t really eat—for as long as she could.
A knock on the door startled her.
Fear spiked in a heartbeat as she walked from the kitchen into the living room. The scent of pine and cinnamon candles greeted her as she moved slowly across the room. Grayson wouldn’t knock on the door and who else would be out in this kind of weather?
Was it her stalker? Finally tiring of moving through the woods frightening her from a distance? Was it a vampire looking for Grayson?
Her hands shook so she clasped them together as she neared the front door. Through the upper glass portion of the door, she saw a middle-aged man standing hunched in his overcoat, with a dark brown hat pulled down over his ears.
Vampires couldn’t come in unless they were invited.
“Perfect,” she told herself in a harsh whisper. “Vampire rules you learned in movies. What makes you think they’re right?” And why hadn’t she asked Grayson?
The man’s head lifted as she came to the other side of the door. “Sorry to bother you…”
Instinct made her want to reach for the doorknob and turn it. She fought that instinct and spoke to him through the closed door. “Yes?”
He gave her a tired smile and she noticed small lines of strain etched into the corners of his eyes and beside his mouth. “Don’t blame you for not opening up. Very smart. Ladies have to be careful.”
“Can I help you?” she asked.
He seemed so tired. So worn out. He lifted one hand to scrub at the dark stubble on his jaw, then he heaved a sigh and looked over his shoulder at the road behind him. “Got turned around in the storm. I’m headed into Whisper for Christmas dinner with my sister.” He looked back at her, smiled and shrugged. “But can’t figure out quite how to get there from here.”
Lost. Well, that was reasonable. Her heartbeat eased back from full throttle. If he were a vampire, he’d have been trying to get her to open the door. And he wasn’t Justin, so that was good. Tessa took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. She felt even more relaxed when she spotted Grayson, headed across the yard toward her.
Following her gaze, the man on the porch said, “Ah, this must be your husband. Maybe he can help me.”
Tessa opened the door.
Grayson shouted, “No!”
The man grabbed her by the throat.
Chapter 11
H er air was cut off as the vampire held her in a tight grip, dragging her up until she was balanced precariously on the tips of her toes. Idiot. She couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. But she’d seen Grayson. Figured she was safe. And the man—vampire—had seemed so harmless. God, she was going to die and all because she had had a moment of sheer stupidity.
“I will snap her neck,” the vampire called out in a strong, deep voice. “You know I will, Gray. You move on me and she’s dead.”
Grayson approached the house with slow, measured steps. He didn’t hurry. Didn’t threaten. But through her darkening vision, Tessa saw the fury stamped on his face and the steely determination glinting in his dark eyes. She kept her gaze on him as it faded, because if she were to die, she wanted to go with his face the last thing she saw.
“Let her go, Samuel,” Grayson said, his deep voice carrying over the icy wind with a cold far more dangerous than the weather.
“No.” The vampire glanced at his captive, then looked back at Grayson. “Not until you swear to support the new king.”
Damn…supporters of both sides were after him and Grayson wanted it all over. He’d brought this down on Tessa. Dragged danger to her door and invited death to come calling. Again.
“I’ve already decided to support Damon, so let her go.”
Instantly, the vampire released her and Tessa staggered until she was bracing her back against the doorjamb. Bent in half, she struggled for air, holding the base of her throat as if she could massage a breath into her lungs.
“Tessa? You all right?”
She nodded, looked up at him and screamed as a man stepped out of the house and grabbed her from behind.
“Back off!”
“Justin, no!” Tessa squirmed in the man’s grasp, scraping at his hands with her nails, kicking back with her heels as she fought to free herself.
The man who’d stalked her. Who’d driven her with fear for years. This, then, was who had slaughtered that deer. This was the man who’d haunted the woods and eluded Grayson for days. Scenting him now, Grayson found only emptiness in the man’s mind and knew why he hadn’t been able to track his quarry. Madness had eliminated all rational thought. Justin’s mind was a black void.
“Shut up!” Justin shouted, pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired off a shot through the porch roof. Snow scattered in response and Tessa’s scream dropped to a low keening. “You back the hell off, both of you! She’s mine and she’s gonna stay mine or I kill her. Right here. Right now.”
Tessa flung one wild look at Grayson and the heart he used to have trembled. He couldn’t risk her safety by trying to reason with a madman. In a blink, Grayson moved so quickly, he was nothing more than a blur of motion. He reached the porch, snatched Tessa free of Justin’s grasp and shoved her into the house. “Lock the door!”
Panicked, she grabbed at the side of the house and turned back to see Justin, infuriated, fire his gun at Samuel before charging Grayson like a bull, head down, arms swinging. Tessa ran to the end of the porch, lifted an old chair and smashed it hard into the edge of the porch. The chair shattered and she bent to grab up one of the heavy chair rungs.
Grayson couldn’t spare her another look. He had to trust that she would stay clear of the fight because he would need every ounce of concentration he had to take care of not only Justin, but also the vampire.
Justin charged and Grayson lunged toward him, ready to fight and kill to protect the woman he loved. The woman he would save as he hadn’t saved another so long ago.
His fist smashed into Justin’s jaw, sending the man sprawling backward into the waiting arms of Samuel, who was oblivious to the bullet that had slammed into his chest. Baring his lethal fangs, he made a grab for Justin.
“He’s mine,” Grayson warned.
But the other vampire sneered at him. “He shot me. He dies.”
Justin screamed, the sound reverberating through the frozen air, then he seemed to remember his gun and fired it again and again. Bullets tore into Samuel’s chest, but the vampire wouldn’t be stopped.
Samuel grabbed Justin, gave a mighty wrench and twisted his neck in one violent motion. Justin dropped to the porch, dead before he landed.
“Grayson?” Tessa’s voice came from behind him, but Grayson couldn’t turn. Didn’t dare take his gaze from the vampire, who was now studying him with a measuring eye.
“Stay there.” Grayson snapped her an order he hoped to hell she followed. Then to the vampire, he said, “Well, Samuel? Do you leave? Or do you die? Your choice.”
Samuel smiled, peeling his lips back from his fangs. He stepped over Justin’s body and walked in a semicircle past Grayson, who turned with him, ready. Waiting. Body tensed to defend at all costs.
Samuel flashed a look at Tessa. “Your woman looks tasty, Gray.”
“Leave her the hell out of this.”
“She’s in it already.” The vampire scented the air, smiled again and scraped the pad of one thumb across the tip of a fang. “She smells of you, Gray. You’ve had her. Perhaps I will, too.”
“You can try….” Tessa spoke up, quiet. Calm.
The vampire laughed, shifted his gaze to Grayson and tipped his head to one side. “So it’s true? You support the king, then?”
“I do.”
“Too bad.” Samuel smiled again as he moved closer. “Michael and I were sent to change your mind. Seems we failed.”
“But you said you were from the king,” Tessa countered and Grayson wanted to tell her to keep quiet. To stop reminding the vampire of her presence. But he couldn’t spare the attention at the moment.
Another fight was coming. And all that stood between Tessa and an early, ugly death, was him. He’d failed to save his family so long ago. Tonight, he wouldn’t fail. Tonight, Tessa would live.
Even if he died.
“I lied,” Samuel told her, spearing Grayson with his gaze. “We had to know where you stood. Now I know. And frankly, I’m glad it worked out like this. Never liked you, Gray. And I’d just as soon see you dust.”
Grayson smiled. “Like she said before, you can try…”
The vampire lunged and Grayson met his attack. The two powerful beings clashed in midair, then tumbled from the porch onto the snow-covered yard. Grayson slammed his fist into Samuel’s face, felt the punch of it rocket back through his shoulder.
Samuel countered with a snarl and a hiss, and then sprung up from the ground with a movement so quick the eye couldn’t track it. Grayson moved to respond, gathering his strength, his power, to batter his opponent. Punches flew, kicks landed and the two vampires hammered at each other with a fury that sounded like thunder rolling.
Samuel drew a knife and slashed with a vicious upper strike, the blade slicing deep into Grayson’s side. Pain blossomed, but he didn’t let it stop him. Blood pooled and ran freely and Samuel smiled. “I’ll take her. As soon as you’re dust, I’ll take her and then I’ll drain her. Die knowing that.”
The reflection of the multicolored Christmas lights shone on the snow in a festive pattern belying the life-and-death struggle in the yard. Tessa watched, heart in her throat. She didn’t look at the fallen body of Justin, the man who had made her life a living hell for so long.
She couldn’t tear her gaze from the man she loved. The man she would lose no matter the outcome of this fight. She clutched the chair rung in one tight fist, moved down the porch steps into the snow and waited for her chance to defend Grayson.
Blood spattered on the snow in brilliant red streaks and fear caught at her sore throat. Breath struggled in and out of her lungs and Tessa’s eyes filled with tears she had no time to shed. Again and again the two vampires crashed into each other and each time it happened, she jolted, terrified that Grayson would fall. Terrified that he would be the one to die in a shower of dust.
Then he kicked the knife from Samuel’s hand, sending the blade skittering across the yard to bury itself in a snowdrift. And they were on equal ground again. With a fierce slam of his fist, Grayson sent Samuel sprawling, and in an instant, Grayson turned to her, snatched the chair rung from her hand and plunged it into his opponent’s chest.
Samuel howled and disappeared in a blinding flash, nothing left of him but the imprint of his body in the fresh snow.
“Grayson!” Tessa raced forward, catching him as he staggered and dropped to his knees.
She sat down heavily in the snow but didn’t feel the cold. She was numb. Body. Heart. Mind. Soul.
She smoothed her fingers through his hair, ran her gaze over his bloodied, battered body, then cradled him to her. Bending her head, she kissed his forehead and whispered, “Thank you, thank you, Grayson. Oh, God, you’re hurt. You’re so hurt.”
“No.” He shook his head and gave her a smile she knew had to cost him. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Doesn’t matter anyway. You’re safe now.”
But at what cost, she screamed silently. Blood gathered and streamed from the deep wound in his side, bruises gathered on his face and a shallow slice across his chest seeped blood onto his shirt. He’d risked everything for her. He’d put his own survival on the line and hadn’t pulled back until the danger was gone. Love filled her and overflowed, spilling in tears from her eyes until her vision blurred.
“I love you, Grayson,” she said, her voice soft, clouded with the tears that seemed to have no end to them. “I love you so much.”
Lifting one hand, he touched her cheek, then let his hand drop again. “Thank you for that,” he said. “You will never know what that means to me. You’ve given me a gi
ft that will be with me eternally, Tessa. Your love will see me through all the dark years to come.”
She bent her head and her tears fell onto his face, and Grayson felt their weight and blessed them. He’d found something here in the place that had held his nightmares for so many years. He’d found peace. And love. And though he had to turn his back on what she offered, the fact of its existence was more than he had ever thought to feel again.
“Come inside,” she said, already shifting to help him up.
“No.” He shook his head and blinked when snowflakes drifted down to land on his eyelashes. “Never think I don’t want to be with you, Tessa. Never think that.” His gaze caught hers and Tessa felt the power in that look. The strength. The resolve. The deep regret.
The wind sighed around them, snow dusted their faces, their bodies, encapsulating them in a world of white and cold. “But I have to leave,” he said softly. “Now. While I still can. And before another assassin shows up.”
“No,” she said, her voice breaking on the single word. “Don’t go, Grayson. Stay with me.”
“You were made for sunlight, Tessa. And I belong in the shadows.” Grayson looked at her, etching this moment, this image, in his memory, so that he could draw on it in the empty centuries to come. Backlit by the Christmas lights, by the swirl of snow in the icy wind, she was everything he’d ever wanted. Everything that he could ever need.
And for the first time in more than a century, Grayson wished that he were alive. That he could feel his heart beat. That he could take her hand and walk in the sun. That he could live here, with Tessa. Make children with her. Grow old with her. And though he knew it was futile, he yearned as he had wanted nothing else in his far too long life. Giving her a smile he didn’t feel, he said, “You’ve given me a priceless Christmas gift, Tessa. Because of you, I learned to love again. Because of you, I felt almost alive again. And I will never forget you. Know that. Believe that. And let it be enough.”
From inside the house, a clock chimed, counting off the hours between tonight and tomorrow—between Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.
Holiday with a Vampire Page 8
